After having such a beautiful bank holiday, it would only be fitting that we would wake up to a cold and rainy class day on Tuesday. It only fed into everyone's already present misery of being in class.
For the past two days in George's voice class, we have been working on a new poem called "The Highwayman." Each person has gotten the chance to read a paragraph of the poem, and then get personal critique from George on how to make their voices and the presentation of that paragraph sound better. George used different techniques on each person to show how different things work for different people. When it was my turn, I read a paragraph in the poem that was more solemn and depressing. George made me first rock back and forth while seated and reread the paragraph as to add a more comforting feel to the words. It is pretty weird how I may not feel like anything I've said has changed, but meanwhile a subconscious switch has gone off and the words have taken on new meaning. George then had me stand up and choose one person in the room to read the paragraph to. I had to take it off the page (memorize it) line by line and then look the person in the eye as I said it. This was in an effort to put drive and force behind the words, and to give myself a target which helps with putting meaning behind the paragraph.
In Charlie's class, we have been doing some weird skits that play on different types of relationships. Today, we had to present our skits in class that we have been memorizing with our scene partners. With our scene partner in our free time, we had to make up six "choreographed" poses to perform while we recited our lines. First, Charlie had us move into a pose and say the line in our pose, and then switch to the next pose. After this sequence, he then had us be silent in the poses, and say our lines while we transitioned to the next pose. The third and final sequence, we had to connect the whole thing seamlessly; pausing when we wanted to, rushing in other areas, saying lines in transitions and in poses. This exercise was in an effort to silently communicate with our scene partner and to see if we could truly listen to each other. It was more complicated than I had imagined it to be! It's funny how there comes a point, usually right in the middle of one of the sequences, where you suddenly just stop trying and the rest comes effortlessly. And that's something Charlie has been trying to teach us. Acting is something that doesn't need effort. If you "try" to act, you can't act. It needs no effort whatsoever.
On Tuesday, Maggie and I went to dinner at Hummus Bros which is basically a restaurant that only serves hummus dishes. It was to die for. I wish I could eat there every day, no joke. I ordered a vegetable salad hummus with chicken so it was this huge bowl of hummus with the middle emptied out and filled with a greek salad and chicken. And then you get these huge pieces of warm pita bread to dip in the hummus. I could have actually eaten the whole plate if I didn't get so full! I am determined to go back before we go home next week.
Today, we organized with a bunch of people on the Dialogue a trip to Ice Bar. Ice Bar is based on IceHotel which is apparently a hotel in like Sweden or Norway or something that is made out of all ice. So basically at Ice Bar, you are draped in this huge comfy quilted poncho with attached gloves and pushed through the sliding doors into a glowing ice wonderland. They change the theme every six months and redesign the ice, but right now it was galaxy and outerpace themed. It was incredible. The tables and even the glasses were all made out of ice! We each got one complimentary cocktail that kept to the galaxy theme, so I tried an Apollo 11 and a Mercury Rising. They were so delicious it basically tasted like tropical fruit juice! Luckily, you only stay in Ice Bar for 40 minute sessions because it gets absolutely FREEZING. At the ten minute countdown, my hands were numb and I was just about ready to leave. But, it is awesome to say that I went to the Ice Bar in London and had a fantastic time!
I have to wake up around 7 tomorrow to get to the train station for our trip to Stratford-upon-Avon which is apparently the birthplace of Shakespeare. I would say I'm excited, but that would be lying. More updates to come on that escapade when I return!
Until then!!
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