Hi Michael. You can use your page two ways. You could write on the page itself by going to ‘Manage’ then ‘Pages’ and writing directly. Or you can just continue to add Comments to the page as you have done here. Either way.
Ok, thanks very much for that. I’m resisting the urge to watch Gordon Ramsay’s hilarious ranting tonight, mainly because I know I’ll delete my entire account accidentally if I try to watch while blogging. In any case, here is the blog I accidentally posted on the main page earlier in the process.
April 1 ‘08
Today commenced the first attempt at exploring the Robert and Eva scenes with Kate. Its good to move from workshopping and necessary table work to finally playing around with some scenes.
The first scene revolved around the movement through the forest with Eva. Starting to find the different ‘gear-changes’ in the scene was especially refreshing. Its a good feeling to realise that Robert does find some comfort in Eva. But thats just a beginning; a good place to start with this scene.
The next scene involved what I believed on one level was the loosley reigned rambling of Robert to Eva. About cars, driving around the square, around the square. What a relief to discover a very human and light-hearted nature to Robert’s banter with Eva. Just to find the mirror to the monster that Robert eventually becomes and find something again, very human, is great.
This theme continued to a lesser extent with the next scene and the spooky Caffey wolf. This scene reminded me of the essential need for play and exploration in the beginnings of this process.
Following this, Libby and I discussed ideas about the final r(ape scene and choreographed movement accordingly. The workshops in stage combat have definitely helped and it’ll be good to run our ideas past Nigel and see what comes out.
On another (seemingly irrelevant) note, the idea for promoting the show with invisible theatre somehow reminded me of the antics of Andy Kaufman. Andy took a different approach to the idea of what it is to be a performer and how to involve an unsuspecting audience, which has always appealed to me; Kaufman was a magician in this area.
Below is a link to a youtube video’s of Andy’s that I found tonight. The video shows a skit where Andy decides he can’t ‘play stoned’ on a live sketch show. A young Michael Richard’s (later Kosmo Kramer in Seinfeld) has a particularly hilarious reaction. Whether the actors are in on the joke is open to conjecture.
In any case, its time to get back to Oedipus the King…
N.B. This scene was played out in the 1999 movie ‘Man on the Moon’ starring Jim Carrey. Why he didn’t get nominated for an Oscar I’ll never understand.
Ok, I realise that I haven’t blogged for a while, but I have been keeping some excellent records in my head (well, thats my story and I’m sticking to it) so I’ll see if I can’t get ‘em down.
Before the break, I had the act one scene with Eva with Bernadette directing. Can I just say how frustrating it is with the book. I honestly find that as soon as the books down, its so much easier to explore ideas, although I realise its a necessary evil.
Before this rehearsal, Libby and I met to discuss what we thought the scene was about, general character discussion and what not. One of the most interesting realisations for me was something Libby thought about Eva, which was that ‘Eva is in love with the idea of Driver Jnr.’ This got me thinking, whats the hook for Driver Jnr? I mean, whats this 18 year old’s motive for hanging out with such a young girl. He’s lonely, sure, he can’t relate to kids his own age and struggles with his idea of masculinity. Why wouldn’t he? His brother was the alpha male of the family. There is no mention of his mother in the script so I have assumed she left or died giving birth to him (bold, sure, but bolder the better right with these sorts of things?). If she wasn’t around, it makes sense that Robert can’t talk to women his own age. He can’t relate to women, he can relate to younger girls.
Also, I imagine that the father made Driver his favourite. Who is Robert Conklin to the giant that is Driver? I mean, in my opinion, if I’m still 27 and living in Toowoomba I think I’ll lose my mind, but apparently Eldritch was the place to be for Driver.
The idea of Driver as the alpha male pushes Driver Jnr. away as possibly more effeminate, at least more shy. I mean, masculinity and sexuality should be intrinsicly linked in Robert’s mind, so I feel that hes definitely holding on to that confused naive state sexually. Maybe a state of arrested development. This may explain why he’s so damn incapable of knowing what he wants. I mean, if we take Freud’s stance, everything (like social confidence and development) should be linked to healthy sexuality. This explains why every second sentence he comes out with is “I don’t know”.
