I am a tad delayed in getting up the blog post so I hope nobody was setting their watch by it. It seems it is time to welcome my first cold of the fall; or autumn as they say in this part of the world. The weather has turned from chilly to cold and I’m trying to assess what outerwear option best suits. I predicted I’d get sick after the course. It is to be expected with the pressure and drive dissipating and the body crashing. However, life goes on and I am hoping this indisposition will not detain me for long. I have stuff to do!
Last week I met the new class of MA CCTs. They are delightful and full of anticipation and excitement for the upcoming year. The faculty asked the class of ’09 to come in and talk to the class of ’10. We talked about our backgrounds, what we did for research projects, etcetera, etcetera. We had a session in a studio with all of us in a circle and the class of ’09 yapping away and then we had more casual conversation in the Academy’s café and at a pub later in the evening. I hope we were helpful. Their program will be amended to some extent because the faculty will implement some improvements after seeing the results of the inaugural year with our class. Indeed I’m sure the program will continue to evolve as they figure out the best way to arrange things so everyone gets the benefit. It will be a work in progress for the first few years of the course.
Many from my class are forging ahead with our lives. Most everyone is considering the various employment options we need to consider. A handful of us are working on writing projects and we are supporting each other by doing play reading sessions and meeting to bounce ideas around. We even had some from the new class come to a reading of a first draft by one of my classmates. It seems we are establishing our community to some extent. It is nice to enjoy this luxury now because it will inevitably be harder to maintain as people establish their lives and careers and are consumed by those responsibilities.
Graduation is a month plus away. The last of our America bound classmates departs for the colonies tomorrow. She’ll be back in November for the big day. It looks like we will only be missing one for the ceremony. Last year Richard Attenborough and James McAvoy were in attendance. I don’t think we’ll be so fortunate this year but who needs celebrities when you have trailblazers like us in the house. Woo who, MA CCT class of ’09!
Take care all!
See ya next week!
-m
Monday, October 5, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Done!
Someone, I won’t say who, sent an email asking why I didn’t get my blog posting up sooner. Well, I’ll tell you; I was very busy Sunday doing absolutely NOTHING! That’s right m’ dears, I am finished with all the course requirements for my Masters of Arts in Classical and Contemporary Text at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Hooray!!!!!
Last week was dedicated to writing the five final papers for the course that were due on Friday the 25th of September; the last day of the term. I was glued to the computer all week. It was worth it though because I was pleased with the final products. I hope the committee is pleased as well! Our assignments will be reviewed by a committee of academics who will hopefully approve the work and grant us the credits we need to obtain the degree. Graduation isn’t until November so they have allotted time for these reviews to take place. The papers were summative statements regarding the final modules and the course as a whole and we also turned in our research projects.
What a week! What a year!! I have, of course, been in reflection for the past week but I know the full impact of this experience will take time to comprehend. There were many challenges and many benefits. One would expect a combination of goods and bads when embarking on a journey such as this. I have grown as a person and as an artist. I have been introduced to a plethora of exceptional people, companies and subjects and learned new techniques that I can add to my actor’s toolkit. I have lived and studied abroad learning firsthand about Scottish culture, British culture and European culture. It has indeed been an eventful year.
As for the future; mine is wide open. I’m going to stay in the UK for a while and take advantage of the post-study visa offered to the Americans upon approval of our degree. Until I secure this new visa I will be residing under my student visa. Therefore, there will be a short delay before I can start to seek out work as a performer. I cannot be employed as such on my student visa and can only work a limited number of hours. When the committee has finished their review and if the results are positive, I can then apply for the two year post-study work visa. So in the meantime, I will be looking for part time employment and will continue to work on some writing projects I am keen to develop.
Next week some of our class will be meeting some of the new class. I have met some incoming students already at various events and through emails. Thursday the faculty has arranged a meet and greet for whoever is available. I plan on attending. If we can be ambassadors to those who follow us, the inaugural year, then I am happy to offer my assistance. I’ll try not to scare them too much!
Until next week…
Take care!
-m
Last week was dedicated to writing the five final papers for the course that were due on Friday the 25th of September; the last day of the term. I was glued to the computer all week. It was worth it though because I was pleased with the final products. I hope the committee is pleased as well! Our assignments will be reviewed by a committee of academics who will hopefully approve the work and grant us the credits we need to obtain the degree. Graduation isn’t until November so they have allotted time for these reviews to take place. The papers were summative statements regarding the final modules and the course as a whole and we also turned in our research projects.
What a week! What a year!! I have, of course, been in reflection for the past week but I know the full impact of this experience will take time to comprehend. There were many challenges and many benefits. One would expect a combination of goods and bads when embarking on a journey such as this. I have grown as a person and as an artist. I have been introduced to a plethora of exceptional people, companies and subjects and learned new techniques that I can add to my actor’s toolkit. I have lived and studied abroad learning firsthand about Scottish culture, British culture and European culture. It has indeed been an eventful year.
