“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” ― Oscar Wilde.

Right now, we are living in a world full of human beings who are always aware of the “impending doom” of something we can’t see. It is hard to remember to be grateful for just being human beings and sharing human experiences with each other. Theatre is such an intense human interaction that I am thankful to be studying on and offline. Sometimes I forget that some people can’t study it at all and everyone who does study theatre is incredible lucky.  

ONLINE THEATRE TRAINING

How did you do it?

Voice Online

How does one do that?

I made it my job to find a way for online theatre training to work for me. No one will be able to tell you how to do it, people can give you advice, but that advice might not necessarily work for you and your situation. So, it is your responsibility as an artist to figure out what does and does not work for your education – everyone is different. You can get so easily lost in the “drama” of it all. “oh, it’s not fair to have a theatre education online – why me,”those statements may be true, but how is staying in that mindset going to help? I know It certainly didn’t help me or my mentality to think that way, so I stopped. I believe that if you look for a positive in each situation life throws at you, you will find one. And if you nurture that positivity (as little as it may be), it has the potential to grow. But if you don’t even consider a positive outcome, and trap yourself in pessimism, you’re stuck. I don’t enjoy being stuck; it’s no fun. That being said, I made sure that I was doing everything to the best of my ability, not to be stuck. But It’s a lot easier said than done.

I’m not going to lie; it was tricky, especially when you watch ten people go through monologues; it’s very easy to tune out. That’s the reality of being in front of a screen. It has the ability to make you feel like you aren’t living in real-time. It’s easy for your brain to turn off, like when you watch a tv show, which isn’t very useful for your education. How I adjusted to this was I made sure I was actively doing something throughout the entire class. Whether that be stretching, ball release, or actively listening and taking down notes, I had to be continually moving. Being able to do something physical allowed me to hook in my attention span and stay present with everyone.

Movement Online

Coming to terms that it was an individual practice.

This wasn’t easy because when you are used to dancing in space with other bodies, it can be disorienting to be by yourself suddenly. Being alone gives off a different energy, a different atmosphere. The feeling of being lost in your practise also amplifies if you are now also moving in a smaller space. Moving in your bedroom, is a very different experience than moving in a studio. You have to look at the smaller area and explore different qualities of movement. This is key to keep making new discoveries. It is easy to look at your space and get frustrated by its limitations. It is much more challenging to look at a small space and get excited by the different movements you now get to explore – they may not be desired movements when you first encounter them. Nevertheless, you are still exploring movement that is full of possibilities. Once you can hook in that new inner dialogue, your bedroom is your oyster.

LIVE THEATRE DURING A PANDEMIC

How did it work?

Gratitude

I started this academic year with an online education; because of that, I was so grateful for every minute I could be in person. Nevertheless, the transition wasn’t seamless. After spending so much time online and adjusting your attention span for a screen, it is different when you are live again. When looking at a zoom screen, you can see everyone else simultaneously. In real life, you have to connect with people across the room. You have to take time to see your peers around you in space.

Learning to be with humans in space. 

 Masks have become normalized. Social distant protocols have been normalized. Because of this, being self-isolated has become normalized. When one is trained to be faraway from human beings for an extended time, one forgets how to act around people in general. You can’t hug friends when you see them. When you can’t get close to anyone, it creates challenges when performing with other people. You have to learn different ways of expressing a physical feeling, for yourself and for the theatrical production of a stage.

I’m a fan of air hugs. 

Acting in a mask

When an audience can only see your eyes on your face, that becomes the biggest player in your performance. That’s barely ½ of your face—tricky stuff. Articulation becomes key. The audience can no longer see your lips, so the human brain works even harder to interpret what you are saying. Your body becomes even more important – which I know sounds like pretty straightforward and known facts but adjusting for all of that for a live performance is easier said than done.

Being in person was definitely not the same as it was eight months ago, but every moment of it warmed my heart. There is something magical about playing with people, especially right now. To be able to forget and just laugh and enjoy a singular moment in time was a gift. I was grateful for every second.

Hope you all having been doing well during this crazy time. Play is easy to forget in our everyday lives, but when we embrace it we experience even more joy.