Honestly, I don’t think that there’s even the shadow of a sexual deviant of Robert at all during the first scenes, or if there is, its so small in comparison. I want this mainly for the impact of the story. Isn’t it more of a shock for the audience if the young naive boy from Eldritch that they fall in love with seems so normal and relatable before the final scene? Entertainment is important sure, but having the rug pulled from under them can be so much more powerful than disposable entertainment. The challenge is making his bright side so bright that his Shadowed dark side has to burst through his subconscious in such a violent and viseral manner (although, Robert can be quite shy, so either way its a tightrope internally).
Alas, it can be so easy to play the end of the scene or story arc at the start, and I’ve fallen into that trap in the mentioned rehearsal with Bernadette. I think the trick will be little signs. Unconscious stuff. All that jazz. Also, remember that Robert can be quite funny, at least lighthearted. That is so important to keep his head afloat.
Well, thats a start, went on a bit of a tangent there but Ramsay’s is now over and the blogging for tonight is defeated. Much more to come of course, but it’ll happen. Time for dinner…
Unfortunately, its been too long between blogs, but I’m going to attempt to rectify the situation now. Underbelly is on in the background, and its probably more distracting than Ramsay’s, but I won’t turn it off for now… I swear I’m not a TV addict, these are the only two shows I watch!
So much has gone on for me in the past couple of weeks emotionally, mentally and physically that its going to be difficult to put it all down. But I’ll see how we go.
About three weeks ago I think (I’ll have to check with Matt), Matt and I went as Skelly and Robert for a road trip to Biddeston and beyond to find a forest to experience our scene in. Luckily, on the way out there, and through Steele Rudd park, we took some great pictures that are up on Flickr and learnt our lines.
Lines have become a real struggle for me, as early in the process I always have difficulty not seeing in my mind the lines as they are written. I know that knowing the lines this way (similar I suppose to rote learning) makes your eyes ‘dead’ and can’t enable you to connect to the moment, which I know we’re after, in rehearsal. However, I can slip back into this occcasionally and would appreciate any tips on stopping this trap (if theres a cure other than powerful imaging and rehearsal rehearsal rehearsal).
I know I am a visually strong person. However, I don’t have a photographic memory (which would be handy!) Imaging is a very strong tool for me and has worked fairly well so far to construct the world of Rimers. Tomorrow when we get into the theatre I’m hoping it’ll click completely.
As far as lines goes I feel its going to be repeat repeat repeat especially for the end monolgue which has been giving me hell, which has caught me off guard, especially because it isn’t that large. I do believe that I was so conscious of the thoughts that I had slashed up that its coming out staggered regardless of some of the impulses I have with text, which is what I’m thinking has triggered the memory issue. Or should I just tiger up and get it done? Probably the latter. That’s just my thoughts at the moment in any case.
The rehearsals with Libby for the r)ape scene has come together quite well for the time that we’ve rehearsed it. Working with Nigel was great. He took our basic structure and filled it out, much like drawing a detailed design from a quick sketch. He incorporated sightlines and extra slaps, further clarifying the entire combat. I realise that this scene needs to be absloutely clean and programmed in both our minds and this will come with more practice.
The rehearsal with Kate on Sunday afternoon made me realise two things. One was professionalism (being on time). The second was a revelation that the Stanislavski work I had done (thoughts, tactics etc) needed to be revisited for my scenes. I had, which is embarrasing to admit, become complacent with some possible discoveries in the scene to push the exchange between Eva and Robert forward. With that in mind, I revisited the beginning of my process. Revisiting this foundation was refreshing to say the least. Also, noting some of the choices that I made in the beginning as compared to where I am now was interesting.
Alas, thats it for now, with more blogging to come soon. Also, I had no idea that Ramsay has a new show on Wednesday. Its almost too much Gordon Ramsay. There, I said it. O well, time for a cup of tea.
Comment one - is this the correct way to blog?
Hi Michael. You can use your page two ways. You could write on the page itself by going to ‘Manage’ then ‘Pages’ and writing directly. Or you can just continue to add Comments to the page as you have done here. Either way.