As for the future; mine is wide open. I’m going to stay in the UK for a while and take advantage of the post-study visa offered to the Americans upon approval of our degree. Until I secure this new visa I will be residing under my student visa. Therefore, there will be a short delay before I can start to seek out work as a performer. I cannot be employed as such on my student visa and can only work a limited number of hours. When the committee has finished their review and if the results are positive, I can then apply for the two year post-study work visa. So in the meantime, I will be looking for part time employment and will continue to work on some writing projects I am keen to develop.
Next week some of our class will be meeting some of the new class. I have met some incoming students already at various events and through emails. Thursday the faculty has arranged a meet and greet for whoever is available. I plan on attending. If we can be ambassadors to those who follow us, the inaugural year, then I am happy to offer my assistance. I’ll try not to scare them too much!
Until next week…
Take care!
-m
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Preparations and Celebrations
Today is a day for celebrating! Last night was the last performance of our final shows for the MA CCT course at the RSAMD. I came back from Edinburgh at around 10:30pm and arrived to find my new neighborhood erupting with activity. Turns out moonrise last night brought Eid ul-Fitr or Eid for short. Eid celebrates the end of Ramadan for Muslims. Ramadan is a month of fasting and reflection where Islamic practitioners refrain from eating during daylight hours and Eid is the festival that marks the end of that period of devotion. It is a bit like Lent on the Christian calendar. As many in my local community are of South Asian decent, Islam is one of the major religions practiced in the area. The celebrations continue today and when I went to the grocery store I saw the streets are filled with people blowing party horns, children playing and silly string decorates parked cars and some people too! Everyone is dressed in their best clothes and the women and girls glitter in gorgeous salwar kameezes (a style of garment traditional in South Asia) rich in color and they are bejeweled in sparkling ornamentation from head to toe. Stunning!
The shows went well. On Thursday night I finally saw the other two offerings my classmates have been working on all this time. I thoroughly enjoyed their work and am intrigued with the stories. I can’t wait to see how these scripts develop and find out what happens! One in particular called ‘The Fever Dream: Southside’ by Douglas Maxwell is set on the Southside of Glasgow where I am making my new home. It was engaging to hear references to places to which I have recently been introduced and am looking forward to getting to know better. The future for these plays is bright and it was an honor to be a part of their beginnings.
I thought I would delve into what it was like for us before the shows each night. The shows started at 7:30pm or in the case of the Tron in Glasgow, 7:45. Fridays we were the second show to go on, around 8:45 or 9pm and Saturdays we were the first. The cast was allowed into the performances space for a warm up between 6 and 6:20 depending on the night. Each of us would have some time to do whatever we needed to do for ourselves. My standard practice is to start with some light yoga and other stretches. After I feel physically warmed up I move into a vocal warm up. This involves breathing exercises working the breathing mechanisms and focusing on breath control. Then I make some noise. I loosen up my lips and other facial muscles. I do some tongue twisters. I speak a little Shakespeare while focusing on the placement of the voice and breath support and I do the most annoying thing in the world, called “the siren”. This is what it says it is. I run up and down the scale of my voice by making and holding a siren sound at its height. I try to only do this twice because it is so loud and obnoxious. That is pretty much my individual pre-show warm up. It may vary a bit from show to show depending on what is required of me. After we all finished our own routine we came together and ran through a group warm up. This kind of thing varies from show to show, cast to cast. Sometimes there is no group warm up in a production but, with ‘Ashes Blood’ we had a standard practice. First was the number game. We would huddle together and try to count to 21 and then back down. The trick with this game is to not have people speak the same number at the same time. It is about group awareness. It’s about feeling the vibe of the group and learning to listen to each other even before anything is expressed vocally. Next we’d shake and stretch all the parts of our bodies to work out any kinks and get the things moving. Then we played a couple of games for energy and focus. In both Zip Zap and Red Ball, Blue Ball the players have to pay attention to each other and be ready to receive the zip or zap or the ball and then pass it on. After this preparation we usually retired to the dressing rooms to apply make-up and get into costumes and do a line run. The line run was a speed run. In a speed run we say the lines of the show and pick up our cues as fast and as accurate as possible. This warms up the text, gets us focused and energizes the piece. Then, show time! So there’s a little backstage tour for you from the actor’s perspective. Each production brings a different pre-show situation but most of the time there is an opportunity for some kind of warm up and it is most helpful for getting the mind and body ready for the performance.
This week we are all in solitarily mode as we work on our papers. I have about 11,000 words to write over the course of five papers and it’s all due on Friday at noon. The papers include summaries of the work on these shows, our staged reading at the Fringe, our viewing of shows at the Fringe, our discussions with the various professionals, our research projects and a summary of the whole year. It is a lot but it will be good reflection. However, with the deadline looming nigh, I’m going to sign off now and get busy!
When next I write, this whole thing will be over! Can you believe it?!?!
See you next week!
