I like things.

I like my new job. I like my apartment and my cat. I like drinking red wine out of the red wine glasses, and white wine out of the white wine glasses. I like knowing the difference. I like knowing the proper uses of grammatical phrases. I especially like good acting. I like it when things are tidy. I like baked goods. I like traveling alone. I like seeing movies alone. I like those things better with someone I love.

YAY The books from my Dell'Arte studies arrived!! For the curious The Use of the Self by FM Alexander , The Second Circle by Patsy Rodenberg, and I Heard God Laughing by the 14th century Iranian poet, Hafiz.

Where's Laviolette? I miss her scattered inner rumblings!

Well friends, I've kept all my rumblings on the outside lately, I'm WAY into second circle epic brain-wringing rehearsals for WONDERLAND. It's nice to be in a company where your input is so valued, but I'm WAY third circle ALL THE TIME. Makes for much draining/unprofitable introspection. We open Saturday. Do you live in Seattle? Come marvel at our wonderness, and place bets on whether or not my stilted, hoop skirted, tea-seeking ass topples into the locks and gets eaten by rabid* sea lions.

No really. There are sea lions. 3 of them. and yesterday an adorable harbour seal pup.

Rehearsals look like this:

*not really.

Reading Back

Funny - I was reading back over some of the blogs I wrote from school - during the very first performance lab, Ronlin told me I was being 'strident', and that that was never funny.

I thought I should mention that in the last few days of class, he had me develop a high status character (that red dress clown from the finals pictures) who screams for her staff and stomps around pouting.

stri·dent
Pronunciation: \ˈstrī-d^ənt\

Function: adjective

characterized by harsh, insistent, and discordant sound ; also : commanding attention by a loud or obtrusive quality


Just sayin'.

I have a hard time finding high status characters. I feel like to play high status in the clown realm, you have to say no a lot. No, I won't do that, no YOU shouldn't do that. It's really hard to find the delight. I got frustrated, I pouted, I was given a reference:
Oh Margaret Dumont. Could you ever take a pie. Turns out my work was to learn to take a fall. High status = bigger fall = bigger laughs. This is my work.

I was given more homework to watch - 2 women who can take a fall:

I could certainly find myself in worse company.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Hello friends. Transition home has been hard, as I knew it would be. How to keep the work and the vitality and the lessons alive and growing back in my own little Ballard-Town home. But first, the sundries:

Chris moved out and headed to Edmonton yesterday morning. Good luck boys, and safe travels. I'm in the process of getting my home tidied. Poor little Milo just doesn't know WHAT to think. He seems to remember me now, and is a total whore for pats. He's a needly little fuzz bucket, but I love him. Poor little guy got his lower jaw caught in his collar, who knows how long he was like that (a plastic thread had wrapped around his tooth, ow) before Ian saved his little cat skull. Thanks again, Ian! Here is a dramatic re-enactment:

*Ow! My Skull!*

*we got this!*

*Thanks guys. Now I can bite things and you.*

Time to go babysit the child geniuses. More later today. Also, This guy was one of my teachers. Catch the awesome pratfall at the 2:20 mark.