Today's Muse: Of Whoredom and Falconry

A couple of posts back I mentioned a concept phone by BenQ Siemens. Now, with Apple set to release the iPhone in June, it's very difficult not to gush.

Exceedingly difficult.

So, I'll just point you to the Wired, which sums up what I'm thinking quite nicely.



So.

First week into the new school year, and already the work begins to pile.

Glee and pie.

There's so much to look forward to this year. The new classes this semester - and the lecturers in charge of them - intrigue me. I'm especially excited by Art, Culture and Society - it promises to be less of a note-taking class and more along the lines of an ongoing debate session. The lecturer in charge of that also seems to be able to stand her ground - I don't see last year's fiasco repeating itself.

So many opportunities for stage work and not enough time. Chances to crew for a variety of shows, and getting paid doesn't hurt either - but. All around the same time period. Bluppt.

Young Company sorted. Woo!



Performance Practice.

I did a monologue from Paula Vogel's And Baby Makes Seven with classmate Fazri's assistance. I didn't beat the hell out of a toilet bowl beforehand, but I did pace. And pace. And pace.

I had a bit of a scare beforehand, though. There had been a mix-up with the timetables, and while everyone else filed into 309 at 1:30pm, the foundation students muddied about, thinking it was at 2pm. Being late for Performance Prac is unthinkable, to say the very least. Being yelled at from across storeys to hurry is just plain scary.

In the rush I forgot to fill the mugs with something, so poor Fazri had to mine sipping, and I ended up flinging imaginary coffee everywhere. But I went through with it, and ended up wanting more; wishing I had prolonged my bit on stage.

The comments from the lecturers pointed out some things I had been aware of: Vocal technique (diction floundering, volume, modulation). Something though, caught at me: "The lack of a richly imaginative life". To underscore the speech, the relationships. And it's true. It's this inability to slip into the world of the play, the outlook, that's been nagging at me all of last semester. I'm aware of the performance, how to position myself, where to direct my voice, etc.

But, there was the upside. They liked how it had been kept simple. The sincerity. Good ear for rhythm. "Nice voice." That last one had me go "Eh?" Ach.

So, it went well, I think. I want to go up again; do something completely different. Maybe Lardo Weeping or summat.


I really don't know what I'll do for my BA. I am really more inclined toward the Theatre Arts research course. But Joyce pointed out - "You really seem more of a hands-on person. Will TA really be ideal?"

And I don't know. Hands-on, perhaps. In Hungry there are two different style of directing happening - The motivation/character-driven style approach, and the more lets-try-it-and-see-what-happens-if-we-do-this-without-words kind of method. I tend to favour the latter, while the others find somewhere in between. I'm not interested in working on kitchen-sink drama, as much as I enjoy watching a good piece. I want to work on absurdities, shows that push the envelope - especially design-wise. For example, instead of thinking through the logistics of a character's desires, I'm more interested in whether it would be a stronger visual cue to have her in an actual jar, or wrapping her up like a cocoon to show her being a fetus.

And that is a weakness, to some extent. I haven't much interest in building a character from emotional truth, to tell the truth. I prefer to work from the outside-in. Experimenting with movement, posture to define a character. Does this lead to shallow interpretations? I don't know. I don't know, but that is how I prefer working. In rehearsals, to coax performances, I keep suggesting different ways of doing a scene, like doing it in silence. Improvising. I find it difficult to be told what and why a character should do this and that. Tell me to try it leaping like monkey - Yes. Tell me to jump around because I'm agitated and I need to reinforce my presence and that I feel this because I'm threatened by... Not quite. Sorry. My brain won't compute it.

Physical theatre fascinates me. It is something I'd like to pursue, at one point or another.

Emotional truth eludes me. Wayang interests me. How liddat?