-m
The shows went well. On Thursday night I finally saw the other two offerings my classmates have been working on all this time. I thoroughly enjoyed their work and am intrigued with the stories. I can’t wait to see how these scripts develop and find out what happens! One in particular called ‘The Fever Dream: Southside’ by Douglas Maxwell is set on the Southside of Glasgow where I am making my new home. It was engaging to hear references to places to which I have recently been introduced and am looking forward to getting to know better. The future for these plays is bright and it was an honor to be a part of their beginnings.
I thought I would delve into what it was like for us before the shows each night. The shows started at 7:30pm or in the case of the Tron in Glasgow, 7:45. Fridays we were the second show to go on, around 8:45 or 9pm and Saturdays we were the first. The cast was allowed into the performances space for a warm up between 6 and 6:20 depending on the night. Each of us would have some time to do whatever we needed to do for ourselves. My standard practice is to start with some light yoga and other stretches. After I feel physically warmed up I move into a vocal warm up. This involves breathing exercises working the breathing mechanisms and focusing on breath control. Then I make some noise. I loosen up my lips and other facial muscles. I do some tongue twisters. I speak a little Shakespeare while focusing on the placement of the voice and breath support and I do the most annoying thing in the world, called “the siren”. This is what it says it is. I run up and down the scale of my voice by making and holding a siren sound at its height. I try to only do this twice because it is so loud and obnoxious. That is pretty much my individual pre-show warm up. It may vary a bit from show to show depending on what is required of me. After we all finished our own routine we came together and ran through a group warm up. This kind of thing varies from show to show, cast to cast. Sometimes there is no group warm up in a production but, with ‘Ashes Blood’ we had a standard practice. First was the number game. We would huddle together and try to count to 21 and then back down. The trick with this game is to not have people speak the same number at the same time. It is about group awareness. It’s about feeling the vibe of the group and learning to listen to each other even before anything is expressed vocally. Next we’d shake and stretch all the parts of our bodies to work out any kinks and get the things moving. Then we played a couple of games for energy and focus. In both Zip Zap and Red Ball, Blue Ball the players have to pay attention to each other and be ready to receive the zip or zap or the ball and then pass it on. After this preparation we usually retired to the dressing rooms to apply make-up and get into costumes and do a line run. The line run was a speed run. In a speed run we say the lines of the show and pick up our cues as fast and as accurate as possible. This warms up the text, gets us focused and energizes the piece. Then, show time! So there’s a little backstage tour for you from the actor’s perspective. Each production brings a different pre-show situation but most of the time there is an opportunity for some kind of warm up and it is most helpful for getting the mind and body ready for the performance.
This week we are all in solitarily mode as we work on our papers. I have about 11,000 words to write over the course of five papers and it’s all due on Friday at noon. The papers include summaries of the work on these shows, our staged reading at the Fringe, our viewing of shows at the Fringe, our discussions with the various professionals, our research projects and a summary of the whole year. It is a lot but it will be good reflection. However, with the deadline looming nigh, I’m going to sign off now and get busy!
When next I write, this whole thing will be over! Can you believe it?!?!
See you next week!
-m
Monday, September 14, 2009
Lovin’ London
Well, I’m back in Glasgow after a fabulous trip to London. We went to present our shows to the good people of Southern England. The shows went well enough I think. My first night on was Friday and the cast felt particularly pleased with our delivery. Both nights I had friends from the Moscow Art Theatre School in the audience which made it all the more exciting for me. In the summer of 2008 I spent six weeks in Cambridge, Massachusetts just outside of Boston participating in an amazing actor training program taught by master teachers from the Moscow Art Theatre School and there I met Hayley Anne, Emma and Germaine, all of whom came to support me this past weekend. Hayley Anne is on a Masters course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Emma is a native of the London area and Germaine just arrived to a post-graduate course at the London Academy of Music and Drama. Thanks for coming guys!! Love ya!!
Performing was only a fraction of the way I spent my time in London. Wednesday I went to Camden Town. Camden is a very unique area of London. It kind of reminds me of the East Village in New York. Camden is famous for Camden Market; an outdoor market where vendors sell their goods from stalls. Camden also has loads of other markets and areas filled with vendor stalls and booths as well as a large assortment of shops and food stands. If you are looking for funky gifts, imports from around the world, handmade jewelry, goth or hippie clothing, you have a good chance of finding it in Camden. I found the most amazing natural food/vegetarian restaurant right alongside the canal in Camden. The place is called the inSpiral Lounge. The food delighted my taste buds and the staff was the friendliest, most helpful bunch I have ever met. Go, eat and enjoy the guilt free yumminess!!
Thursday I went to the Royal Academy of Arts to view the J.W. Waterhouse exhibit. I have always been drawn to Waterhouse’s work but knew very little about him until my visit to the gallery. Waterhouse was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter who lived between 1849 and 1917 and was admitted to the Royal Academy of Art in 1871. He is known for taking his subjects from myths, legends and literature. Some of his favorites were female characters from Greek mythology, Arthurian legends and Shakespeare’s plays.
