With one week left, we must look forward with anticipation and excitement toward Open Day when we will get to show off what we have learned to teachers, friends, and family. BUT FIRST, I will look back at week three with nostalgia and the fondest of memories :)
Shakespeare class was the highlight of Monday! For the first time, I performed my scenes off-book, and it felt so great! With the blocking and lines officially down, John began to give me more freedom to play with the language. I felt as if I had reached a specific step in his director-actor process in which he found me fit to move on to the next level. I had passed his first test of blocking, memorizing, speaking the verse well, and heading in the right direction with my character and was ready to be pushed further. I have so much respect for this man. John is in his early 80s, has accomplished so much both in theatre and in film, and is still willing and happy to share his knowledge and experiences with us oh-so-green youngsters. I hope I still have that motivation, patience, and willingness at 82!
The highlight of Tuesday was Physical Theatre class. As I have mentioned before, we are working on a play called "The Chairs" in which a very old couple welcomes invisible people into a very important meeting. I had been paired with my gal pal, my same-size-sista Mandy and we decided to change the old couple into two old sisters. Monday night, we rehearsed on the New Building lawns for two hours, coming up with the accents we would use, the physicality we would use (ultimately deciding on dinosaur-inspired movements), and blocking out where we would move as well as where the invisible people would be throughout the scene. It was definitely a challenge but an extremely fun one! We performed second in class on Tuesday and we killed it! We were both very nervous but if there is one thing we have learned in Physical Theatre with Mick, our hilarious teacher, is that mistakes make for the best comedy! That's why we play so many games in class where people are "caught out," as Mick says. What you naturally do and say when you mess up or get kicked out of a game can later be purposely used in comedic scenes or improves to make others laugh. With this mentality, it becomes much easier to step out on that nerve-wracking limb and to make mistakes. Mandy and I took that step and it paid off! Mick really enjoyed our rendition and it was just so much FUN to perform. I mean, come on, 95 year old sisters watching and talking to an invisible man and woman who are performing explicit acts right in front of them.... What could be more fun than that!! Hahaha :P
Wednesday had many highlights! First, Libby and I went to Christ Church, Oxford's most famous college where scenes from Harry Potter were shot! I visited Christ Church when I was 13 on my first trip abroad. We were in Oxford for maybe two hours. Being in Christ Chuch again, on the steps where Professor McGonagall first welcomed Harry to Hogwarts, I found myself very moved. Seven years ago, standing in that same place, on the same step even, 13-year-old me had thought those two hours in beautifully historic (and Harry Potter-like) Oxford were miraculous, a once in a lifetime opportunity. And now 20 year old me has lived and studied in Oxford for three weeks... lived in one of its most beautiful colleges, been to the local pubs, and studied theatre from accomplished teachers alongside a group of such talent peers (#baldwinlove)... it's truly bizarre! I couldn't help but laugh and smile to myself as I snapped pictures of a place I already have so many pictures of. Touring Christ College with Libs, from the staircase to the Dining Hall (after which the Hogwarts Great Hall was modeled) to the beautiful cathedral, was definitely a lot of fun; BUT the best part of that morning was the realization that you never know where you will end up, what roads life may take you down or what roads your life may take you BACK down. I never would have guessed I would return to Oxford. Never doubt. Never reject seemingly unlikely or impossible hopes for the future because, seriously, you really never know.
Well...On that deep note haha, let's talk about Mrs. Petunia Dursley of Number 4 Privet Drive. Wednesday afternoon we had the enormous privilege of having a masterclass with the great Fiona Shaw, who has had the most amazing, inspiring acting career (far beyond her well-known portrayal of Petunia). What a witty, exuberant, playful woman! She breathed life into the space with her smile, her hilarious side stories about Sri Lanka, and her seemingly bizarre theatrical tricks that managed to bringing out the best in all the actors she worked with. I raised my hand like it was no one's business!! I tried so hard to work with her! But alas, I was not picked out from the group. I believe only 6 out of the 90 of us were picked. And even though I was bummed I didn't get chosen, we all learned SO MUCH from watching her work her magic and watching our peers grow before our eyes. I don't think Lily was the only Evans with a bit of magic in her blood ;P but in all seriousness, I could just tell how much she loves her career and how much satisfaction she finds in sharing that love with us. The look on her face when one of the actors really worked a piece over and over then, finally, killed it, was so happy, genuine, and so proud. Oh! And interesting fact: Fiona Shaw is a huge Beyoncé admirer and had us all sing "Drunken Love" while a group of people did the party scene in "Romeo and Juliet"... Like, come on, could she get any cooler than that?!
