Celebration Barn Day 7

Day 7.

We had the morning off!

Michela's step-dad brought their 2-year old St. Bernard in to say hi before he swept her off to breakfast in town. I stretched, went for my first shuffle of the workshop (jogged), and did some of our Premise series on my own.

After lunch, Fritz Grobe taught a clown-based workshop. It was mostly about how to share a little piece of shit with an audience, breathe, the conversation, and listening. It was awesome, and he's wonderful. Here's a Ted talk of him. Here's his website. He was also in the movie we saw last night (Richard3), looking a bit like this!

After the workshop, Marjo offered to make dinner for everyone. Everyone contributed in their own unique way, and the night was off into a whirlwind of poetry and hilarity.

Nettie picked flowers for the table and had words hidden under our plates. We arranged them to spell out great statements from the day... like this one!

Mike and others went shopping for more food and wine. Adam demonstrated his wine corking techniques...

...and donned his fanciest socks.

Sarah was the kitchen-dance-party DJ... all 80-'s baby, yeah!

Michaela made dessert (chocolate cupcakes with raspberry filling and chocolate gnash on top). We were quick to realize the make-up potential of frosting.

Michaela, Marjo, and Nettie rocked their chocolate clown noses.

Jose took our portraits...

Me and Michaela...

Michelle...

Nettie and Adam...

Monica...

Sarah...

Mike...

And me... in my sweet new outfit created from the wardrobe upstairs.

 I absolutely love this place, and feel so lucky to have a group of wonderful people to be living with for these two weeks. We truly are an eclectic, amazing group together. After dinner, we all cleaned up together, then got to work in our groups for our Shakespeare trios that we will show tomorrow. The team I'm part of (with Michela and Sarah) is a beautiful blend of comic ridiculousness, in all of the ways that I love to be. I can't WAIT until tomorrow.

Celebration Barn Day 6

Day 6.

We start every day with these floor rolls called the Premise series. The first you roll like a dead body with your arms over your head, then like a crescent moon, then like a dead bug, etc. Here is Monica mid-premise.

We had a half day today, so after the premise, Karen talked about Tony's style of improv, then we went to it. We each took a turn coming out with movement, finding inspiration in that, and going with it... taking it into our unique words of improvisation. It is challenging, but rewarding... and many times, quite surprising and fun! After lunch (and cleanup) a group of us ladies went to the lake!

Michelle even brought here teddy bear of a dog  Rumple.

And I got to hold himmmmm!!!

There were oyster-playing bathing beauties (Taylor)...

 And 50's-esque, super-hero beauties (Michaela)! In keeping with the theme of pushing my comfort zone, challenging myself, and facing my fears... I went into the lake and swam (very close to the entrance) by myself. Whew!

 We got back to the barn and hung up our suits, then got ready for the show tonight. The "Public" is coming for a viewing of a movie, Richard3.

 In preparation, I took pictures of this piece of art outside.

There was a silent auction inside, where I saw this awesome auction item!

My friend Rod's juggle lesson! He is one of the people who told me I must go to the Celebration Barn. Thanks Rod. We watched a funny movie by many current and past members of the barn about Richard the 3rd. It was clever, silly, very entertaining. This place is full of so much magic, creativity, and inspiration. I already can't wait to come back!

Celebration Barn Day 5

Day 5. Wow. I love this place.

This morning, warm ups with add-ons to our dead rolls (they are remarkably fun, tiring, and therapeutic-feeling). Then we worked with sticks to play with the diagonal, horizontal, and vertical lines we make. The rule being only to stay in that plane of movement, than notice what gestures, and emotions were evoked. We did it in groups with an improvisational rotation of leaders and saw how two groups of 6 play separately, then come together.

 Today we worked with Steve Ragatz. We watched two videos of short form theater... essentially vaudeville/circus. Larry Griswold, and The Jovers. We learned to balance objects, juggle, and do "rounds", which is having a prop and one by one, everyone finding a different use for it. That was fun. This is Jose and Michaela at our break from our time with Steve.

 Nettie brought her German Wheel, and has adapted it to become a musical instrument by adding this Tuba Rimba that she's hoping to play while rolling!

 In the evening we got to see Rene's one Woman show, and it was captivating. Bold, beautiful, and absolutely mesmerizing. This is a photo of under her chair where she sits during class, which is a lovely representation of our lives here to me.