After my dose of art I needed my retail release and headed to Harrods. I love Harrods. There is nothing on Earth like the Food Halls in Harrods. I was able to pick up nearly a lifetime supply of my beloved rose tea and those amazing dates I mentioned last week. Oh yeah. Delicious.
Thursday night I was not needed on stage so I went to see some other people work. I went to the West End Musical ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’. Oh what fun! I adore the movie and had high hopes that the stage version would be just as entertaining. I was not disappointed. It paid homage to the film whilst creating a blissful experience of its own merit. The costumes, the set and the over the top characters made for a fabulous spectacle. The only thing serious about this piece of theatre was the seriously big budget they must have to put on the glitz and glam of that magnitude every night. If you are looking for something profound go somewhere else but if you are looking for ridiculous merriment in glorious Technicolor check out the party on stage at the Palace Theatre in the form of ‘Priscilla’. I loved every second of it!!
Friday I went to Covent Garden and Chinatown. Covent Garden has yet another market should you want to spend more money. I ran across a quartet of string players cranking out some classics with a whole lot of personality and an ice sculpture of the London skyline on display and melting in the afternoon sun. Then I meandered over to Chinatown for lunch. A red bean bun and veggie Lo Mein made for a tasty yet inexpensive meal. Then Back to Covent Garden to meet up with the aforementioned Emma. On the way I popped in to St. Paul’s Church. St. Paul’s Church is known as the Actors’ Church and inside are memorials to Charlie Chaplin, Vivien Leigh and many more notable performers and artists. Emma arrived and we sipped Starbucks and played catch up until I had to head back to the hotel to prep for my show. She collected Hayley Anne and all of us had a lovely visit after my performance. Good Friday.
Saturday I relaxed at our hotel in Hampstead until our show. Afterwards I caught up with Germaine. Then Sunday I boarded a train back to Glasgow. Overall it was a wonderful week. There were a few moments of stress surrounding the show but all and all, a fantastic trip. Now into the final stretch of the course! Many of my classmates seem a bit concerned about all the writing we have to finish. It is a lot and we are doing the shows right now which could lead to anxiety for people. I feel pretty comfortable with what needs to be finished but then, I enjoy writing. The shows are there (they'd better be, we’ve done four already!) so, I don’t think we need to be worried about them. I am looking forward to completing the final requirements and treading a new path into the future. We’re nearly there guys! Nearly there!
This week we play Edinburgh and that’s it. I will only be working with the group three more times. One tech rehearsal and two shows! Wow! The rest of the time I’m on my own to write the papers. Two weeks left in this our fourth and final term! I am so excited!
Below you can check out some photos I took in London and I’ll report next week on our Edinburgh run.
Take care!!
-m
The famous Camden Market
Plenty to purchase in Camden Town.
Hungry? Veggie-licious inSpiral Lounge! Check out their website: http://www.inspiralled.net/
Waterfront shopping along the canal in Camden.
J.W. Waterhouse at the Royal Academy of Arts
Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre
London iced at Covent Garden
Gateway to Chinatown
Performing was only a fraction of the way I spent my time in London. Wednesday I went to Camden Town. Camden is a very unique area of London. It kind of reminds me of the East Village in New York. Camden is famous for Camden Market; an outdoor market where vendors sell their goods from stalls. Camden also has loads of other markets and areas filled with vendor stalls and booths as well as a large assortment of shops and food stands. If you are looking for funky gifts, imports from around the world, handmade jewelry, goth or hippie clothing, you have a good chance of finding it in Camden. I found the most amazing natural food/vegetarian restaurant right alongside the canal in Camden. The place is called the inSpiral Lounge. The food delighted my taste buds and the staff was the friendliest, most helpful bunch I have ever met. Go, eat and enjoy the guilt free yumminess!!
Thursday I went to the Royal Academy of Arts to view the J.W. Waterhouse exhibit. I have always been drawn to Waterhouse’s work but knew very little about him until my visit to the gallery. Waterhouse was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter who lived between 1849 and 1917 and was admitted to the Royal Academy of Art in 1871. He is known for taking his subjects from myths, legends and literature. Some of his favorites were female characters from Greek mythology, Arthurian legends and Shakespeare’s plays.
After my dose of art I needed my retail release and headed to Harrods. I love Harrods. There is nothing on Earth like the Food Halls in Harrods. I was able to pick up nearly a lifetime supply of my beloved rose tea and those amazing dates I mentioned last week. Oh yeah. Delicious.
Thursday night I was not needed on stage so I went to see some other people work. I went to the West End Musical ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’. Oh what fun! I adore the movie and had high hopes that the stage version would be just as entertaining. I was not disappointed. It paid homage to the film whilst creating a blissful experience of its own merit. The costumes, the set and the over the top characters made for a fabulous spectacle. The only thing serious about this piece of theatre was the seriously big budget they must have to put on the glitz and glam of that magnitude every night. If you are looking for something profound go somewhere else but if you are looking for ridiculous merriment in glorious Technicolor check out the party on stage at the Palace Theatre in the form of ‘Priscilla’. I loved every second of it!!
