Grad School: Week 3

This week went in waves. There were times when it felt like I was back in junior year of college (the spring--and that was a tough one). I was also battling a nasty sore throat. Thank goodness for Throat Coat tea and Immune Boost Emergen-C. I mean, I'm putting in 10-hour days AT school (when you compound classes and rehearsals).

In voice class, we did a long session of pelvis/hip stretching. Afterward, I could touch my toes, and I still can. I really haven't been able to, so I count this as a success. Right now, it's all about alignment and getting as neutral as possible.

In movement, we're learning more rapier work. We're creating our own sequences with different combinations of four basic thrusts/parries and some binding moves. I think I'm going to buy my own practice rapier soon.

We had a quiz on vocal anatomy in speech. We've started more IPA work. I transcribed two long paragraphs about Sarah Perry and her pet bird that has foot and mouth disease. It feels like I'm learning a whole new language, and I kind of am.

In acting we continue to learn about the business. I'm getting word about a couple cool Shakespeare festivals coming to see us audition. One of them is a 10-month contract though, so it's doutbful anyone in my class could make that work. But there's some promise with another company who's coming down in December.

Additionally, I have to present a new 1-minute monologue on Wednesday along with this:

And then, we got a HUGE assignment:
I have to choreograph and perform a four-minute dance/theatre piece.

It has to embody 8 adjectives that aren't necessarily in my profile (we're given these words from our Acting Professor--so everyone has a different list):

• Exuberant
• Muscular
• Driving
• High/Low
• Extended
• Grounded
• Explosive
• Powerful (? - I can't quite remember)

Each adjective has to be separately and boldly defined.

On this assignment our professor said: "Legends are made from this project." We had to give him 3 music options (they have to be instrumental).

He gave me the go-ahead with this piece of music:

I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do. I've got a rough, rough idea, but "exuberant" isn't quite part of that idea. We have a couple weeks to work on this before we have to show it to the professor. After that, we have a week to finesse the piece and then we perform it for the public.

There's a lot more going on. I haven't even begun to touch on Hot L Baltimore rehearsals. But that's going well. We're all off book and blocked for Act One, and it's a doozy, lemme tell ya.