Wednesday. 7.05 a.m. Another great day was spent in the theatre workshop at Camphill yesterday. As you will have read in my earlier post (that is, if you are a regular reader of these posts.) you will know that I didn't go to Camphill last week, because the Chrysalis Theatre was being used by an outside group who were there rehearsing their own production, so the Camphill group went for a day out to Stony Stratford. I didn't join them. Anyway, this week was definitely a busy day, picking up from the week before when we'd started to work on developing three stories which will be the basis for our silent movies. One is to be a swashbuckling adventure, the second a western and the third (which I am working on.) a time-travelling story.
The day started with the usual check-in. It usually takes about 20 minutes, but, as there are far more in the group from when I first went to Camphill around three years ago (I can't believe it's that long.), it does tend to take a good deal longer.
There were workmen doing something elsewhere in the building, and they were making drilling and hammering noises which interrupted the activities of the theatre workshop over the course of the day.
Each group has been workshopping ideas for their stories. They each began to rehearse their stories and, as they progressed, added ideas having given each other feedback, and this helped develop each story. Terrie wanted us to come up with written 'boards' which would be incorporated into the finished films, which would be used to explain, in writing, certain aspects of the plot. This, bearing in mind that each film will be silent and have no dialogue. (Technically known as 'title cards' or 'intertitles.' They would be edited into the completed film, helping to guide the audience with various aspects of the story, characters, scenes, details and so on.)
After lunch, during the check-in, the noises from the workmen were distracting everyone. I have to admit, it was quite difficult concentrating with all that banging, drilling and extraneous sounds more or less taking over. As a result, Terrie decided that we would all go out onto the grass outside the theatre and do some voice warm-ups. I have heard actors doing this, before performances, when I worked in stage management. Then we played a game which is similar to the old playground game of tig, which I remember from my school days. Everyone spreads out around the area and one person starts. When someone is being chased, they have to avoid being touched by the chaser, and then they stand behind someone else in the group. This goes on, and each chaser has to catch the person in front of anyone who is in the circle. Quite exhausting, but great fun. We played a game similar to this at school, called 'Off-Ground Tig.' The idea was that, if you stood off the ground, on, for example, a step or other items, a box, dustbin etc., you couldn't be caught. Also, apparently, known as 'British Bulldog.' The Bulldog was the one doing the catching.
We then went back into the theatre to continue running bits of our stories and at the end of the session, in fact, after the tea break, we showed our efforts to the other two groups and then they showed theirs. The whole day was excellent and next week we should be able to complete each story and in a couple of weeks, if things go well, which will depend on where the locations for the filming will be, the movies will be videoed/filmed.
11.45 a.m. I know it's not exactly exciting, but I have been doing some domestic things this morning, such as changing my bedding. Putting a duvet cover on is not my favourite occupation. It just isn't that easy and would be made easier if I had someone to help, which I don't. All the bedding is ready to put in the wash later. I have also steam cleaned the bathroom floor, not made easy because whoever had this flat before I arrived, had no idea how to lay tiles. Just a very poor job, none of them seem to have been arranged properly and many are lifting and some have part of them overlapping others, which makes cleaning the floor harder. But it's done to a certain degree and is much cleaner. I'm glad it is now done.
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