Hamlet2B
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a student in his second term of drama school must start to see an improvement. Fresh from Christmas break, I’m thrusting headlong into term 2 and – shock horror – I’m not moaning! It’s amazing what a difference a short space of time can make to one’s whole outlook. Whilst I didn’t MISS school per se, neither was I upset about going back, which tells me things are starting to even out. Either than or my synapses are no longer responding…
Assuming that they are and I’m settled, let’s look at what’s clogging up (sorry, filling) my diary.
It’s a term of two halves, I feel – whilst residual elements of the first term’s work remain, new classes are emerging like fledgling voles to fill up my timetable. There’s a feeling of coming out of ‘the tunnel’ of being a newbie and getting down to the ‘grit’ and there also seems less of a gulf between me and my classmates, which has manifested in a major relaxation on my part. Somehow, the age gap isn’t so much of an issue as before, mostly because a) everyone appears to have calmed down socially (translation: are poor post-Xmas) and b) I’m happier to keep to myself when desired (translation: I’m a boring old fart who’d rather watch Corrie…)
The big news is that I’ll actually be acting in a scripted text! I kid ye not, gentle readers. Granted, it’s only one scene and I’ll be spending almost the entire term working on it, but this is indeed progress. Glibness aside, I suspect that I’ll enjoy this far more than exercise-based work, as I do think of myself as an ‘on-the-job’ learner, as my career thus far has required. It remains to be seen how I’ll feel once Meisner rears his interestingly-shaped head once more, to enrich and inform my performance, as dictated by my director. Let’s see how long not moaning lasts…
Anyways, the upshot of this scene being the bulk of my work is that I get rather a lot of off-timetable hours in which to rehearse, consolidate and develop some kind of addiction (I’m assuming), which is lucky given the workload I am already surveying with displeasure. Now, I don’t baulk at written work in the slightest (my geeky side enjoys a good essay, in fact), but right now my flat is covered in scraps of ‘to do’ lists.
In addition to the exciting revelations of timetable Nirvana and potential new bad habits, I have also discovered my animal essence for animal studies. I can’t reveal specifics, of course, as this may give a clue as to my identity but I will let on that said creature is reptilian. Watchful, lithe and cunning or sly, slimy and prehistoric in origin?
Either way, I can relate.
HAMLET2B
Image: Peeping out