On the way to day 2 we talked about how amazing the day before was. We couldn’t wait for day 2 and we knew that we would be working on text throughout the day. Many of us were still interested in the Measure for Measure text from the day before and we were dicussing how much we enjoyed the experience.
In the morning we got the opportunity to do a Shakespeare Gym session. It was fascinating! We looked at ways of physically engaging with the text and how to make sure that we understand how the words need to be made clear and precise. We did a great activity where we hit the floor on the last word so that our voices didn’t just trail off. This was a great way of making sure that the text would make sense. It was really good to have the time to explore and play with words and sentences and we learnt a lot about the power of words.
In the afternoon we had a session with Erica to talk about the Measure for Measure scene that caused such a debate the day before. We spent a lot of time talking and debating the scene and the way characters were feeling. We also had the chance to unpick the characters motivation and the way we would talk the text. We then put it on its feet and looked at the use of space and how the characters use this space to create the emotion.
The last session of the day was an inspirational speech by Joanna Abeyie. She discussed her life and the choices she has made. She talked about how she came from a very difficult background and managed to make the right decisions and choices along the way. She talked about the power of being positive and that you had to take charge of the decisions you make. It was great to hear someone speak so passionately about what can be achieved and she was funny, energetic and an absolute pleasure to talk to. We loved the exercise when we talked about our motivation and what we want from our lives. Here are a few notes we made about the day:
Things we learnt
- Can’t/don’t give up, have to keep pushing, put the work in
- Leadership – you have to be ok and happy with yourself, self love not just confidence
- Ways to make actors pick up last words on lines – hitting the ground/clapping last word etc
- Finding your own motivation – people have different ways to motivate themselves
Favourite parts J
- Shakespeare Gym – language – Anna talking about the sonnets, knowledge, meanings of the words, acting through just text, importance of individual words
- Measure for Measure debate – different perspectives, no right or wrong, no actual answers, emotive
- Workshopping the scene from Hamlet – different, bonding with Intermission group
- The whole day in general was great and we all really enjoyed it! J
Improving on
- Ask more questions, be more inquisitive
- Workshopping and directing things more
- Insert yourself more