Ok, thanks very much for that. I’m resisting the urge to watch Gordon Ramsay’s hilarious ranting tonight, mainly because I know I’ll delete my entire account accidentally if I try to watch while blogging. In any case, here is the blog I accidentally posted on the main page earlier in the process.
April 1 ‘08
Today commenced the first attempt at exploring the Robert and Eva scenes with Kate. Its good to move from workshopping and necessary table work to finally playing around with some scenes.
The first scene revolved around the movement through the forest with Eva. Starting to find the different ‘gear-changes’ in the scene was especially refreshing. Its a good feeling to realise that Robert does find some comfort in Eva. But thats just a beginning; a good place to start with this scene.
The next scene involved what I believed on one level was the loosley reigned rambling of Robert to Eva. About cars, driving around the square, around the square. What a relief to discover a very human and light-hearted nature to Robert’s banter with Eva. Just to find the mirror to the monster that Robert eventually becomes and find something again, very human, is great.
This theme continued to a lesser extent with the next scene and the spooky Caffey wolf. This scene reminded me of the essential need for play and exploration in the beginnings of this process.
Following this, Libby and I discussed ideas about the final r(ape scene and choreographed movement accordingly. The workshops in stage combat have definitely helped and it’ll be good to run our ideas past Nigel and see what comes out.
On another (seemingly irrelevant) note, the idea for promoting the show with invisible theatre somehow reminded me of the antics of Andy Kaufman. Andy took a different approach to the idea of what it is to be a performer and how to involve an unsuspecting audience, which has always appealed to me; Kaufman was a magician in this area.
Below is a link to a youtube video’s of Andy’s that I found tonight. The video shows a skit where Andy decides he can’t ‘play stoned’ on a live sketch show. A young Michael Richard’s (later Kosmo Kramer in Seinfeld) has a particularly hilarious reaction. Whether the actors are in on the joke is open to conjecture.
In any case, its time to get back to Oedipus the King…
N.B. This scene was played out in the 1999 movie ‘Man on the Moon’ starring Jim Carrey. Why he didn’t get nominated for an Oscar I’ll never understand.
April 17 2008
Ok, I realise that I haven’t blogged for a while, but I have been keeping some excellent records in my head (well, thats my story and I’m sticking to it) so I’ll see if I can’t get ‘em down.
Before the break, I had the act one scene with Eva with Bernadette directing. Can I just say how frustrating it is with the book. I honestly find that as soon as the books down, its so much easier to explore ideas, although I realise its a necessary evil.
Before this rehearsal, Libby and I met to discuss what we thought the scene was about, general character discussion and what not. One of the most interesting realisations for me was something Libby thought about Eva, which was that ‘Eva is in love with the idea of Driver Jnr.’ This got me thinking, whats the hook for Driver Jnr? I mean, whats this 18 year old’s motive for hanging out with such a young girl. He’s lonely, sure, he can’t relate to kids his own age and struggles with his idea of masculinity. Why wouldn’t he? His brother was the alpha male of the family. There is no mention of his mother in the script so I have assumed she left or died giving birth to him (bold, sure, but bolder the better right with these sorts of things?). If she wasn’t around, it makes sense that Robert can’t talk to women his own age. He can’t relate to women, he can relate to younger girls.
Also, I imagine that the father made Driver his favourite. Who is Robert Conklin to the giant that is Driver? I mean, in my opinion, if I’m still 27 and living in Toowoomba I think I’ll lose my mind, but apparently Eldritch was the place to be for Driver.
The idea of Driver as the alpha male pushes Driver Jnr. away as possibly more effeminate, at least more shy. I mean, masculinity and sexuality should be intrinsicly linked in Robert’s mind, so I feel that hes definitely holding on to that confused naive state sexually. Maybe a state of arrested development. This may explain why he’s so damn incapable of knowing what he wants. I mean, if we take Freud’s stance, everything (like social confidence and development) should be linked to healthy sexuality. This explains why every second sentence he comes out with is “I don’t know”.
