Reporting Live - from THE LODGE - Chicago
It's a raining, dreary day here in Chicago, but attitudes are sunny here, despite the clouds.
Yesterday we had Dramaturgy for the first time. A dramaturg, for those that don't know (and I imagine that's a bunch of you, seeing as it's a new to theater, been around for only about 40 years or so), is the person that is in charge of researching EVERYTHING POSSIBLE about the play, author, time period, clothing, customs, culture, etc., choosing what is most important, and then using it to eduate the director, actors, and public about the play.
There was a lot of anxiety going into class yesterday, becuase Dramaturgy is apparenty the toughest class we'll take in our three years here. So we show up, we're all sitting in this music room, in the band chairs that force you to sit straight, so we're uncomfortable when we show up, we're uncomfortable when we sit down, we're just uncomfortable in general. (and the AC was just BLASTING, which made me mighty uncomfortable, seeing as I hate being cold.)
In front of us is a stack of booklets, which we assume are for us, and a bag full of mystery items, and a teacher who looks like she hasn't smiled anytime in the past decade. You can feel the anxiety climbing to record heights here in Chi-town.
Teacher (June is her name) is standing in front of the class, we are all settling into silence, and then she reaches into her bag and pulls out . . .
a mask. A mask of some demon with two horns reaching about 12 inches to the sky from it's head. And she puts the mask on. And she says - "this is what you've probably heard about this class - and it's all true". We weren't sure whether to laugh or not - and then she took of the mask and was just cracking up at her own joke - just laughing like crazy- and the fog that was the anxiety disappeared.
So, dramaturgy is going to be a LOT of work. We have two plays to be researching at the same time, one is a group project, and one is our own. We have the class three times a week, Monday, Tuesday, and then all day on Thursday. But I don't mind research and critical analysis. So, I think I'll be just fine.
Today we get done at 3:15, I think. Then Dori and I are heading down to the second floor where there's a little workout center. We're going to have a hot date with the treadmills. After that, it's grocery shopping. I've still got some leftovers from Monday's meal (which was difficult to make, on account of our stove being in operable, but that's fixed now, so the next meal should be a breeze!). I'm dying for some veggies, so I need to find out when the farmers market is here, and where exactly it's held. I also need a hole punch and an extra binder and things such as that.
And then it's off to the library, to do some research.
We're all sleeping MUCH better, having adjusted to the sound of the train. now I just need to adjust to the sound of people talking on their cell phones, and trucks backing up at 3 am, and car horns. It's getting there.
Still no solid plans for the weekend. But the group is starting to form a bit of a community, so hopefully by then we'll have each others phone numbers and the like and be able to just call each other up and say "hey, let's go do something".
We start at 9 today, beinging with a short gathering, and then off to dialects. Not sure how well I'm going to do my Cockney, but I think I can nail standard British. Then lunch, and then directing class, where we'll discuss readings, work on the monologue (which, contrary to what he told us on Monday, isn't due until next week), and the like, and that's my class schedule for today.
And so I'm off to whip up some breakfast and start the day. It's sure to be a productive one.
Yesterday we had Dramaturgy for the first time. A dramaturg, for those that don't know (and I imagine that's a bunch of you, seeing as it's a new to theater, been around for only about 40 years or so), is the person that is in charge of researching EVERYTHING POSSIBLE about the play, author, time period, clothing, customs, culture, etc., choosing what is most important, and then using it to eduate the director, actors, and public about the play.
There was a lot of anxiety going into class yesterday, becuase Dramaturgy is apparenty the toughest class we'll take in our three years here. So we show up, we're all sitting in this music room, in the band chairs that force you to sit straight, so we're uncomfortable when we show up, we're uncomfortable when we sit down, we're just uncomfortable in general. (and the AC was just BLASTING, which made me mighty uncomfortable, seeing as I hate being cold.)
In front of us is a stack of booklets, which we assume are for us, and a bag full of mystery items, and a teacher who looks like she hasn't smiled anytime in the past decade. You can feel the anxiety climbing to record heights here in Chi-town.
Teacher (June is her name) is standing in front of the class, we are all settling into silence, and then she reaches into her bag and pulls out . . .
a mask. A mask of some demon with two horns reaching about 12 inches to the sky from it's head. And she puts the mask on. And she says - "this is what you've probably heard about this class - and it's all true". We weren't sure whether to laugh or not - and then she took of the mask and was just cracking up at her own joke - just laughing like crazy- and the fog that was the anxiety disappeared.
So, dramaturgy is going to be a LOT of work. We have two plays to be researching at the same time, one is a group project, and one is our own. We have the class three times a week, Monday, Tuesday, and then all day on Thursday. But I don't mind research and critical analysis. So, I think I'll be just fine.
Today we get done at 3:15, I think. Then Dori and I are heading down to the second floor where there's a little workout center. We're going to have a hot date with the treadmills. After that, it's grocery shopping. I've still got some leftovers from Monday's meal (which was difficult to make, on account of our stove being in operable, but that's fixed now, so the next meal should be a breeze!). I'm dying for some veggies, so I need to find out when the farmers market is here, and where exactly it's held. I also need a hole punch and an extra binder and things such as that.
And then it's off to the library, to do some research.
We're all sleeping MUCH better, having adjusted to the sound of the train. now I just need to adjust to the sound of people talking on their cell phones, and trucks backing up at 3 am, and car horns. It's getting there.
Still no solid plans for the weekend. But the group is starting to form a bit of a community, so hopefully by then we'll have each others phone numbers and the like and be able to just call each other up and say "hey, let's go do something".
We start at 9 today, beinging with a short gathering, and then off to dialects. Not sure how well I'm going to do my Cockney, but I think I can nail standard British. Then lunch, and then directing class, where we'll discuss readings, work on the monologue (which, contrary to what he told us on Monday, isn't due until next week), and the like, and that's my class schedule for today.
And so I'm off to whip up some breakfast and start the day. It's sure to be a productive one.
posted by Chandi at 5:07 AM
1 Comments:
Good words.
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