Author Archives: Aurelia Fava

Aurelia’s Shop Diary

Coming out from the single dimension of performance and participate in the material creation of the play helps on the acting level. Working in the shops undeniably creates between the actor and the fictional world played in a intimacy and familiarization that can’t be catch up later by any means. My character, Maria, has a book that follows her all along the play. This book is full all pamphlets, letters and old papers she collected through out her life and deliberately stick in this it. I (Aurelia as much as Maria) arranged my book so when I play with it on stage it is way easier to appropriate the object. In addition, I painted purple the piece of the stage you can’t see and doors that none are used in the traditional way. I was working in the scene shop the first day the stage was put together. The bits and pieces I was painting not long ago pilled up in the corner in the time of a morning became the stage of the arc room, where so much have happened since…

Aurelia

Exposure

Just as I entered the “black box”, one of the actresses walked pass firmly saying, “This is excruciating!” Caught off guard, I was pushed by the turbulence of other spectator behind me coming in to my seat. A dozen of people in smoky vintage cloth walked around the stage, some mumbling sentences, which only few words could be discerned in the action and others threw random notes with their instruments into the air. The whole situation felt strange and intimidating. Gradually, all actors on stage turned into character, and then characters turned into extravagantly posing doubles. The dynamism on stage made my curious sight jump from one place to another and almost required me the effort to keep track of what was going on. As if they were playing a game with me, as if I was chasing the all dressed rabbit in Alice and Wonderland, the characters on stage lured me into their play: suddenly, it started.

The role changes and the “off stage” actors’ presence on stage weren’t obvious at first. Once I understood, I felt the interpretation of a single character by two different actors and for most of the time being both present on stage did not loose the continuity of the story. Instead, it brought a wider spectrum to each of their personalities. However an unidentified heaviness carried the play all along. Heaviness and nudity. The front of the set is left opened and the structure supporting the house can be seem, blurring the line between the theater space and the world of play; The absence of wall between the rooms in the house takes away all privacy in the house; the costume change and act transitions happen openly, once again pulling the audience back to reality and reminding me everything happening is only fiction; The actors address the audience and the “passive” actors on stage during their monologues, breaking the boundaries of the play; the exposure of the characters’ emotions made what was depressing to the extent where it felt cruel. Through the sarcastic lines and in their conscience pain, the characters were mocking themselves. Looking past the chosen forms of interpretation, the strongest feeling of nudity, violation and vulnerability comes from the self-identification to the characters on stage and to their pain. Relating my personal life experience to Vanya’s and Sonya’s impossible love, Yelena’s boredom and the professor’s frustration of accomplishment, every time during the play I laughed was taint bitter, every time I felt bad for one of them on stage it seemed ironic.

Aurelia Fava

玛丽亚（Mǎ Lì Yà)

（一）

Alexander is back living with us in the house again. His health is getting worth day by day, but it is because he is still working hard until 2 to 3am every night. Sacrificing his health to the dedication of writing, I am proud of him. He inspires me even until this day, and that is how an intellectual must be! Not like my poor son who is consistently winy and bitter, lost in his love for the Yelena! I am not surprised she would rather fall for a mature man like Alexander rather than Jean. Talking about Jean, I still cannot believe how rude he was to me earlier today. I am not even here to ask for the respect of a mother but simply the respect a woman deserves. How dare he challenge my freedom of speech? I will say what I have to say and wish to say! And the only educative activity he use to perform before, reading Alexander’s book is today long lost as well… I am regretful that after translating for so many years Alexander’s work, Jean only seems to have understood words of the text and not the high morality of the author. I am more and more confused by the person Jean is turning into.

 

（二）

Finally some quality time with my inspiring booklets! I have no time for all the drama in this house. Such issues are so trivial compared to the pursuit of once success in one’s life. Oh! I must get back to my readings now…

 

（三）

Jean is out of his mind!! I have understood since a while that I cannot contain him anymore but I would never have imagined he could go this far! What a gentleman Alexander was gathering us around the table to discuss such serious issue, and all Jean could think of is him self, complaining about his pays for the past few years. Isn’t all the intellectual payback from working for Alexander enough? And for his defense, Alexander would never have sold the house and let us freeze on the street. He could never do this to us. Jean has simply been out of him self lately, not knowing when to stop talking and how to control his temper. I couldn’t believe my eyes when he pointed the gun towards Alexander. It was as rude as if he pointed that gun towards his dead father! I heart stopped for a second with the sound of the gunshot. Where did he find this gun anyways?… Anyhow, have he hurt Alexander I never would have forgiven him.

