Week 4 Basic Core Awareness and Strengthening; Opposition; Containment/Radiance; Availability; Vocal Action; Refinement
This week Margi and Erika took the group through the standard Magis core workout, folding in Linklater principles. This combination aims at an engaged core for physicality, yet without tension that constricts or impedes free vocal impulse and expression.
The cloud exercise in Physical Training was another way of allowing the imagination to inspire the body to engage in a new way, and cajoling it into allowing opposite impulses to be in the body simultaneously. This physicalization helps open us up unconsciously to those moments on stage when a character might have two conflicting stimuli at the same moment. We also added the Pencil exercise for plasticity with the same aims we discussed last week. At the end, we brought back Containment and Radiance, accumulating energy on the run, containing it in a shape that interacts with the architecture or in free space, and allowing the contained energy to radiate until it provides a new impulse to run again. At the end, we added actions to the containment of energy in the circle: raise, reach, grasp, release, lower... silently, and then with text. The overall aim of the physical training as a whole is to arrive at a new availability to go into our work.
Vocally we continued with the walking out on the sound exercise, stressing the aim of finding the exactness of the space with the voice. In singing we added specific actions/intentions that we were working with the sound.
Our work with the directors took another look at the exercises with the Sarra Coppia Sulam materials and the directors refined the exercises. As an ensemble we gave feedback at the first and most basic level: What did I see?
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6 comments:
Over the past few weeks our weekly sessions have been a refresher course for me on all the techniques that I've either done automatically, quickly or ignored completely when preparing for a performance. It's been great.
The core workouts have been helpful for me. Since I've recently had some weight loss I've been carrying myself a bit differently and this workout has made me a little more aware of my posture and walking.
The movement exercises have reminded me of Afro-Caribbean/ Cuban dance classes that I took some years back which I did more for fun than thinking about how it could help me with body movement and acting. Those dances require that you play a god or character and sometimes the movements of upper and lower body can be in opposition much like the cloud exercise we did or the cutting through the jungle/ forest.
The director group work has been a wonderful way of getting to know other company members. I've been lucky enough in the plays that I've done recently to have quickly formed a close working bond with the ensemble of actors. No production ever has the luxury of taking even a short amount of time to do the type of work we're doing now to create that bond so this has been very refreshing.
I was very struck by how centered I felt after we ran through the battery of exercises in rapid succession. I was out of breath and sweating, true, but I was also very aware of being centered in my body and ready to try the next thing. It's a remarkable state to start a rehearsal from.
In terms of the directing work, I was very excited by what Peter was exploring in his group and very pleased with the exploration we did, too. I like the immediacy of the feedback and the simplicity that comes from stating what was seen. It cuts through very cleanly to what is actually happening, or being seen, as a performance.
It has been wonderful going back to the roots of our training with these new and talented actors in the room. I am heading into rehearsal for R&J&Z (Romeo and Juliet and Zomibes) where I play a "zombie killer," and I found myself using the body memory of the oppositional energies as we did the first read-thru on Sunday so that I could connect to the atmosphere of danger like a slippery cloud, and the fierceness of the warrior cutting through the scene, like we cut the vines on top. So helpful to keep the body alive as you sit and read a play in chairs!
Last week I was very mindful of the breath, especially after doing the Linklater work. I noticed that, without instruction, the group was taking collective exhales while we were doing "cutting through the vines". Each slash came with an audible collective "hah" that punctuated the movement. Again, this wasn't the instruction but it was interesting to see how it happened organically. I also noticed that during the containment and radiance exercise, I was holding my breath during the containment and releasing it on the radiance. I felt this early on and made a conscious decision to not hold the breath during the containment to see if it emotionally changed anything. I was curious to know if anyone else was experiencing this.
I've been really thrilled to get into regular training the last few weeks, and am starting to see the benefits and in other areas. The waves of energy have been pretty tricky to master, but in this last session, I felt the struggle start pay off. The imagination work has been a lot of fun and a little bit like a scene out of the movie Hook, as strings appear clearer and multiple, clouds come to life. But my favorite work has probably been the opposition - being able to do opposite actions, tempos etc gives a feeling of power and mastery - I feel less of a slave to my movements and more playful, Open, less single-minded automaton, more flexible human.
I'm finding that my mind often wanders when I'm trying to lock into core practices and energies. I think this is due to my previous acting training being a mostly mental one - my mind is struggling to just let go and allow. In the moments where I do, however, my body feels very light and the energy takes over. I'm enjoying the process of learning/playing, and am finding it useful to notice the interaction & struggle between my mental and physical state. I really dig the "I saw.." feedback. It's so wonderful to hear feedback with so many colors/layers/shapes/descriptions.
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