Friday I went to Covent Garden and Chinatown. Covent Garden has yet another market should you want to spend more money. I ran across a quartet of string players cranking out some classics with a whole lot of personality and an ice sculpture of the London skyline on display and melting in the afternoon sun. Then I meandered over to Chinatown for lunch. A red bean bun and veggie Lo Mein made for a tasty yet inexpensive meal. Then Back to Covent Garden to meet up with the aforementioned Emma. On the way I popped in to St. Paul’s Church. St. Paul’s Church is known as the Actors’ Church and inside are memorials to Charlie Chaplin, Vivien Leigh and many more notable performers and artists. Emma arrived and we sipped Starbucks and played catch up until I had to head back to the hotel to prep for my show. She collected Hayley Anne and all of us had a lovely visit after my performance. Good Friday.
Saturday I relaxed at our hotel in Hampstead until our show. Afterwards I caught up with Germaine. Then Sunday I boarded a train back to Glasgow. Overall it was a wonderful week. There were a few moments of stress surrounding the show but all and all, a fantastic trip. Now into the final stretch of the course! Many of my classmates seem a bit concerned about all the writing we have to finish. It is a lot and we are doing the shows right now which could lead to anxiety for people. I feel pretty comfortable with what needs to be finished but then, I enjoy writing. The shows are there (they'd better be, we’ve done four already!) so, I don’t think we need to be worried about them. I am looking forward to completing the final requirements and treading a new path into the future. We’re nearly there guys! Nearly there!
This week we play Edinburgh and that’s it. I will only be working with the group three more times. One tech rehearsal and two shows! Wow! The rest of the time I’m on my own to write the papers. Two weeks left in this our fourth and final term! I am so excited!
Below you can check out some photos I took in London and I’ll report next week on our Edinburgh run.
Take care!!
-m
The famous Camden Market
Plenty to purchase in Camden Town.
Hungry? Veggie-licious inSpiral Lounge! Check out their website: http://www.inspiralled.net/
Waterfront shopping along the canal in Camden.
J.W. Waterhouse at the Royal Academy of Arts
Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre
London iced at Covent Garden
Gateway to Chinatown
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sold Out Shows and Leaving for London
Monday. Yes, I know. Last night was the first in my new digs and I don’t have my internet set up just yet. So today we are coming to you live from the RSAMD computer lab!!
Thursday our final shows opened here in Glasgow. Because the three shows are on a rotation I had the night off. Therefore, I attempted to go and see my classmates present their work but alas, to no avail. SOLD OUT!! I missed the shows yes, but this is GOOD!! Very good that people want to see them! I’ll have a few more chances, but that being said, I should make a reservation just in case our luck continues! Friday and Saturday were also sold out so, those of you wanting to see the shows in London or Edinburgh may want to act accordingly.
Friday was opening night of my show, ‘Ashes Blood’ by David Harrower. We were pleased with our performance as were the director, playwright and attending faculty. The audience seemed to enjoy themselves as well. Saturday was the end of the Glasgow run and now we are off to London.
London. Most of us are taking the train tomorrow afternoon. We have the same schedule at the Hampstead Theatre as we did here in Glasgow at the Tron. I’ll be on Friday and Saturday nights and some time on Wednesday we will have a technical rehearsal to set the lights et al. in the new space. I’m in debate about how to spend the rest of my time in London. There are always shows to see and I think I may have to go back to Harrods to restock on rose tea and the most amazing dates I’ve ever had. Then, on Sunday, back to Glasgow and a short rest before the the final curtain comes down in Edinburgh the following weekend.
And that’s all folks! We are nearly at the end. Post Edinburgh there will of course be a mad rush to finish the five writing assignments due before the end of term but then, afterwards we will be turned out into the big bad world. Well, I’ve been there before but this time I will be in Scotland. I will be finding my feet and establishing my life here in this country. I am still learning how things work here and the cultural differences. I am American and sometimes painfully aware of it but, it’s exciting and challenging. I reflect how long it took me to settle into the New York way of life when I first moved there. It will take time. More than a year, most definitely but, what a glorious opportunity with all there is to experience.
Okay, next week it may be Monday before I post again as I will be traveling on Sunday but, I’ll let you know how it goes in London.
Take care my friends!
-m
Thursday our final shows opened here in Glasgow. Because the three shows are on a rotation I had the night off. Therefore, I attempted to go and see my classmates present their work but alas, to no avail. SOLD OUT!! I missed the shows yes, but this is GOOD!! Very good that people want to see them! I’ll have a few more chances, but that being said, I should make a reservation just in case our luck continues! Friday and Saturday were also sold out so, those of you wanting to see the shows in London or Edinburgh may want to act accordingly.
Friday was opening night of my show, ‘Ashes Blood’ by David Harrower. We were pleased with our performance as were the director, playwright and attending faculty. The audience seemed to enjoy themselves as well. Saturday was the end of the Glasgow run and now we are off to London.
