The Climbers

31st May 2006. 

Geez…… tonight wasn’t good for me. Why? for 3 weeks now that i have a left ear bucked with high fever and stuff nose with it. But still I came today. it was hard to construct the work and that really annoys me. And it isn’t just that, all of the gang except Mandy, they were late for the session and it isn’t the first time but this is the 2nd this happened and this is the first i ever see them late. Most of times, they were always early or on time…. we have to find out…. mmmmm

Any way, I would like to get into the business. tonight was interesting for me, why? Well, today we did the sticks with only the finger tip, and of couse we did that in the previous years. Jo would like to that in an idea if is worth to put that in the show, then i thought “why not!!!”. After that excereise, Jo asked us what we thought about it. Then suddenly we had like a million one non-stop ideas. Katrina had most ideas, i thought to myself “Geez… she has ideas, I’ve got more then that“. And I have told her too. When they have the ideas rolling, my head went like 1000ks of ideas and i couldn’t stop thinking. In the end with all of that, I had a headache friom it….. lol

I would like go back on the exceriese, when i was with Margo, she did very well with that and she very good on the movements. I was surprised about that too.

When I was at home, I was watching a Greek musical program from the TV and watching how they dance it had a sillimar movements as the sticks and I thought to myself, “This would an excellant idea and even better, we don’t need sticks on that one.“. It is like as Pauline suggested with the strings but with cloth.

Fusion Theatre Inc:

That was the best night ever. I have felt something that it takes a long time to get this point… but we aren’t a company yet, we have to wait for an answer from the consumor affairs. And I can’t wait for the answer… fingers crossed.

You know… it took me 5 years to get this point and it is a dream for me to do like this for the group but, I haven’t got the means to form it and luckly. Larry is our “saver” that he knows the secrect of the trades.

What else I can add….. mmmm… I think this is it for the moment.

Also go my blog: Thaki’s Blog.

At the last workshop we had a visit from Larry Boyd who has directed the group for years previously so we were able to show some of our work for this year and talk about some ideas we’ve had for the future. Larry was around at break time when we go over the blog from the previous week. People talked about the blog and how it gave us a public forum or presence.

In this discussion it seemed as though everyone had something to say! Mandy talked about wanting to have more recognition for the group and to do bigger and better things. This provoked much discussion about the motivation for this desire - is it to have fame or is it something else. Katrina said is was important to move in stages and to ‘walk before you run’ so to speak. Alex expressed his opinion on how far peole had already developed and changed and improved.  Larry and I reminded the group of the many achievements already made over the 9 years of the group being around and that these were significant. Jean- Maree and Andrew agreed and added to this argument. Andrew explined that fame was not something everyone wanted necessarily.Mandy agreed and further explained that it was not so much the fame but the recognition and public voice for people with disabilities that she was wanting more of. She explained that People with disabilities are not seen much in the broader community and needed to be represented more. People agreed. We talked about the blog as a chance to have a voice and just wish that people would PLEASE COMMENT so we know that people are reading about the work of Dramability and Fusion Theatre.

There was a lot of other talk about the important contribution of the Deakin students - Paul mentioned this again and a lot of people agreed. Pauline, Cheryl and Andy talked about the qualities of the group and why they like coming to drama.

Phew!! - it was a big discussion and very earnest so I hope I’ve captured it here!

Fusion Theatre Inc.

Tonight a meeting was held after the workshop for participants, family and carers and this meeting was a necessary step towards the incorporation of Fusion Theatre. This is an exciting step. Larry is doing the organising of this and lead the meeting. Many members had excellent questions and comments to make about this process of incorporating Fusion Theatre and what it means for the group. Well done Larry it will be worth the effort!

Most importantly, we performed the version of Pandora’s Box that we’ve been working on for the audience at the meeting as a ‘work in progress’. Well done everyone - it is good to have an audience!

Folks are realising performance applications for lots of the exercises we are doing. For example, after Eye of the Circle - an eye contact/ focus exercise, Vicki thought the eye contact and circling would be a good addition to the scene with Pandora and Zeus.With this and other ideas in mind we rehearsed Pandora’s Box a couple of times. Every time its different! It seems impossible for everyone to remember each new thing we add. We will give in one more week and that’ll will do for Pandora’s Box.

 

I would like to reply to Andrew that he shouldn’t have said that to me. This is what he wrote as i quoted:

“If you come along to drama you might see a great Nana Mouskouri look alike! Alex will know what I mean!“

lol lol lol…. oooooooooooo lol lol… Now that is interesting. i think he is going a little too far. If she is here and reading this, she would be shooked and suprised that what he wrote. And i have no idea what she would think. I will leave this to Andrew to answer that.

He should’ve thought about Barbara Stradard, then that is a different story. that would be even funnier to put in.

Before i end, I have also a secrect from Andrew that he wouldn’t even think about that since Federation year at the parade.

The question is, should i or shouldn’t I tell the secrect? that is the question. mmmmmmmm…… I think i should.

If you watched or been there at that day, then you know what i mean. If you know Andrew and if you have seen his costume, then we are even. And if not, the clue is that his character was from Neighbours on Channel 10 over 15 years ago and now she is a singer (hint hint).

