Michael Corbidge workshop

The Time is Now has been quiet of late, as there has been nothing uplifting to report (aside from some fonting which I have not yet blogged). However, I am pleased to say that one such day has put some of the zing back.

As part of the ALPs production of The Taming of the Shrew (18 to 21 May), we were lucky enough to have a workshop given by voice and text coach to the RSC, Michael Corbidge. I had made the mistake of looking at clips online and it worried me that we would be made to run around the room and do things outside my comfort zone. But I was wrong and the clips were misleading. Mr Corbidge was a wonderfully down to earth, humorous man who we all warmed to. He has worked with loads of famous actors but he never once mentioned this and I didn't like to ask. He was passionate about what he did and his enthusiasm was infectious. He made no apologies for it and this made it easy to throw yourself into it all and not feel self conscious.

We began with a warm-up which involved warming up your body and voice. Possibly actors resist doing this but in fact we could feel the benefit once we had done it. It helps to throw off the worries and thoughts of the day, or yesterday, and then you can be focussed on what you are doing. We stood in a circle and did various movements and made various sounds but none of it felt silly as everyone was doing it and there was a purpose, plus it was as if we had been given permission to do these things so there was no need to feel daft. I quite enjoyed it anyway and afterwards it did help you to feel positive. Michael focussed on posture and the best way for your body to be for speaking - head up, eyes forward, jaw relaxed, and standing on the balls of your feet, the middle point, rather than leaning back or slouching in our normal habits. There was the image of being pulled up by a golden rope through the top of your head.

It was a full and intense day so don't expect me to remember everything but I will try to give you a flavour of what we did. We covered many things such as how words convey their meaning - for example try saying "plain Kate" and making plain sound exciting or interesting. Plain conveys its meaning in the sounds. Michael connected us to the language - something that made a huge difference to me - by saying don't be shy of enjoying the words, enjoy saying them - their consonants, their vowels. And actually, when you start to say every word clearly instead of swallowing it or hurrying it, you start to enjoy it. Shakespeare's language is great and that is one reason the plays have endured - and I'd forgotten that. I know that sounds mad. I have to confess I wasn't really feeling my parts as a servant and a fruit seller, and I wasn't feeling enthused about the humour of the play. But Michael brought me back in touch with what I have always loved at school and beyond: language. Words. And actually for me (maybe hormonal who can tell) it was quite emotional to reconnect.

It is amazing how much he helped us achieve in one day. He had various techniques to help people say their speeches, so the key characters in the play such as Kate and Petruchio, Gremio, Biondello, Lucentio and Tranio, all had a go at saying their speeches. Michael would suggest small changes and ask them to say it again. And then again, with another change, and so on. By the third or fourth time, the speech had been transformed into something much clearer, more engaging, more exciting. Michael helped us to think about the meaning of the words and to bring out the important words, like people's names or places in the opening speech of Lucentio, and the importance of pronouns - I, my, you, your etc. He did exercises to help people respond to what was being said, rather than just saying their line back. He also helped people to say things in a much more natural way - this was through doing something else at the same time, so Kate had to put on a huge pile of jumpers while she was speaking and we all had to give Gremio an item to hold when he was listing his riches. It was a surprisingly effective method: suddenly the speaker had two things to concentrate on and they began to speak in a more natural way so it did not sound like a recited speech. Gremio (Jules) was saying how his brain had been concentrating on the second thing so he was not worrying about the words so much.

There were so many things he touched on, like thinking about the way you say monosyllabic words, or polysyllabic words. And turning things on their head, like getting Petruchio and Kate to have their war of words but to be meaning "I love you" when they were saying it. And softening voices so that you had somewhere to go - higher and louder and more exciting, instead of coming in like that with nowhere to take it. How you have to respond to someone immediately (start thinking of it four or five words before rather than taking a breath and having a pause after their line), how to stop breathing out between lines but perhaps to use sound with breath instead. How not to be afraid of sounds or words.  Someone in his past had advised him to think of a blind person, a deaf person and a foreign person sitting up in the gods and he had to make sure they understood the play, so you have to use visuals as well as your voice. A bit like TEFL teaching in fact where you use every means of communication.