London. Most of us are taking the train tomorrow afternoon. We have the same schedule at the Hampstead Theatre as we did here in Glasgow at the Tron. I’ll be on Friday and Saturday nights and some time on Wednesday we will have a technical rehearsal to set the lights et al. in the new space. I’m in debate about how to spend the rest of my time in London. There are always shows to see and I think I may have to go back to Harrods to restock on rose tea and the most amazing dates I’ve ever had. Then, on Sunday, back to Glasgow and a short rest before the the final curtain comes down in Edinburgh the following weekend.
And that’s all folks! We are nearly at the end. Post Edinburgh there will of course be a mad rush to finish the five writing assignments due before the end of term but then, afterwards we will be turned out into the big bad world. Well, I’ve been there before but this time I will be in Scotland. I will be finding my feet and establishing my life here in this country. I am still learning how things work here and the cultural differences. I am American and sometimes painfully aware of it but, it’s exciting and challenging. I reflect how long it took me to settle into the New York way of life when I first moved there. It will take time. More than a year, most definitely but, what a glorious opportunity with all there is to experience.
Okay, next week it may be Monday before I post again as I will be traveling on Sunday but, I’ll let you know how it goes in London.
Take care my friends!
-m
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Moving Madness and Production Propaganda
Today was moving day. Did I mention I’m on a fourth floor walk up? Whew! It was a workout! I brought all my stuff down from the top floor but thankfully I had help from there on out! My classmate and fellow Liberty dwelling American, Phillip met me at the bottom of the MC Escher drawing I had to climb down and helped me get my possessions into Tony’s van. Tony is another classmate who volunteered his time, physical effort and van to move Phillip and me to Glasgow’s Southside. We dropped Phillip’s belongings off at his new digs first. Phillip is moving in with yet another classmate, Mitchell. After stop number one, we moved the van around the corner to my new place and all three strapping young lads helped me move into the third floor of my new building. So Mitchell, Phillip and Tony, THANK YOU!!!! The next round is on me my friends!
It is surprising the amount of stuff one can squeeze into one’s living quarters. I haven’t purchased too much since my arrival but I definitely brought more than needed over from the States. As the boys indulged me while I hung up a few things in my new wardrobe, I heard, “Melanie, I’ve never seen you wear that.” over and over again. It’s true. I brought a few things I have yet to wear. But you never know…
I’m back at good ‘ol Liberty House tonight and for the rest of the week. I left a few easily transportable essentials behind and will be residing here for the upcoming week. I’ve got another two weeks before they chuck me out of my dorm room and the location is much more convenient to the Academy and to the Tron Theatre, where we will be performing this weekend. I just wanted to get most of my stuff moved over before I get wrapped up in production week.
Show time! That’s right dear readers; our final shebang is upon us. This week we perform here in Glasgow at the Tron, then to London and then Edinburgh. Below are the dates and details. These are being billed as “platform productions”, meaning they are works in progress. The writers are still developing these scripts and we will only be presenting an hour’s worth of material. The productions are minimal; not a lot of bells and whistles. It’s just us on stage with a few bits of set, props and so forth. There are three shows with two shows being presented per night on a rotation. I’m in ‘Ashes Blood’ by David Harrower and you can catch that one on Friday and Saturday nights. If you are in Glasgow, London or Edinburgh, come check us out!
That’s all for now. I need to go to bed and recover from all those stairs!
See you next week!
Take care!
-m
GLASGOW - Tron Theatre
Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 7:45pm
Friday, September 4, 2009 at 7:45pm
Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 7:45pm
Price: £6 (£4)
Tron Theatre
63 Trongate
Glasgow
Phone: 01415524267
Web: www.tron.co.uk
LONDON - Hampstead Theatre
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 7:30pm
Friday, September 11, 2009 at 7:30pm
Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 7:30pm
Price: £6 (£4) (we think?!?!)
Hampstead Theatre
98 Avenue Road
London
Phone: 02077229301
Web: www.hampsteadtheatre.com
Email: boxoffice@hampsteadtheatre.com
EDINBURGH - Traverse Theatre
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 7:30pm
Friday, September 18, 2009 at 7:30pm
Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 7:30pm
Price: £6 (£4)
Traverse Theatre
10 Cambridge Street
Edinburgh
Phone: 01312281404
Web: www.traverse.co.uk
One Academy Productions presents:
A collaboration between the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland.
Actors and directors from the Academy’s MA in Classical and Contemporary Text present three specially commissioned works in progress by three of Scotland’s most distinguished contemporary playwrights:
Fever Dream: Southside by Douglas Maxwell
With Queens Park closed for a murder enquiry and the temperature soaring in the surrounding area, it sometimes feels as if everyone on the Southside of Glasgow has gone insane as the world starts to swirl around them blurring religion, race, time and reality.
Reminded of Beauty by Linda McLean
Things take an unexpected turn for three families living in the heart of the city.
Ashes Blood by David Harrower
A family-run coach firm has fallen on difficult times – amidst this, the handover from one generation to the next is underway.