Wednesday night, I went for a walk on my own out to the lily pond where my friends and I had hung out the very first Saturday we were here. On the way, I stopped and reflected on the past of Magdalen College. First, I stopped at my favorite spot on Addison's Walk: the supported branch. As you can see below, this extremely long branch has grown so long that it now requires the aid of a pretty hefty post. Every time I've walked or run under it I have thought about how many people before me have passed under that same monster of a branch. How many students, teachers, tourists? For how many centuries have people retreated to Addison's Walk for solace or for a peaceful walk with friends? That tree, with the branch that looks as if it is trying to escape from the massive trunk, has been encountered by so many; the tree has heard so many conversations, has been in the company of great thinkers and aspiring students, and has lived on when it's human admirers have passed on. I don't know what it is, but I feel a strong energy whenever I pass beneath that branch, an energy that tells me my presence, my own energy might remain here at Magdalen even when that long branch grows long enough to require a second support post.
The other stop I made on my journey to the pond was at the entrance to the water meadow. The sun was setting beyond the gate and I stood watching it sink beneath the trees for quite some time. But what really caught my attention was the stone bench that sits opposite the gate to the meadow. It's this beautifully carved but worn and discolored bench that looks so strangely out of place. As I stood taking pictures of it, my shadow was cast across the stone. Again, I couldn't help but think of those who erected the bench in that strange location and of those who then sat on it talking to a friend, reading a book, or watching the sun set, as I then did, with the bells of Magdalen ringing from across the meadow.
When I eventually reached the pond, I used the beautiful space to rehearse my "Midsummer" scene, my "As You Like It" monologue, and my "reasons to be pretty" monologue. It was the most serene, inspiring setting to rehearse in! On my way back to campus, I came upon Mick, my Physical Theatre teacher, and my friend Mandy, my partner for "The Chairs" scene. Mick asked me if I'd like to join them on a walk to the lily pond. Even though I had just come from there, I have come to love Mick far too much to miss out on an opportunity to hang out and talk to him outside the classroom. So I went! And for an hour and a half, some time at the pond and some time walking, the three of us discussed all sorts of stories, mostly concerning theatre but also just life in general! Mick is such a down to earth, naturally humorous man. It's so easy to talk to him and to work with him. I will really miss his teaching and his company come the end of this week.
The most pivotal moment of Thursday was my Audition Technique class. After preparing my Carly monologue from Neil Labute's "reasons to be pretty" for about 9 days, I felt I was ready to present it to Irina Brown, our teacher, as a mock audition. The first time I did the piece for her she said I was very static and rehearsed. She was right. It didn't feel right, and I felt more like I was presenting a piece I had rehearsed over and over rather than telling a story and interacting with the audience as the character under the given circumstances of the play. Irina is constantly urging us to think of the given circumstances your character is in, the circumstances that have driven them to speak, to tell whatever story they are about to tell. In order to bring me face to face with the given circumstance in my play, she made two of my peers get on the floor in front of me and in front of everyone and made them act as if they were lovers, one my husband and the other the woman he has been sleeping with. As I watched them, I began to recite my monologue. My reciting of the lines came second; my watching of them and eventual ripping apart of their intertwined bodies came first. My actions towards them brought up honest, in-the-moment anger and pain from within me. Then she had them sit back down and she told me "now go!" And so I did my monologue. It was like an out-of-body experience. It felt so real. So honest. I saw the faces of my peers in complete shock, eyes wide, some mouths open as I told them my story. And when I was done, I was even shocked myself. I was shaking and almost in tears. It may have been the most honest piece of acting it have ever done. I wasn't acting upset or acting angry. I simply WAS those thing because of the actions I had just performed in Irina's clever exercise. It was certainly a breakthrough moment for me... I still need some more time to think about it and particularly about how I could possibly emulate such honesty in my acting in the future, especially for something so brief as an audition.
On Friday after classes, we had our second-to-last masterclass. It was with Henry Goodman. I was super excited to watch this man work because his most recent work was playing Arturo Ui in "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui" in London, the same role I most recently played! The first thing he said to us was to put our pens and notebooks away. He said we could never be fully engaged with him and each other if we were always looking to write down things he says. I was a little bummed at first because, as you can see from my oh-so-long blog posts, I love recording things so that I can refer to them later. However, it was actually quite refreshing to simply sit and listen and not worry about missing anything important or constantly looking down. He had us do all sorts of physical and mental exercises that I will definitely utilize in the future. Some exercises were about being in the moment, being relaxed but alert, always ready to react since ACTING IS REACTING. Other exercises had to do with knowing yourself, knowing how others and thus directors might precise you, and knowing the characters you are given to play. It's really hard to pinpoint just one, but I think this was my favorite masterclass of the course! It was super engaging, really fun, massively educational, and communal. Henry Goodman was such a character! I could totally see him as a great Ui!
Friday night, I went with Libby, Cordelia, and Trevor to see "King Lear" in the courtyard of the famous Bodleian Library. The play starred Joseph Marcell who had played Geoffrey on "Fresh Prince of Bel Air." The show was really good, and Marcell was brilliant!! And seeing a great Shakespeare play outside at the Bodleian Library was kind of a priceless experience.
