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 It's time for coffee, late nights and tired eyes, for hard work and a needed hug given in between. All at PH are currently working on the Main Subject Project, and as always in the midst of a creative process, time seems too short and the result too far away. On our homepage we can read what exactly it is we're doing – which may sound odd, but at this point in the process everything isn't all clear - students are working on movements, texts and melodies that eventually will come together as a performance in collaboration with the others from their team. What is clear however is that we will present our final result from Thursday next week and thereafter the Netherlands is waiting!
Having the luck of a manuscript, the theater-line, where I belong, have slightly more clarity of where we're going than some of the lines with more impro-based performances coming. Our problem of course, is how to get there. We are working on the comedy Smile– or a very unoriginal play written by Mette Rønne, our dear drama-teacher, though, as the play was written for an entirely different cast, it has undergone severe changes as some characters have been forced to take another gender, age etc. This has been a sometimes very bothersome, sometimes very funny addition to the understanding of a bunch of already quite colorful characters.
A couple of weeks ago we giggled ourselves through the first read-out, then we started learning our lines, and more challenging; understanding lines – why do I say this, how do I say this? - then understanding and, even harder sometimes, actually liking your character – ”warning; in this play nasty, mean persons will appear!”. Though it seems even the most odd characters will eventually grow on you – and that to a point where we have almost forgotten our real names, Bambi, Hank, Aaron P, Lorna etc. are now the students of the theater-line. Naturally getting the wigs helped.
Further on we were faced with the challenges of interaction; confronted with a fellow-player a scene can end up entirely different than the one you practiced in the mirror, things that occur so naturally in real life, is suddenly tricky placed on stage – listen, think about it, then react – these words are now scrawled in colored paper on our studio-walls - and somewhere in our minds, we all hope for the health of Mette. Then comes all the practical stuff – where does who stand? When do we come in? And how do we make the shoes less noisy?
Now we're still in the middle of all this, and saying that it's a piece of cake would be a lie – we have had our share of crises, frustration over costumes, scenes that won't work, expressions that don't give the impression you think it does, Mette saying; ”voice! Goal! Listen! Evaluate! Timing! Tempo! This scene wont make itself!” over and over. Saying that this isn't a lot of fun would fortunately be just as untrue, and hopefully this, as well as the hard work we are laying in the project will be evident to all who see it.
Until then I'm just looking forward to see what the other lines have in store for us, enjoy a Reunion-weekend including performances and party with old students, and of course I cross my fingers for a pain-free last week of practice.
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Story: Sigrun Pallesen
Graphics by Mette Rønne |