Biondello had a long list of things to report which are supposed to be funny, but half the problem is the language now is things we don't understand, about horses and clothing. So he asked Marc to imagine he was a stand up comic live at the Apollo, to tell a funny story, and to put the speech into his own words. He then progressed to miming the story he was telling and it didn't matter that the words were strange because you got the sense from what he was doing. It was perfect for Marc because he never stops telling jokes - I had them all through Season's Greetings where he was my stage husband. So it was great to see him in this role - good casting.

So it was a very productive and positive day. Everyone enjoyed it and got something out of it. I am sure it is going to lift the rehearsals and the production.  So do come along. I have now got a small role as a prostitute in one scene as well as fruit seller and servant. (It was bound to happen). For me, he came along just at the right time, after feeling rather demoralised about the job hunting. It gave me a lift and reminded me about what I love and what is important. Sometimes a person crosses your path who is full of enthusiasm and life and energy and it's infectious and they remind you of all the good things and give you a bit of zing back again and you remember actually you must never lose that passion, whatever it is you are passionate about. Fonts, chickens, language, whatever. And he keeps chickens, so what more do you need to know.

last week of rehearsals

It's rather a shame that, having been so busy with the play over the last 2 weeks, I haven't had time to blog about it. As now I have to update everything after it's happened. But that's how it is, so it can't be helped.

Needless to say, the last 2 weeks of rehearsals flew by. From 22 November we had the theatre to ourselves so the set went up and slowly Belinda's house took shape before our very eyes. Richard is very clever and not only designed the set but built it too, and a few of us helped paint the walls and some bits and pieces on the Thursday. That was all good fun, knowing that we were helping to bring it all together. I feel Pattie and Belinda might have been the sorts who got on with the decorating rather than relying on Neville and Eddie. Richard can certainly be relied on though and decked out the whole house with cards and decorations, which I got in Poundland, and it looked fabulous.

Sunday before the performance week was our tech/dress rehearsal, so we were there a good few hours as the sounds and lighting were fitted to the play. It meant running through a few scenes a few times so we were all exhausted by the time we went home. Monday night was full dress rehearsal and Tuesday too. Something odd happened on Tuesday and I just gave the worse performance ever, forgetting whole lines, and getting in a muddle. But luckily that was still a practice and before the real thing.

We had all our things in the dressing rooms and green room and so the props and back stage crew were busy getting everything in place for us. They were very reliable and had a lot of props to deal with including bowls of mousse, jelly and plates of sandwiches.  The stage manager, Lindsay, was very calm and that really helped us be calm too.

sunday rehearsal

There is only 2 and a half weeks to go (everyone was quite clear on this) and so it was a tad disappointing today that a few of us were tripping up over lines we knew before - what was happening! Things I knew just went out my head and the same happened for other people. Maybe it is line overload. I don't know. We worked on some scenes that needed work so maybe it was just that, that things need a bit of polishing. Anyway the director, ever calm and encouraging, seems to have faith in us and is still positive which I think is admirable. It helps, to say the least and it also gives you the added incentive to get it right and justify his faith in you.

Funny how knowing your lines at home is different from knowing and acting them out at the theatre. Everyone's said the same.  But it is different because you have other people saying things, possibly slightly differently to what you were expecting, and you are doing physical things as well. More to remember today but happily one little scene went quite well.

I hope that people come along: I mean, whoever comes will enjoy it, I'm sure, so in that way it doesn't matter, but it would be nice after everyone has worked hard on it. It's still an adventure for me because now things like props, the set and lighting are coming into it so I don't know what to expect. Probably best that way so I don't get too worked up beforehand. But I know a bit of nerves are useful.

Shame you get nerves in the wrong place, sometimes. I try to remember my meditation and breathing although it usually goes out the window when you want to be calm.

With ever increasing darkness in the news and in the grey skies of these short autumn days, it is nice to have something warm and Christmassy to look forward to.

it's getting more real

This line-learning and rehearsing is quite tiring, I think. I suppose it is a lot of concentrating. It is strange how you think you know the lines at home and when you get to the theatre, and you are standing in a different place and hearing different people saying the cues, suddenly it gets muddled and goes out of your head. Got to get them in there now. It's getting increasingly near.