Honestly, I don’t think that there’s even the shadow of a sexual deviant of Robert at all during the first scenes, or if there is, its so small in comparison. I want this mainly for the impact of the story. Isn’t it more of a shock for the audience if the young naive boy from Eldritch that they fall in love with seems so normal and relatable before the final scene? Entertainment is important sure, but having the rug pulled from under them can be so much more powerful than disposable entertainment. The challenge is making his bright side so bright that his Shadowed dark side has to burst through his subconscious in such a violent and viseral manner (although, Robert can be quite shy, so either way its a tightrope internally).
Alas, it can be so easy to play the end of the scene or story arc at the start, and I’ve fallen into that trap in the mentioned rehearsal with Bernadette. I think the trick will be little signs. Unconscious stuff. All that jazz. Also, remember that Robert can be quite funny, at least lighthearted. That is so important to keep his head afloat.
Well, thats a start, went on a bit of a tangent there but Ramsay’s is now over and the blogging for tonight is defeated. Much more to come of course, but it’ll happen. Time for dinner…
Wednesday, 30th April 2008
Unfortunately, its been too long between blogs, but I’m going to attempt to rectify the situation now. Underbelly is on in the background, and its probably more distracting than Ramsay’s, but I won’t turn it off for now… I swear I’m not a TV addict, these are the only two shows I watch!
So much has gone on for me in the past couple of weeks emotionally, mentally and physically that its going to be difficult to put it all down. But I’ll see how we go.
About three weeks ago I think (I’ll have to check with Matt), Matt and I went as Skelly and Robert for a road trip to Biddeston and beyond to find a forest to experience our scene in. Luckily, on the way out there, and through Steele Rudd park, we took some great pictures that are up on Flickr and learnt our lines.
Lines have become a real struggle for me, as early in the process I always have difficulty not seeing in my mind the lines as they are written. I know that knowing the lines this way (similar I suppose to rote learning) makes your eyes ‘dead’ and can’t enable you to connect to the moment, which I know we’re after, in rehearsal. However, I can slip back into this occcasionally and would appreciate any tips on stopping this trap (if theres a cure other than powerful imaging and rehearsal rehearsal rehearsal).
I know I am a visually strong person. However, I don’t have a photographic memory (which would be handy!) Imaging is a very strong tool for me and has worked fairly well so far to construct the world of Rimers. Tomorrow when we get into the theatre I’m hoping it’ll click completely.
As far as lines goes I feel its going to be repeat repeat repeat especially for the end monolgue which has been giving me hell, which has caught me off guard, especially because it isn’t that large. I do believe that I was so conscious of the thoughts that I had slashed up that its coming out staggered regardless of some of the impulses I have with text, which is what I’m thinking has triggered the memory issue. Or should I just tiger up and get it done? Probably the latter. That’s just my thoughts at the moment in any case.
The rehearsals with Libby for the r)ape scene has come together quite well for the time that we’ve rehearsed it. Working with Nigel was great. He took our basic structure and filled it out, much like drawing a detailed design from a quick sketch. He incorporated sightlines and extra slaps, further clarifying the entire combat. I realise that this scene needs to be absloutely clean and programmed in both our minds and this will come with more practice.
The rehearsal with Kate on Sunday afternoon made me realise two things. One was professionalism (being on time). The second was a revelation that the Stanislavski work I had done (thoughts, tactics etc) needed to be revisited for my scenes. I had, which is embarrasing to admit, become complacent with some possible discoveries in the scene to push the exchange between Eva and Robert forward. With that in mind, I revisited the beginning of my process. Revisiting this foundation was refreshing to say the least. Also, noting some of the choices that I made in the beginning as compared to where I am now was interesting.
Alas, thats it for now, with more blogging to come soon. Also, I had no idea that Ramsay has a new show on Wednesday. Its almost too much Gordon Ramsay. There, I said it. O well, time for a cup of tea.
hey michael, this is the chord chart that i showed you the other day .:)
fe
let me know if the link doesnt work, sorry i havent had time to show you stuff but this is just as good as me showing you.. youll prob learn better like this anyway.
http://anders.pedersen12.person.emu.dk/alle%20billeder/Piano-Chords–C10069880.jpg