I like to think of myself as an impartial observer during rehearsal. It allows me to watch you all and become captivated by the way in which you perform. The moment which truly made me say “Oh wow, Jeff and Jules are wild theatrical geniuses” was the first time we rehearsed the beginning motions of the play, in which Jaya enters as a stage manager and the rest of the cast enters as the rest of the cast of Vanya. The way in which the stage went from total chaos (“DEGREDATION”) to structured dressing of the doubles was brilliant.
I think it is very clear that Kali is passionate about her work, yet what I find more impressive is the ease by which she engages a room full of students and encourages uninhibited participation. Seriously, she rocks. For me, the movement workshops promoted freedom and fluidity. I remember from our discussion of Stanislavski that as an actor, it is important to be relaxed in order to portray a more genuine and emotionally invested role. The motions of the movement workshops helped me to immerse myself into various personas. At moments, I felt like a ballet dansuer, preparing for a elegant piruotte while adorned in a bright pink tutu. I particularly enjoyed watching the escalation from simple finger movements into full body representations of the text. Another noticeable aspect of the workshop was how simple changes in body language completely changed the role or tone of a character within the play. I noticed that our exercises that involved making eye contact paralleled long, bold strides within the room, compared to the exercises in which we avoided eye contact, which paralleled a submissive body language with shorter, unsure strides and shrugged shoulders. By remembering to channel these simple motions, I think it can really help an actor to depict power or timidity or any relevant emotion onstage.
A major theme within Vanya is the quotidian nature of life; how we trudge through our adulthood with our fickle emotions (whether sadness, bitterness, tragedy, excitement, or surprise) which collectively define who we are as humans. From Chekhov’s other writings, I think his goal is to present these raw, unbridled emotions within humans for what they simply are. Accordingly, I believe that is what makes his works so personal, because any reader can relate to a lost love, a past regret, a simple crush, or the feeling of being lost. I think fiction has a certain appeal for its ability to provide an enchanting escape or magical journey for the reader to embark on. The fact that Chekhov instead chooses to dwell on the idiosyncrasies of humanity is appealing in its own, organic, coarse way.
More than anything, I want to express my appreciation to you all for accepting me within Vanya company. I have already learned an incredible amount purely from observing, and the enthusiasm with which you all approach rehearsals is infectious. I’m not one hundred percent sure about what I will be working on as assistant stage manager for the rest of the semester, but I am willing to help in anyway possible, so let me know if I cant assist you somehow. I can’t wait to see Vanya come to fruition, because I truly think it will be a spectacular performance (that I will be glad to play a role, albeit a small one, in).
Yours,
Reddy
Reddy,
You are an integral part of the company. You’ll see. We can not do this without you. Im so glad you’ve been able to feel a part of everything and engage in what is happening. I think you are absolutely right about the groundwork that Kali laid in those opening workshops. You could see last night as I worked with the Yelenas and Astrovs how their freedom to engage movement and to stay connected to each other REALLY paid off. We are so glad to have you a part of this process. Believe me, your responsibilities will grow as the process continues. Thanks for this well written entry.
Best, Jeffrey
Reddy,
I love that you have an Uncle Jack! I really think that nickname is so apt for Vanya, much more than John. I have an Uncle John and his strangeness (in some way, aren’t all uncles their own kind of strange?) has a meanness, a bitterness that moves outward vs. Vanya’s inward, self-deprecating trajectory (Act III’s actions notwithstanding). I still wait to see the version of this play that offers itself as Uncle Jack.
So I’ve got a question for you as one of our valuable in-rehearsal observers. What do you think would be the kind of questions I might pose to the Duke community to get their takes on what you so eloquently write as “Accordingly, I believe that is what makes his works so personal, because any reader can relate to a lost love, a past regret, a simple crush, or the feeling of being lost.” It’s probably no surprise that I agree that these elements make the work both personal and timeless. That’s a combination I’d like to get our potential audience members thinking about when they come into the show. To that end, I’m sketching out the framework for a video piece for the LINK MediaWall that includes interviews with folks from around campus answering questions about these central emotions or relating short stories from their own lives. What do you think about that idea? I need questions that inspire relatively short answers because the I can’t use audio on the LINK (but I can on a trailer, which I’d like to pull from this material as well) but I’m struggling a bit on the wording that can get me there. Some ideas, right now, are:
Tell me one memorable thing about your first love. If you’ve not found that first love yet, what are you looking for in such a person?
Have you ever pined away in secret for someone? Did you ever tell them how you felt? Did you have someone else ask on your behalf? What happened?
What’s more tragic: to never know real love? to have the love of your life reject you?
What’s more comic: someone who is optimistic in the face of sad events? someone who is always grumpy and fussing at even the good things in life?
What are three words that describe academics/scholars?
Your biggest regret so far in your life?
What do you (and others) think? Suggestions for changes? Different questions?
–Jules
Gotta love pink tutus. Someday we’ll all show up to rehearsal in them.
I like the connection you pointed out between eye contact and stride length, confidence and gaze… Aurelia made a similar type of observation in her last post, which also draws lots of dance comparisons (she would be the one, right?). She commented how in the exercise where we put our fears in one hands and our hopes in the other, fear often materialized as heaviness, stiffness, and jagged lines. In stark contrast, hope often manifested as looseness, lightness, and flowing movements.
It’s great that we are discovering these semi-universal trends, these standard associations between body and mind. I wonder, though… Since Kali asks us so often to deal in opposites, in dualities… Is there a way we can even break down these traditional associations, and create unusual physical combinations with them?
For example, can we make a graceful, slow, and patient movement a fearful one? Can we gaze with intensity at someone, while simultaneously accessing a place of low-confidence.
It seems like more than a fun acting challenge; for some characterizations it seems crucial. For Vanya, I want to make his inside active, bubbling, loose, and anxious. Yet his exterior, I want to be lethargic, restrained, subdued…