Performance Schedule:
Thursday: Fever Dream: Southside & Reminded of Beauty
Friday: Reminded of Beauty & Ashes Blood
Saturday: Ashes Blood & Fever Dream: Southside
It is surprising the amount of stuff one can squeeze into one’s living quarters. I haven’t purchased too much since my arrival but I definitely brought more than needed over from the States. As the boys indulged me while I hung up a few things in my new wardrobe, I heard, “Melanie, I’ve never seen you wear that.” over and over again. It’s true. I brought a few things I have yet to wear. But you never know…
I’m back at good ‘ol Liberty House tonight and for the rest of the week. I left a few easily transportable essentials behind and will be residing here for the upcoming week. I’ve got another two weeks before they chuck me out of my dorm room and the location is much more convenient to the Academy and to the Tron Theatre, where we will be performing this weekend. I just wanted to get most of my stuff moved over before I get wrapped up in production week.
Show time! That’s right dear readers; our final shebang is upon us. This week we perform here in Glasgow at the Tron, then to London and then Edinburgh. Below are the dates and details. These are being billed as “platform productions”, meaning they are works in progress. The writers are still developing these scripts and we will only be presenting an hour’s worth of material. The productions are minimal; not a lot of bells and whistles. It’s just us on stage with a few bits of set, props and so forth. There are three shows with two shows being presented per night on a rotation. I’m in ‘Ashes Blood’ by David Harrower and you can catch that one on Friday and Saturday nights. If you are in Glasgow, London or Edinburgh, come check us out!
That’s all for now. I need to go to bed and recover from all those stairs!
See you next week!
Take care!
-m
GLASGOW - Tron Theatre
Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 7:45pm
Friday, September 4, 2009 at 7:45pm
Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 7:45pm
Price: £6 (£4)
Tron Theatre
63 Trongate
Glasgow
Phone: 01415524267
Web: www.tron.co.uk
LONDON - Hampstead Theatre
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 7:30pm
Friday, September 11, 2009 at 7:30pm
Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 7:30pm
Price: £6 (£4) (we think?!?!)
Hampstead Theatre
98 Avenue Road
London
Phone: 02077229301
Web: www.hampsteadtheatre.com
Email: boxoffice@hampsteadtheatre.com
EDINBURGH - Traverse Theatre
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 7:30pm
Friday, September 18, 2009 at 7:30pm
Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 7:30pm
Price: £6 (£4)
Traverse Theatre
10 Cambridge Street
Edinburgh
Phone: 01312281404
Web: www.traverse.co.uk
One Academy Productions presents:
A collaboration between the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland.
Actors and directors from the Academy’s MA in Classical and Contemporary Text present three specially commissioned works in progress by three of Scotland’s most distinguished contemporary playwrights:
Fever Dream: Southside by Douglas Maxwell
With Queens Park closed for a murder enquiry and the temperature soaring in the surrounding area, it sometimes feels as if everyone on the Southside of Glasgow has gone insane as the world starts to swirl around them blurring religion, race, time and reality.
Reminded of Beauty by Linda McLean
Things take an unexpected turn for three families living in the heart of the city.
Ashes Blood by David Harrower
A family-run coach firm has fallen on difficult times – amidst this, the handover from one generation to the next is underway.
Performance Schedule:
Thursday: Fever Dream: Southside & Reminded of Beauty
Friday: Reminded of Beauty & Ashes Blood
Saturday: Ashes Blood & Fever Dream: Southside
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Flat Found and the Vocal Variation
I am pleased to announce; I have found a place to live! What a relief! I can now stop scouring the internet for ads and running around town looking at places. Ah, to have my free time back for stuff like research projects and summative statement term papers. Thank you!
The flat is on Glasgow’s Southside and is home to a lovely couple and their two cats. She’s an artist and a business woman, he’s a musician and songwriter and the cats, well, they must be creative if they live in that environment. It’s a good size place on the top floor in a Victorian tenement building. In my search I have seen a few flats in these kinds of buildings. The top floor flats are often two levels and this is no exception. The couple’s quarters are upstairs and my room is down. There’s an eat-in- kitchen, dining room and living room and a bathroom up as well as down. I have a feeling it is going to be a wonderful home for me. Oh and here is the craziest thing: the mister is the cousin of my classmate Eric; the new dad and our Julius Caesar! Small world, eh? We had no idea we had this connection as I just found this place on a website called Gumtree. But we were standing in the kitchen and I saw on the wall Eric’s name under an arty photograph of trees. Eric was a professional photographer before he came to the RSAMD but I thought, "Surely it is not the same Eric." However, when I mentioned it and we got to talking, lo and behold, it is the very man! So, as you can see, it is simply cosmic fate that I’m moving into this place.
Earlier this week the ‘Dead in Scotland’ crew hit the recording studio. It was a fantastic experience. I think I have found a new love in the form of voice acting. Producing this recording was the crux of Barbara’s research project. Neither one of us had ever done any voice acting or recording of any kind and Lauren had never directed for the medium. So we three were total novices in the studio. Thank goodness for Bob Whitney the engineer at the RSAMD studio. He was an absolute delight and made us all feel at ease. We couldn’t have asked for a more professional, more expert source than Bob to guide us through and make us sound fabulous. Thanks Bob!
