List the 4th

It's understandable that I haven't "blogged" (that can't be in the dictionary) in over a week. That's all.

The Most Important Lessons from Two Weeks of Classes

 1. The most important. John Gorrie, acclaimed British director, quote about musicals: 

"I would rather cast a great actor over a great singer any day of the week."

2. Fiona Shaw wears tennis shoes with dresses and pulls it off brilliantly, equally as brilliantly as she teaches. 

3. I want to tell you what she said:

  3a. Rhythm is the key to the unconscious. Why we can understand people speaking in different languages, y'all!

  3b. I'M the "thing". (because I know myself now, in the moment, and am in tune with it. also, because she must know I rock.)

  3c. Modern/"normal" speech must have poetry if it's onstage.

  3d. "Who/what/where/who-to?" NEVER gets old. Thank you, 2nd grade Language Arts.

  3e. 2 people who really love each other speak in monosyllables. You won't try to impress the one you really love, with high flourished language or anything. My gosh. Beautiful.

  3f. "If you only had one line in the scene, which would you choose?" WOAH. Play it out. Best game ever.

  3g. When you allow yourself to listen, you don't need to act. (Has now been echoed by all BADA faculty, thank you very much, Fiona.)

  3h. Greek tragedy language is hard for the audience to digest (ok, did already know that)-- the tragic character's power is in her tragedy, not her heroism. If you (your character) doesn't lose, the audience won't empathize with you. (I am so ready to fall apart right now.)

  3i. Most insightful: "It's only you if it's difficult for you to be you." You live in the character, the play that frightens you most.

  3j. Most entertaining: Nothing is actually grand. It's better to ask for $5 million under drinking a glass of beer. 

4. Fiona Shaw also encouraged me to not understand poetry just in the way that I don't understand poetry and be OKAY with it. I know that's not what she meant when she said that the seam of the poem, it's true meaning, is only understandable after reading it a LOT. But that's what I like to think she meant.

5. I promise I really don't like to pour philosophy on my Public Internet Diary, but the purpose of this PID just changed-- but only for that small section! Don't worry, I'm done sapping.

6. Just kidding: If you go out to the sea or the shore in the middle of the night, "you are in touch with something eternal." Deborah Warner. Other masterclass. Fiona's long-time collaborator, director, and friend.

  6a. Here comes more.

  6b. Theatre-making is "room for the audience to swim around"!! I like the idea of an audience as fish trying to find food somewhere or just bite the actor's toes. We all know it can go both ways.

  6c. Best quality of an actor = bravery. Worst quality of an actor = selfishness. I'm wondering-- do you know of any brave selfish people? Think about it...

  6d. I need to learn more monologues. GOSH. STORY OF MY LIFE HERE.

  6e. Don't be cool.

  6f. "Make someone cry. She's serious. (Haha)-- But really." 

          About monologues in auditions, quoted from my own notes.

  6g.   Be a toddler in a rehearsal room.

What else do I really need to tell you now? You know everything. Congratulations.

That means everything else I have to say must be life-changing. Read on.

7. I have discovered Krave cereal for myself. Nutella in a rice nugget. Brilliant.

8. 2 years of training in US college dining halls have prepared my for my stealthy stash of fruit and cereal now bursting out of my mini-fridge. 

9. I really don't need to shout.

10. I really don't need to talk so fast.

11. I really don't need to interrupt people.

12. That includes offstage.

13. People from LA hate LA.

14. So do a lot of other people.

15. "Acting is a feminine process". Sorry, guys. I didn't say it.

16. Shakespeare respected his women, yo.

17. Don't start a speech in the middle of the speech. Come on, Anna.

18. I want to see the Pina Bausch movie. AND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE.

19. Baklava is better here?

20. The new Ugly Dolls = the Olympic Mascots. I am stupidly in love with Wenlock and Mandeville. 

In celebration of my anti-climactic birthday, number 21: 

I didn't drink anything on my 21st birthday.

Haters hate. (I hate myself for saying that, but I'll get over it.) I bought my one and only "illegal" purchase of alcohol underage, which wasn't really illegal at all because I'm in England, the night before in London at a real live American-style restaurant in Covent Garden called Maxwell's. Not only did Josh fall in love with the waiter, but he also drank my cocktail (embarrassingly titled Kiss Me Quick), which, equally embarrassingly, Juli and I were initially sharing anyways. Needless to say, I did not get kissed quick.

But here's what I did do: 

On Saturday, we spent the entire day (16 hours, I believe) in London on a 7-pound bus pass that took us everywhere and under and over all things we wanted to see. We did get "pound-blocked", as I like to call it, by everything now costing money because of the darn Olympics, but whatever. We SAW the buildings! Juli and I innocently and expertly cried our little-girl way into better mezzanine seats at Sunshine Boys, starring Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths (Harry Potter's uncle), for no extra charge. I ate the most expensive ice cream cone I've ever eaten, at a place where Breast Milk and Apple Vodka are flavors of choice (or at least to choose from...). 

On Sunday, my birthday, we had our first real sunny summer day. We took a photo shoot in a rose garden and climbed a tree. We bought 2 Mediterranean picnic baskets from the Cous Cous Castle (Cafe). We did circus tricks (attempted) on the Magdalen lawn. And I got one of the best sundaes with the best strawberry hand-dipped ice cream I've every had, as my birthday gift by 3 wonderful girlfriends in a pink dessert cafe. WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW?!

That is all.

Tomorrow I go to Shakespeare's town and see where he probably did a lot of crazy crap. Not complaining.

And tonight... finally... COPA!!!! (Oh, you know you want to know what that means... you'll have to wait until the next edition of this Public Internet Diary comes out.... just like the old days... what a horrible novella this would be... someone write it...)