I need to be louder so I am hoping that I will be able to get some tips for projecting my voice from the others. I don't want to spoil anything by not being heard. It's good to have someone telling you that because I think I'm speaking loudly but, as Richard pointed out, at the start I am at the back of the stage and the sound has to carry a long way. So I have that to work on. I still feel odd doing little actions like tidying my husband's clothes, so I hope I can get on with that and get over the oddness.

I have sent a flyer to everyone I know round here so I hope that some of them will come along. It would be good to have as many people as possible. Now I appreciate plays more because I know how much hard work has gone into it. I think I should go to many more. I went to the Masqueraders' show on Friday which was mostly singing, some dancing. It was impressive that so many people enjoy getting up there and singing. At least I don't have to sing, I couldn't do that. When I stepped through the front door, it was at once both scary and exciting. It suddenly made our own show more real. In a few weeks' time, people I know and don't know will be coming through those doors to watch the show. Which is exciting because I know they will enjoy it, it is very funny and my fellow cast are wonderful, as is the director. So I have total trust in them which is a nice feeling. I am of course nervous to do my best and to get it right and so on. But I think that we will be concentrating so hard it won't be possible to take that much notice of the audience.  

I have seen posters around town now which look great, so I hope that people are in the mood for a festive trip to the theatre.

Coming along

I have one interview, which is encouraging. I do find some things which are interesting so that is good. I am continuing to do the logic puzzles, which are fun. The chap liked the last one most of all and said it was more complicated; perhaps I am improving with practice. It's quite fun to think of themes for them which I take from everyday things - so yes, we've had one set in the theatre... of course!

Rehearsals are keeping me busy and in between I am making an effort to learn my lines. As my favourite comedians advised (via Twitter), repetition is the key. It seems that you just have to go over and over it until it becomes second nature. I suppose it is a bit like knowing the lyrics to a song where you hear it so many times, you know without thinking what is coming next. And all credit to Mr Ayckbourn, the language is very musical - the more you look at it, the clearer it is that he chose the words deliberately and (of course) did not just write anything. This makes it easier to learn, in fact, because there is rhythm and repetition and music there. Which our director has made us aware of. It is important to get the words right and not substitute your own version. For a start, it helps the next person because you are relying on the person before you to give your cue. It is funny though, how some lines go in and others you just can't get quite right. But there is time to correct this...!  It is really quite surprising how any of us can learn of all these lines (and not just your own but the ones in between.) As I do more, they are beginning to pop out of my mouth nearly before I've thought about it... That's how it all needs to be, soon.

It is a case of going over and over it again and over it once more to learn the lines. It is lucky for me that I have the time to do this. I admire people like our lead actress, who has lots of lines to learn and a busy life outside it, not to mention the director, who sounds like he is always busy. Which all goes to make it even more special that we are doing this together and it is so important to get it right for everyone else as well.  The nearer we get (there are 5 weeks), the more nervous I feel about actually appearing on stage in front of people, but some people (I'm not sure who) were watching rehearsals and laughing away the other night, which was very encouraging. I'm sure that people will laugh, because some of it is most amusing, specially the puppet show. I laugh at the funny lines every time.

I probably go on about it too much but I did not know I would find it this absorbing. All I want to do is to immerse myself in it and when one rehearsal has finished I can't wait for the next one - I probably should not wish the time away like this. Actually the days in between are vital to go over the last rehearsal's points and lines and to look at the next one. Lines are beginning to trip around my head, now, specially before bedtime. It is no wonder I have dreamt about the director too.

While I am working I have also found it quite uplifting to listen to some of the songs from musicals I like and for the first time I think I feel it is no longer a bit embarrassing to like them! This is all somehow giving me a new sense of freedom. There is much to learn and much to try and new challenges to face. But how cool is that? I was chatting to Richard about how he had started and how many productions he's been involved in. I really hope I can stay involved wherever I go. It would be nice to stay around here and make some friends in the extended group(s) - as it (rather surprisingly) seems such a big thing round this area.