Afterwards, Nettie and I decided to pass clubs (she's new and wanted help... from me! I felt like such a juggler!). I was inspired and quickly donned my clown onesie, then invited wherever wanted to come join us.

So many did! And they also completed the brief impromptu juggle jam with awesome silly costume pieces. Have I said yet that I love it here?

Monica balls-high, Michelle rainbow-player, Taylor balls-n-scarf, Marjo balls-in-neck, Mike under-brella, Adam bra-top, me club-onsie, Nettie nose-n-clubs, and Michaela sit-n-hat. The three missing were Jose, Rene and Taylor.

We just watched a movie on Tony Montanaro (the visionary and founder of the Barn). He was a mime. And an extremely inspiring and prolific performer and teacher, with a vast amount of students and admirers. Here are a few links to him. Here is a documentary of him. Here are two videos of him.

Day 4 at the Barn!

Day 4.

Movement and Breath is the focus for the morning exercises (Monica and Michaela). The gist is to move when you breathe in or out, and don't move when you're not breathing. We worked with partners and eventually made a sequence of movements together and changed only where we look, the tempo, and the space between us. We watched some, and it was so drastic the effect each change made on the feeling of the scene.

I more and more know that I want to create a solo show, and this experience is showing me ways where I actually believe it is possible. We worked on our pieces again, so me and the moustache song, and showed them to the group. I tried a new thing with peeling off my moustache and hair by hair proclaming, you love me, you love me not. Then I made a heart of whipped cream (from taking it off my face) on a napkin for the audience. It went fine, but will definitely put more time into it.

 FYI: the meals at the barn are amazing. Here is a homemade pizza from dinner tonight!

 I got to experience the famous "Whoopie Pie" in Maine! And what a treat it ... er, they, were!

The end of the night we did Harangs. One minute to come out and try anything. I tried waiting for a bathroom then caughing and appearing as I wet myself. I tried playing with the fans as dusters that, oopsie, I realize are fans. I tried using a mask with a long nose and slowly making myself sneeze (I learned this one from Chipps!). It was scary, but quite fun. Especially since they were for only one minute. Davis says we'll do them more, as they're great for creating material... which is one of the many reasons I'm here! Yay!

Day 3 at the Barn!

Day 3! I'm reminded of things that surprisingly make me anxious. Like our morning meditation with movement and music, mostly eyes closed, led by Karen, one of the long time Barners, and widow of the creator of the Barn, Tony Montanaro. SHE is amazing. I should be becoming more relaxed and wonderful, yet once we're done, I feel anxious and aloof. It is all me, and I am so curious to find out what buttons are being pushed in me. I have a hunch it has something to do with the deep emotions around my body image.

One of the exercises I really enjoyed was doing dead rolls. It's kinda just like it sounds. You roll, like a sausage, with floppy arms up, like you're dead. We worked counterbalance work, lifts from the hip and lean-backs. We grouped into amoeba movement, finding shapes together, then naming the shapes expression, then used a word (Cathedral, Civil war) to help shape us.

We all showed our combo dances from yesterdays homework. Adam Michaela and I were the Doodalee Doos.

Then Brawnwin and her husband Joe showed up to do acro with us. They are awesome and both teach at Brattleburough at NECCA. We took what we learned and had to put at least 2 moves into a fairytail act. We picked Aladdan... I was the carpet, which I loved being.

We did Harangs, which Davis describes as an opening (im)provization.

He added that it must have these 4 things.

1. How do you tell the audience where you are?

2. Add a physical idea

3. Must have song

4. Shift the perspective (like a fly on the wall)

1. I chose to try my moustache song, but with adding spraying whipped cream on my face (which I couldn't find so I used Pam! Gross!) My intro from back stage was: "And now, the one who stole your heart with songs like...'I stole your heart with my song' and others, please welcome... Moustachella!"

2. I articulated/accented the song with subtle arm movements.

3. I sang the moustache song.

4. I had the whipped cream interrupt my song, asking me why I would waste such a valuable resource. I said it was for love, and the cream understood.

I got some great feedback, and then later from Davis, about Lilly Tomlin's act about Andy Warhol's famous soup can, and how she brought it all back to loving the audience.

He also suggested bringing in the classic "I can't pay the rent... You must pay the rent" move with my moustache. He said people want that. It's like the windmill for Don Quijote fans. So, there it was, another great day at the fabulous Celebration Barn!

