But, speaking of developing words, Dad has just launched www.kiwislang.org.nz which I encourage you all to have a hoon at.
Here now! Below is a random account of some events. With no dates probably because in heat like this, I do forget what happened when!
PAINTING - Susie Jackson invited me out to her studio to paint. Martine came with and we spent an afternoon drinking beer, picnic-ing out at the ranch and fiddling with oilpaints. Mine did not get finished. I just did the undercoat, and though I have photos of the area, I am annoyed with it and can't imagine finishing it. However, I will bring it home. At least as a momento.
It was such a joyous time though, we wore hideous oversized paint shirts, a bird shat on my head thrice so I then had to wear a hideous oversized hat and we listened to John Mayer, Springsteen and had a glorious time.
BOTANICALS - One Thursday afternoon after a particularly fullon day teaching, I had heard that there was a free Strings concert in the botanical gardens. It was only an hour long so I hooned there on the bicycle (which by the bye I LOVE! I am buying a bike when I get home) and got there before anyone else and soaked up Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov silently surrounded by crowds of people also being quiet! Not a usual occurrence in a crowd that large.
It was the Meridian Quartet led by a gorgeous man from Paris. Eventually Tiana, Chris, Felix and Simon turned up and I joined them by the lake whilst the sun shined on down on us. My absolute favourite was when they played Tchaikovs Sleeping Beauty song - which in all fairness I only know from Disney's SB. Once upon a dream. I happily sung along too it and forgot myself for a moment.
Afterward, Chris Jackson took me and Felix out for lunch. Shouted us a fabulous lunch at Freshies, which is kinda iconic in this town and I had never been. What started out as a tiresome day turned out to be just idyllic.
VIETNAMESE AND ALEX - On the final Friday of teaching, my dear dear friend Alex had come back to Steamboat from his jaunts overseas in France and Stuart shouted us all inc Alex a Vietnamese lunch. It was like it hadn't been a year! We were back taking the mickey out of each other and just having a super fun time. He is very much like family, Alex. Amusing, intelligent, stubborn. We've pretty much been inseparable ever since. That night we had mojitos with Adam, Mikey and Mikey's friend. Talk about deja vu.
HAIL STORM - Felix and I had a bike date on one of the hottest days here. We did a little shop and then planned to bike home. However the sky not far away had turned the darkest shade of black I've ever seen. I told Felix I was gonna wait for the bus. He braved it. And lo and behold, as my bus pulled up behind him, hail like golf balls fell from the sky. Some nice bugger hauled him into his pickup truck and drove him home while I stayed on the bus for an extra hour. It was the most intense storm I've been in. Even more than I when I almost got hit by lightning.
SHE'S COME UNDONE - Felix gave me THE MOST depressing book for my birthday. I can't even begin to convey how sad and crap the protagonists life was! It went from childhood rape, to hideous obesity, to a mental institution to lying about her life and getting married to an abusive man who forced her to have an abortion then insane again. And it didn't really get any better!!! I asked him why he got it for me. He looked at me blankly and said 'it's a really good book!' Well yes. Very well written, but I'm glad I read it after EAT PRAY LOVE!
PERF AT LIBRARY - Our 2nd to last show of MUCH ADO was at Bud Werner and the most awkward stage I've ever performed on! Thin and long and we couldn't really follow any of the limited blocking we had. So I improvised and in terms of working on spacial dynamic, I owned it! But I got very caught up in the emotion of it and got very loose I thought with the Kill Claudio scene. It was more between me and Adam than us and the audience. It reminded me of something Mam said to me ages and ages ago: 'It is much more powerful watching someone trying NOT to cry' and so true.
KATIE WEST - is back and as outrageous as ever. I am gonna stay with her for a day or two in NYC and I am looking forward to it.
GUNS - Though Morally opposed, I went off with the Sheriff (coincidentally a Kiwi!) and the rest of the crew. And we shot some guns! Mag 44. Laser ones. Girly pistols. Cop guns. And once I got over the initial shakes, I was actually very good at it, and it was kinda fun. Also, a good skill to have.
FINAL MUCH ADO - Working on endurance, connection and listening.
I 'discover' during fire speech.
The final show was fantastic, I finally nailed the 'What fire is in mine ears' speech. I really worked the action of I DISCOVER. And funnily enough, the last show was the only one that didn't sprout tears to my eyes. Which I'm fine with. I was working at being specific and I feel strongly that I was, so, like the rant I had earlier, crying does not matter. The connection between space, audience, fellow actors is much more important. Very satisfied.
Civilisation was well, in retrospect, not a show I felt had a lot of backbone by the end. We should have fought - WAIT I should have fought for a better show. Each scene was not specific to a place. The character's were not connected with each other. And though it was fun and entertaining, I believe it did not hit the mark as it should've. We were lazy.
As I write the schema for THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE - inspired by Civilisation and the purpose of cultural reflection - I am making choices based on what asks questions of myself and the audience. Ok, it is not a polished piece. YET. And our development season left something (a story) to be desired but I feel more confident in even pitching the thing!
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