Back to Act 2....

Treading the boards

Despite still being (technically) job-less, I am keeping busy and have explored different routes this week. In fact, a couple of people I was speaking to yesterday are self employed and clearly this is the way to go. So this week I have investigated ads online for writing and editing jobs and also puzzles. I submitted a logic puzzle for an online site and the man loved it and paid me actual money! I was quite excited because although it is quite tricky to figure out the clues for the puzzle, it wasn't impossibly hard. So best get on with a few more of those.

The rehearsals for the play are, quite frankly, keeping me buoyant, and I am so glad I decided to give it a go and even more grateful that I have been given a part. I feel it is coming along nicely, although the lead is a bit worried about the amount of lines she has to remember. I think it will all come; the director would not have cast her if he had any doubts. And he is very good as he gives helpful and constructive advice and direction. We all gel as a cast, in my opinion, which helps. Richard has been asking us to think about our characters' back stories, which really helps because you have some motivation for your actions and lines, and your lines begin to take on more meaning so it makes them easier to deliver. It is interesting that the more we rehearse and the more we find out about our characters, the more sense the play makes. The funny lines seem to be funnier and when we watch each other, we are all laughing at the same lines, every time. Which is really encouraging. Some parts are really quite amusing, which I did not pick up on at first. But some people deliver them so well, it is a joy to watch.  The strange thing is that you can't see yourself acting, so it is hard to tell how I am doing and I feel that I have lots to improve on. But hopefully this will all come with practice. I watch the others and I learn something about the scene and the process each time, which I find quite exciting. And believe me I haven't been excited about much recently (except fonts and volcanoes).

The play is set in the 70s so that's a good excuse to watch Columbo and Life on Mars isn't it, to research the decade.  I have got lots to do: learning my lines, practising sounding tipsy, bitchy and getting in a state. I realise that there is no room for inhibitions or feeling self conscious - and I can feel self conscious quite easily so it will be a real triumph if I can overcome this. For example, you don't usually go round touching people you don't know that well, do you. So if you are in a scene where you have to do this, it doesn't feel natural. My character has to tidy up the clothes, hair etc of her husband, and so I will have to get over that natural English reaction of "oh, excuse me, I'm just going to touch your arm now," because I'm his wife and I don't have to do that.  But it is fun and it's a real adventure for me, who knows nothing about the theatre.  What's for sure is that there is a real theatre community in Warminster so if I stay involved I will get to know a few people.

rehearsals continue

Rehearsals are continuing and I find them very absorbing - you can forget about all the job hunting and cares of the world when you are concentrating on something different. Last night a small "bump" was produced from somewhere and I duly tried it on under my jumper to produce a pregnant look. It might need a bit of tweaking but it gave me the idea of how it will be. I will need to think about how I walk, move etc. No running around the stage, not that I do anyway.

It was interesting to have a drink with a few of the cast afterwards and find out a bit more about them. Despite everyone coming across as confident and very able, they expressed the same worries about learning lines and so on that I might feel as a beginner. But I assured them that they had come across as very confident and professional, to which they looked astonished; but having a lot of experience between them, I am sure everything will be fine.

I have to do some thinking about the background of my character, Pattie. Who is she, what happened in her past etc? I realised that each of us plays as vital a part as any other, and so everyone is reliant on everyone else (literally) playing their part; we are all responsible for a small part of the whole and those parts will come together to make something bigger. Well, we can only hope so anyway. The play is a bit different to things they have done before, because it has a lot of conversations happening at the same time, so two conversations intertwine on different parts of the stage, which might make it a bit trickier remembering cues. Last night we were "blocking" which meant working out our positions and movements. I am right near the front of the stage for one scene, so I hope I don't take a step to the left and fall off(!) Two of us have a lot of "business" which is doing things with props, so that will be interesting and hopefully easier to do than imagining doing it while we don't have props available.

It sounds like the various theatrical groups in the town all know each other, in fact people take part in productions in the different groups, so there must be a large number of people who know each other from that. So it will be a good way to meet different people.