 

（四）

Alexander and his little family left after he made peace with Jean. This shows once more what a big hearted, genuine and mature man Alexander is. He never disappoints me and never will. On the other hand Jean, I am glade he has gotten back his common sense. He should consider himself lucky that it was Alexander, because no one else would have forgiven him such act that’s for sure! But now they are back on good terms and that is the most important. Jean could benefit from a good relationship with Alexander and some of his enlightenment in the future. Aaah I will miss Alexander as I know he will miss us. I understand and do not blame why he needs to leave. He is a man with conviction and needs to chase after his eternal goals! How a true intellectual must be! It will be blasphemy to chain him down in this house.

Back to our previous lives now. Oh yes I have some readings I need to catch up with. I just need to…

玛丽亚 – Maria

Theater: Dance of Behaviors

This year in Uncle Vanya I approach theater for the first time and with a fresh view. Acting has always been something I liked from a distance, something I knew I could be fond of, but other passions seem to have taken over my time and I now wish my encounter with this art could have been earlier. However during these three short workshops with the mesmerizing Kali Quinn, I made the link between theater and another passion I always had: dance.
Simply put, dance is an art of rhythmic body movement to music. In dance the body is pushed into sequences of define shapes and forms, working on the strength, the speed, the control and the coherence. Dance movements can often be unnatural, but it is through unfamiliarity of movements that you gain more conscience of your body. In this movement workshop, we were guided to let free of our bodies through warm ups and all types of exercises, in order to gain this conscience. However in my understanding, we had a different starting point and took a different path compared to my experience with dance. Less as a confined exercise of shaping the body and more of a personal exploration, everyone created their own forms and “choreography” from what they were feeling. Movements were guided and the extension of ideas and emotions, sometimes imposed by ourselves and sometimes imposing us. For example one of our warm up exercises where you put something you are exited about in one hand and something you are afraid of in the other, and feel how the body changes while concentrating on either one of them, and a common observation is the hand holding the thing we are afraid of is always heavier. An idea takes transform to an inner reaction which then takes physical form. Naturally, excitement makes you have high expectations, so physically expressed in elongating the body upward and suspending a long breath in the chest. However fear gives you a ball of pain in the stomach, which adds a huge weight and pulls the pelvis downwards.
As Kali repeated in class for several times, “What is true in the physical world is true in the metaphysical world, and vise versa.” Besides working from a state of unawareness to awareness, we also started with the body to get to the inner world of the character. On the last exercise did on the last workshop we had to represent our character in each act with one pose and a line, and this is the exercise that help me the most in building my character. I had difficulties to place Maria’s representations in the play. I once thought because she appears and talks few through out the play that I had little materiel to work with and a huge blur. However all the readings we did before as a group and watching others putting in place their character through out the workshop exercises imprint unconsciously many information about my characters’ personality. Putting myself into the body of the character brought to the surface the general understanding I had for my character to specific manners. I have never worked that way around in the past, and surprisingly I got more out of it then.
I had doubt about how to model and to perform my character with the little presence in the play. But during the workshop watching others work I learned how to make my presence important while not being in the heart of the action. The exterior body expression in important in acting, but the source of all actions, intention and performance in general is the universe each comedian builds for them. To help myself maintain in the role, I tend to think all the characters on the same dimension, their life in linearity, and the play as a zoom in of the picture. My character is a part of the play but center of her life.
This workshop is eyes opening for my first contact with theater. I am glade to have such amazing opportunities to work with this group of people that constantly pushes me to be at their height and wanting to be as good. I not only want to thank Kali for all I’ve learn in the workshop, but also every single one in the class, from whom I have learned as much.

Aure-Malia

Hi everyone, I am Aure-Malia, Vanya’s widow mother who is part-time studying as a freshman at Duke.

I didn’t dare to say in class on Friday but I believe a “oh shit” moment I have experienced this past two week is when I stood in front of the Vanya class on audition day and realized… I was auditioning for Uncle Vanya!! Why would I have listen to our dear Vice-President and put myself in such an uncomfortable position… Fortunately this “oh shit” moment quickly turned into one of my favorite moments starting at Duke. :)

I have a hard time trying to give a profound character analysis or intense self-reflection and reconciliation with the play. Not that I haven’t spent time on de-puzziling the puzzle, but I believe I just don’t feel very confident or have any concrete idea of how to turn my character alive yet. I am trusting and counting on the still little intimidating professors and the quirky exercises during workshops to get something out of this inexperienced comedian wannabe. At this point what I can do is to be the piece of clay as moldable as possible, eager to be shaped, and continue to pretend to know what I am doing, maybe just as a good number of the rest of the cast.

To end this belated post with triumph, here is a confession: I may be the only exception in this flamboyant cast, but I sincerely have no musical skills and sing like a featherless crow. So sorry Jeff…. Hopefully a sixty-year-old cha-cha dancer as Maria works for you too.

Aure-Malia