Saturday, me, Libby, Sarah, Michael, and Trevor were off to Bath! We took two trains and arrived around 11. First we explored a antique and secondhand bookstore. We could have easily stayed there for hours. I have officially acquired a habit of buying an old, secondhand book from every old book store I come across. No shame. We then went to a beautiful park in the center of the small town. Rolling hills dotted with picturesque row houses encircled us. We took tons of pictures of the variety of beautiful architecture and of the nearby river sparkling in the sun. Then we went to a Greek restaurant. Yes, that's right; I went to a Greek restaurant. I didn't have the heart to tell my friends no, so I put on my big-girl, low-maintenance panties and went inside to try something new. First of all, the restaurant was stunning. It was underground and the decor was worth the visit, especially the decor of the WC. That's right folks: the bathroom was AMAZING. To get to the restrooms, one had to pass through the bright red tunnel. I was not sure if it felt more like I was entering a night club or the first circle of hell, but it was pretty cool either way! Then the toilet seats and lids were covered in sparkles. Yep, that happened. Sparkle toilets. It was bizarre... and kind of fabulous. Anyway, I ended up having grilled cheese... No, no, not a grilled cheese SANDWICH. Just pieces of GRILLED CHEESE. Hahaha ultimately I used the pita bread that came to the table to make my own small grilled cheese sandwiches. The point is I did manage to eat at a Greek restaurant. Small steps people!
Next we headed to see "Therese Raquin" at the Theatre Royal Bath starring Pippa Nixon, the accomplished, young British actress with whom we had our very first masterclass way back on the first Sunday we were here. It was one of the BEST productions I have ever seen. The play told the story of Therese, played by Pippa, who grew up with her aunt and her sickly, pompous cousin whom she is eventually forced to marry. When her husband/cousin brings home an old friend from work one night, the friend and Therese begin an intense, eerily dependent love affair with each other, and eventually (SPOILER ALERT) murder Therese's husband so that they will eventually be free to marry. But they are so traumatically haunted by their horrific deed, that in the end, (SPOILER ALERT) they poison themselves and die together. Ugh, SO GOOD! Pippa was incredible, the whole cast was just so so strong! But honestly, this production would not have been what it was without the complex, absolutely engrossing light design, sound design, and choreographed intervals between the scenes. There is no way to describe in words how these elements came together with the acting to create such a spectacular production. I am so glad we decided to take the journey to Bath to see Pippa's play. She even met us at the stage door afterwards, and so kindly thanked us for coming and told us a bit about her rehearsal and tech process for the show. Ugh it was simply a great afternoon....
....followed by an equally great evening spent at the Roman Baths from the 1st century AD. You must visit this site when you go to Bath. It's why the city is named "Bath" after all! We paid and were given an audio tour guide upon our entry. I went through the site for about an hour and 40 minutes. I was the last one to leave, of course. I made sure I listened to every single audio. I wanted to learn all about the history of this ancient site and I didn't want to miss anything! What got to me the most was the craftsmanship displayed by the Roman people. In the first century, they were able not only to get to the UK land from their empire but they were able to then build an absolutely colossal site dedicated to their goddess Sulis Minerva around the hot spring they found. They believed the hot spring had healing powers because they associated the water with the goddess. What I just think is so fascinating is that the Romans were kind of right! The hot spring does have special powers other waters lack not because of a goddess but because of the particular minerals in it that the Romans knew nothing about at the time. Today, the spring water is still being used by visitors in a spa next door to the archeological site. It's bizarre how 2000 years later we are not only honoring the remains of the site and what we can learn from those remains, but we are also still using the spring water in the same ways the ancient Romans did. Thus, their hard work and a significant piece if their social and religious culture has lived on in this little English town.
The actual hot spring
Sunday was a quiet, enjoyable day spent in Oxford. With friends, I ate at two new places and explored areas of Oxford I had yet to venture around.
Soooo that was my third week... It was super eventful and obviously I really didn't want to leave anything out for those who read my posts and for myself. As the program is coming towards its end, I find myself wanting to remember more and more of the teeniest details so that next week when it's all over, or in 6 months, next summer, 5 years, 10 years I can go back to these posts and still have these detailed memories. In my modern scene from "Blue Kettle," it is said that we are what we remember. We are our memories. My character Enid says she doesn't have many memories of her life and therefore she is so confused, she is lost and lonely. My memories of this program will become a part of me and inform where I go and what I do from here. And if ever I need a reminder of my favorite Oxford pubs, of what I learned from/how I felt about working with Julian Glover or Fiona Shaw, of who my amazing friends were, and of the happiness and gratitude I have felt the throughout my time spent in my beloved Oxford, here it will be.
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