Celebration Barn Day 2

Day 2.
We start by lying on the floor, and are guided through a 45 minute meditation-like exercise from stillness to movement. You are the authority of dance, what you do is exactly what dance is. Next we move like a kid. Kids are just learning about their bodies and what they can do with them and always pushing the edge. That's where the learning and fun is.

We do some mimicing with partners, then move outside to silently capture a "scene" (look at something and take in the rythem, sound, psychology of it). Then we play those scenes out physically on stage. My group ended up picking raspberries, so we played that out. Note: when working together, you don't have to agree on things all the time, those can be great dynamics for a piece.

Then it's Back to Basics, where we look at the body and it's planes of being and how they effect the whole person... putting your weight forward, backward, and neutral. We move with a focus on the eyes... looking above horizon, below horizon, and horizon. We add an image/thought/emotion of the present/past/future as an exploration of how we relate to the word under those varied circumstances. Each combination created a different feeling.

Plot Game. We use eye contact within the space, walking toward each other, then simultaneously looking at audience. Whoever then looks at the other first is the first to leave stage. All improvising, and give and take.

Ping Pong. In pairs, one partner does something, and the other reacts to it, etc. Suggestions are to stay away from "mimey" things, watch aut for "no end" movements, and have a punctuation. This game moves into 3 partners, one main dancer and two backups.

Scene in Pairs. Only instruction is to have a mis-communication. Examples were: phone call to pizza hut, thinking it's boyfriend and talking about private things. Language misunderstanding. An eye twitch mistaken for flirting. Feedback for mistakes: show that the mistake is effecting you, don't do the same mistake the same way. Sometimes, try to be the "worlds greatest" at what you are doing to find the moments, then the mistakes.

Homework: Bring dancey song for tonight. We were in our same 3 person groups and each person in the group was the leader and the other 2 were backup dancers. We had 2 minutes to think of a group choreography for each of our songs. We had a mambo song, robot song, and sexy song. Our homework for tomorrow is to put all the dances together in a way that makes sense.

The final assignment for the night was in two groups of 6. We had to put an act together containing elements like...
a roll, a kiss, a hug, extended silence, change in tempo, crying/laughing, surprising entrance, a line from Shakespeare, something disgusting, something beautiful... etc. It was super fun. Our group created two gangs, the pirates vs the ninjas, yay. Things to take away for future acts: variety, surprise, moments of tone, anticipation, action, follow through.

Until tomorrow.

Traveling to S. Paris Maine

When in doubt... bring your passport. Famous last words when asked if I had my passport to fly from Air Canada to Toronto, then Toronto to Boston... "Nope, 'cause I've got an Enhanced Licence!"

 Turns out, you do need your passport. I was pulled aside at every airport-related stop along the way. Most everyone didn't know what to do and just had to deduce that I would probably be ok because I'm a US citizen and they'd probably have to let me in. I'm not sure if they had to in the end, but they did. WHEW! Once in the US again, I caught my bus to Portland, ME.

From there, I got on the "Barn's" shuttle with the driver and another fella named Adam (a half-marathon runner, whoot!). About an hour later we arrive! Travel time from Anacortes to the Barn was about 20 hours (thanks for Chauffeur-ing me Wren!). Della's a tired ducky when she arrives.

I get my stuff in my shared room, meet my roommate Majoline (who'se awesome), get a tour of the place, take a shower, shop for breakfast and snack things (lunch and dinner are provided) with a nice gal named Monica, everyone else arrives and we eat lasagna, salad, veggies and quinoa... yum!

 We have our first bunch of exercises from 8-10:30 (name games, tell your partners' story, contact movement game, sing a song about one person in your group, and a solo task of... in 10 minutes, taking what, as a kid, you dreamed of growing up to be, your favorite book, and what you like to do on stage and put them together for a quick performance. There are a plethora of costumes to play with and everyone did something fun, insightful and interesting. I wanted to be a firefighter, i love the comics and recently an improv book, and I like using an accent and pretending to be sexy on stage. I did a rope trick with a "fire hose", improvised dialogue as I stripped from my firefighter gear with "wet" hair tossing, and juggled babies I saved from the "fire" while speaking with an accent. It was fun, and I especially liked the concept of taking 3 seemingly unrelated things and trying to tie them together. Day one. This is awesome.