The recording itself was finished in one day. We were very pleased at our timing. We had the whole play recorded by lunch and after the break all we needed to do was some clean up. Our production and rehearsal history with the piece aided in our efficiency. Over all we are quite happy with the recording. Of course there are parts, as an actor, you think, “Oh I wish I would have delivered that a bit differently.” However, this was our first time doing anything like this and that was the point, to learn. It is amazing how things read differently when you take out the visual but, we adapted very well to the new performance medium. So much of what happened on stage came from Barbara and me having eye contact with each other. We didn’t have that in the recording studio. We had to keep our heads forward and speak into the microphone. This meant our communication with each other, our ‘actions’ all had to happen with the voice. That’s why Lauren was there in the booth listening. She was essential for keeping our intentions true and clear. There wasn’t a feeling of pressure on the process. It was relaxed and enjoyable. If we flubbed a line we just paused and did it again. The sound effects were fun too. Bob laid down wooden boards for us to tread on in our nosiest shoes. We had tea cups and spoons to lightly clank, papers to rustle and so forth. Some effects Bob added in post (afterwards).
In the near future I will be posting the play for your listening enjoyment. We are working on some music for the top and tail. We can’t just use whatever we like because of copyright infringement issues but my friend James in New York has volunteered to write some original tunes that I can use free of royalty charges. Thanks James!! As soon as we get that sorted out I’ll make it available if you want to have a listen.
Onward ho! The upcoming week is Fringe free and we are all about our shows. We have eleven days until opening night. My show is in a good place but it is time to really focus and bring this baby up to the standard we want to present to the world. And we will.
See ya next week!
Take care!
-m
The flat is on Glasgow’s Southside and is home to a lovely couple and their two cats. She’s an artist and a business woman, he’s a musician and songwriter and the cats, well, they must be creative if they live in that environment. It’s a good size place on the top floor in a Victorian tenement building. In my search I have seen a few flats in these kinds of buildings. The top floor flats are often two levels and this is no exception. The couple’s quarters are upstairs and my room is down. There’s an eat-in- kitchen, dining room and living room and a bathroom up as well as down. I have a feeling it is going to be a wonderful home for me. Oh and here is the craziest thing: the mister is the cousin of my classmate Eric; the new dad and our Julius Caesar! Small world, eh? We had no idea we had this connection as I just found this place on a website called Gumtree. But we were standing in the kitchen and I saw on the wall Eric’s name under an arty photograph of trees. Eric was a professional photographer before he came to the RSAMD but I thought, "Surely it is not the same Eric." However, when I mentioned it and we got to talking, lo and behold, it is the very man! So, as you can see, it is simply cosmic fate that I’m moving into this place.
Earlier this week the ‘Dead in Scotland’ crew hit the recording studio. It was a fantastic experience. I think I have found a new love in the form of voice acting. Producing this recording was the crux of Barbara’s research project. Neither one of us had ever done any voice acting or recording of any kind and Lauren had never directed for the medium. So we three were total novices in the studio. Thank goodness for Bob Whitney the engineer at the RSAMD studio. He was an absolute delight and made us all feel at ease. We couldn’t have asked for a more professional, more expert source than Bob to guide us through and make us sound fabulous. Thanks Bob!
The recording itself was finished in one day. We were very pleased at our timing. We had the whole play recorded by lunch and after the break all we needed to do was some clean up. Our production and rehearsal history with the piece aided in our efficiency. Over all we are quite happy with the recording. Of course there are parts, as an actor, you think, “Oh I wish I would have delivered that a bit differently.” However, this was our first time doing anything like this and that was the point, to learn. It is amazing how things read differently when you take out the visual but, we adapted very well to the new performance medium. So much of what happened on stage came from Barbara and me having eye contact with each other. We didn’t have that in the recording studio. We had to keep our heads forward and speak into the microphone. This meant our communication with each other, our ‘actions’ all had to happen with the voice. That’s why Lauren was there in the booth listening. She was essential for keeping our intentions true and clear. There wasn’t a feeling of pressure on the process. It was relaxed and enjoyable. If we flubbed a line we just paused and did it again. The sound effects were fun too. Bob laid down wooden boards for us to tread on in our nosiest shoes. We had tea cups and spoons to lightly clank, papers to rustle and so forth. Some effects Bob added in post (afterwards).
In the near future I will be posting the play for your listening enjoyment. We are working on some music for the top and tail. We can’t just use whatever we like because of copyright infringement issues but my friend James in New York has volunteered to write some original tunes that I can use free of royalty charges. Thanks James!! As soon as we get that sorted out I’ll make it available if you want to have a listen.
Onward ho! The upcoming week is Fringe free and we are all about our shows. We have eleven days until opening night. My show is in a good place but it is time to really focus and bring this baby up to the standard we want to present to the world. And we will.
See ya next week!
Take care!
-m
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