30 MAR 2006

Today we went through our studies. I like mine.

Start with sounds using breath.
Speak text quietly, slowly, build up in speed and volume.
Peak: RRRRRAHHH
Obstacle starting from “Channeled”
It flows on to the BOOM!

Other people did some pretty crazy stuff. I want my audience to be in a new position and in a new place, not anywhere near their workspace when I’m present my study.

Raymon talked about when one finds direction to follow, a different voice, one should go with it, and I guess I don’t want to hurry into things. Just let things go wherever they go.
Karen

23 MAR 2006

Today, we started right away in our workspaces. We designed how we wanted to present our work. I think I’m going to get everyone to stand in random directions in a spot where they usually don’t stand. I wanted people scattered all over the room. This might be appropriate for the randomness and newness of the poem.

Speaking of the poem, I forgot to mention something amazing that happened with the text I chose. I actually e-mailed Wayne Mercier, the poet about his poem, New Beat Attitude, and he told me this about it:

"Growing up I listened to a lot of hardcore punk rock music like Sick Of It All and Youth of Today and Gorilla Biscuits - that influenced me very strongly and this poem is in many ways a direct expression of that kind of hyperkinetic driving rage against stupidity and injustice and gilded ugliness... All those kinds of things really - the glorious shining incoherent feelings that drive you on and won't let you rest until something changes for the better... soaring necessary grace.

Oh, and the screamy bit is my favourite part, because standing in front of a group of people and just really yelling incoherently is a tremendously satisfying thing to do." -Overload

Well, one day, I was having a rough time. I was feeling really crappy and there wasn’t much that seemed to be going right. I walked home after school, and when I was on a train bridge, no one else was on it. It was completely empty, except for the pigeons that were lounging below. I stopped in the middle, yelled out my text about seven times, and something just clicked. I felt so well…I found that soaring necessary grace that helped turn my day into a good one. I felt a connection with the text, my voice, my body.

On March 23, 2006, today, we talked about our work:
Physical work:
Power, support, other positions.

Vocal work:
Vibration, song, different voices.

Imagination

Text

=WORK

We signed an unknown contract. A contract to an unknown. That’s what the actor does.
That is the actor.

21 Mar 2006

We explored different ways of using our voices and bodies. We worked in our self-picked workspace:
1. Full vibration against obstacle.
2. Soft vibration with the same energy used in full vibration, the former was obviously harder.
3. Called out our text. Everyone's voices were so blended that I felt like my voice was distant or that I my hearing was muted.
4. Sang a vibration, sang our texts.
5. Whispered my text.
6. Spoke it as if it was hard to say, but still had to say it, almost urged to say it.
7. Spoke text with a high voice, with a sort of *pop*!

Did activities in different positions: power position, tight small position, sitting, lying down. Walking out of it, going back to our workspaces.

Yeah.

Karen

14 MAR 2006

Today we did more work with vibration.
We experimented with different body positions:
Facing the floor, on our backs, against the wall, standing up.
I had to imagine as if there were some sort of obstacle that I had to combat, resist, push...I was supposed to transform that energy into voice.
When standing up, I felt strong. I did some solo work, but I didn't feel as focused as I should have been....though my vibration was pretty good.
I had the most fun pushing against the wall. I imagined I was pushing against a piano, trying to push it forward, but I couldn't understand why it wasn't moving. The second time I did it, I imagined myself pushing a large wall of glass. Behind it was an ocean, and I had to stop the water from
................bursting
...............................through
.........................................the glass...
Karen

9 Mar 2006

Candle work: finding that source
Candle: choosing to live. Candle=partner, focusing attention on it: concentration.
Directing energy (via vibration) to candle.
Sending enough energy to put out/light the flame. Moving the energy, keeping it mobile.

Body=wax;
Breath=wick;
Vibration=flame.

I made something out of nothing. I chose to live. I choose to live or die. I am supposed to find that source of energy within me and use it for everything. I use the energy to an amount comparable to that of a person running. I engage myself in activities to discover my limits and capablilities. To do this, I must do it right, I must try.

I did some solo work, it was difficult to concentrate, I wasn't focused enough. I felt fine afterwards, I still had plenty of energy... I was thirsty though. I had no idea what Raymon was doing at first, but I understood after he did the same thing with the other students.
Karen

7 MAR 2006

1. Read my text, silently.
2. Read it out loud.
3. Sat back-to-back with a partner, read our texts simultaneously at a normal volume.
4. Got to listen to someone read their text, than read my own text to partner fast, out loud.
5. Listened to someone read my text.
6. I read some text out loud, my partner repeated what I said.
7. I read my text out loud, partner tried to say it with me.
8. Read it out loud simultaneously face to face with partner, trying to listen to what he/she was saying.

I'm supposed to recite and read my text as if it was
..........................new
............................................to me.


Karen

2 MAR 2006

Today:
-Warming up: focusing on breath
- Vibrations
- We played with syllables: exploring different types:
"Ba" vs. "Pa"--> the former being an outward syllable, the latter being "inward"
"Ta" vs. "Da"
"Za" vs. "Sa"
etc.
Exploring how that feels... Starting with "lip" syllables, "tongued" syllables and then syllables that come from the base of the throat.
We improvised with the syllables, did that stuff with a partner, chasing each other around. I am supposed to used that same energy that I used with my partner in everything else I do.
I started reading the Yoshi Oida book, and now everything's starting to make sense.
My 3-minute text is right on time, not too long not too short.