 

Wednesday 10th May

A quick warm-up for the actors involved concentration and movement. We played Walk, stop, clap and jump and then a game we call Eleven (some may know it as Twenty-one but we find Eleven is challenging enough at the moment however we will look forward to getting to 21 later). After some breathing and posture work in preparation for vocal exercises. We did a call and respond exercise and an activity I’m calling Emotional Echoes.

This was all in preparation for the main activity tonight  which was for the company to work towards a more resolved performance of the story of Pandora’s Box that we’ve been working on.  As a lead in I played the soundscape of the story that the group resorded last week. Using the ideas we’d come up with two weeks ago we made a performance of the story making sure there were plenty of roles.

Who played what? Pandora - Jean-Maree. Zeus- Andrew. Pandora’s girl friends - Vicki, Pauline, Katrina, Margot, Mandy, Cheryl. Menacing voices and the evils - Vicki, Pauline, Katrina, Margot, Mandy, Paul. Hope - Cheryl. Percussion music and SFX -Alex.

We ran through the performance three times noting possible improvements each time. People want to keep making it better - there were lots of suggestions. The Deakin students are away on teaching practicum for another week so the plan is to have something to show them when they return.

 

A couple of comments for the blog:

Andrew: Drama is a great place to be especially with the great people involved. If you come along to drama you might see a great Nana Mouskouri look alike! Alex will know what I mean!

Katrina: Drama is the best and thanks to mum for dropping me down every week and for helping out. This is an extra special thanks because it is Mother’s Day on Sunday.

Happy Mother’s day to all  the mums.

Jo

Today was interesting for me…. … mmmm… let me see….. as we did the usaul routine then we started to do the panadoria’s scene and they have improve their ideas and skills. and of cause, Jean-Marie was the leading actor for the night. Jo almost asked me to be Zesus but Jean-Marie requested me not to be in it at that time. i wasn’t worried about that. So I was the Mastro for the night that i have enjoyed the music.

When I have seen them, i hated to repeat it, but I love to tell the truth any ways. The truth is that i have seen them and known them for years that they are drama kings and drama queens… i have to say it…. =( but they are almost the point of professionals… but not quite yet.

The panadoria’s box story might be in the scenes maybe this year but we don’t know yet at this stage.

Also there was intertruptions and we were a little annoyed about and we couldn’t construct what Jo was saying or what we have to do next. but in the end, everything was back to normal and continue the rehearsal.

In the break, Jo read my blog from last week’s blog and Jo maintain about the “revange” part and Andrew was surprised about that. So i was still waiting his response from him. So he replied with the revange response. Jo and Andrew didn’t want me to know yet, so i have to wait for the reply. mmmm??? i wonder what is the response. I midas will wait see.

Any way, i have to leave you for now and see happens in the fellowing week.

On May 3rd we had a smaller group than usual due to some group members having special events to attend ( We missed ya Katrina, Margot, Andrew, Vicki and Jean-Maree). However, we had a new person, Craig,  join us to see what he thought. Due to transport problems he couldn’t stay for much of the workshop but everyone really hoped he would come again.

Here are some of the things we did:

Emotional statues

Opposite mimes

What’s in the Box? mime exercise followed by another one - Happy Birthday - in honour of my birthday on Monday 1st!
Vocal exercises - posture, breathing, projection.
Vocal presentation exercises using bits of Shakespearean text!!!! As Alex said in his blog there were some surprising performances! GOOD WORK everyone!
The main task tonight was to continue with the vocal work and create a soundscape of the story we worked on last week - Pandora’s Box. We workshopped it, practiced it and then recorded it on tape to listen to. Would be good to do a pod cast of it on here if I had the technology!!! Some day maybe.
We look forward to having the whole group back next Wednesday!

Jo

Mandy: I want to see the blog get bigger and better with more exciting things happening in all the groups. I hope everyone else is really well. I’d love the chance to get together with all the other drama groups one day and exchange ideas.

Cheryl: I just want to come every week and I like doing drama.

Pauline: We are all good people and there are other people with disabilities joining the drama group. There is a lot of kindness.

Deb: I like drama. I like working with Vicki and Andrew but they are not here tonight.

Paul: I agree with what Pauline said. My idea is to get more people with disabilities involved. It is great to see people having a go. We shoud have more Deakin Uni students here. They are fantastic to work with. They always look after us really nicely. We should get more people involved.

Alex: To pee or not to pee that is the question.

3 May 2006.

Today is a little quieter then usual; the half of the group got booked up with other events. Tonight was same as usaul. Tonight we did the vocals to improve our voice and the breathing technques. Then Jo asked us to do the…. how you call it???? shout out the phrase that Jo told us to say and clear our voices to make that the group can hear us in the other side of the hall. When Pauline was the lucky last and mind you…. she show off her “talents“. I was surprised that she did very good. And Shyral, I am very proud that she did in own way of acting and ideas how to do the scences. As a small, tiny, shaut little woman and now, she is a small woman with big ideas and showing off her talents. I would love to tell you about her but it is a long story to tell.

I think this is it for the moment and I will tell you in the next round of stories of the group

I will await your comments.