It is Wednesday and the week is going fast

Hey hey but the weeks are tripping along quickly!

Last night we held a luau at the whare.

This took some organisation on my part! I had to make a shopping list, depress the Dollar Store of all their Hawaiian stock, and attempt to look like attractive luau hostess - all in 2 hours. It was a mission. But well worth it.

Let me start with the plays. The Shakespeare is in an interesting place. The rehearsals are not as I would run them. That is not to say they are not enjoyable or that Stuart isn't doing a good job. It's just, it's a looser unit than what I am used to and comparable with the devised piece, which is very structured, it's hard to know what energy to bring. Sometimes I'll be leading voice warmups, other times having a rigorous Beatrice time. But me being me, and the me I WANT to be, I wish to be prepared and detailed in the work I'm doing.

Civilisation is coming together nicely - we have been set provocations to write and I do really well with that. I mentioned in a previous post that my strength is in the ridiculous. And yes. That is showing through. I wrote a song using Simon and my words for the opening in the Style of Beauty and the Beast (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVovQfq7U0w) We were trying to convey a sense of the absurd racism and logic around the settlers. It is certainly absurd.

I attach a bit of it below as it's fecking massive

Building up from whispering to call/response styles

SYLVIE

Russell

HUIA
Russell

BRITTA

Where are we?

ALL WOMEN

In Russell!

MEN
Russell?

WOMEN
Yes! Russell

HUIA/BRITTA

Come all you young townsfolk, listen to me

I'll sing you a song of the town that would be,

and it's...

ALL

RUSSELL RUSSELL, Where in the world is Russell?

(Talk singing – each character builds a different rhythm)

GOV
Welcome to the town of Russell

It is 1860 and we’re full of cuffuffle

We came down here around 5o years ago

The hub of New Zealand or we thought it so

FANNY

Esquires, ladies, sailors and whores

This town full of potential, a relative score

However we are laden with lots of Maori

The indigenous tribe, they are rather rowdy

So our aim is to get them off our land

GOV/DOC/

Which we bought with muskets for their small bit of sand

They think they’re clever by burning our flag

But we only think it’s a bit of a drag

For we bought a supply of the Queen’s callingcard

And now we’ve hired someone burly to stand guard

BUILDING VOICES (Two men, building to whole cast)

Russell New Zealand, Russell I say

A town split by difference, let’s make it gay

Half want Maori off their land right now

Others can see it’s not their right to plow

ALL: Russell, Russell, why do we stay in Russell? Russell?

Our town’s name is Russell.

Watch out for the hustle and bustle.

Let’s meet the townfolk of Russell

So, yes. It continues.