A Lickle Obsessed...

I just can't stop watching it.

I mean seriously - how s-h-a-r-p!?

"The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word." 

~Mata Hari

All Together Now...

The brilliant Sufjan Stevens.
Never heard of him? Ooh well you are in for a real treat then...

Happy Tuesday!

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

~Berthold Auerbach

Dogtooth

The Big One and I recently watched a brilliant Greek film called Dogtooth.

A fascinating and beautifully shot film about a couple who psychologically imprison their 3 grown up children in their house and grounds. They raise them to believe that airplanes are toys that drop out of the sky, cats are dangerous animals that kill, they even give them a new vocabulary.

Each child (they aren't named other then eldest, 2nd eldest and youngest) are told that once their dogtooth falls out they will be deemed ready to leave their parents and the compound.

I don't want to tell you about what happens as it will spoil the story but I hope you get to see it. It's beautiful, funny, shocking and horribly uncomfortable at times. I highly recommend it. It's haunted me since watching it, I love it when a film stays with you and keeps playing in your head, making you think and look at it differently every time it plays.

"Filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes."

-Robert Altman

Tall Ladies...or Ones I Look Up To.

Recently I was involved in a discussion about women's voices in contemporary drama, where and how they are or aren't being heard and it made me ponder on who, if any, my female role models are.

I have never thought about role models per se, there are many people in my life who I respect and admire for many reasons and inspire me to improve my outlook/attitude and sometimes wardrobe. But do I have a 'pin-up' role model? And if not is that a sad/bad thing or is it invariably the case for many of us.

I have identified several acting, directing and style icons so thought I'd start a series of posts about each one.

Starting with acting, it all begins with Bette Davis.

Some of my favourite film performances ever are of Bette Davis doing her mesmerising thing. Bursting with intensity but all painfully contained in her eyes.

Intelligent, disciplined, focused and incredibly sharp.

"I survived because I was tougher than anybody else." -Bette Davis

Lookie Lookie!

New Banner time! I made this one all on my ownsome - I wrestled solo with the tech monster that is Photoshop and (with the help of YouTube) I did it!

It's not my favourite banner so far but I am ruddy proud of it! If you look closely into the words you'll see the images are of Paper, Rocks and Scissors but not necessarily in that order....oooh! Somebody tell Gaga she ain't the only faux-alternative in town.

So other then that today I have done.... nada! It is my one day off and so far I have planned a date with my sofa and self- knitted blankets, the latest commission on my needles and a lotta green tea. That is it, I intend to be as outrageously lazy as possible today. The only reason I'm going to get dressed is because I have a friend dropping by to pick up some lights we borrowed, even then I'm only going to go as far as leggings, Uggs, a big tee and my snuggliest loooong cardie. 

Next week is 6 days of final and technical rehearsal hell. This show is absolutely huge and scarily reliant on technical aspects like; set changes, stair width, lighting changes and a raked stage. Next week we get into the the theatre and start 4x12 hour tech days in a row. I shall be holding a knitting workshop for my cast in order to stave off the inevitable boredom that techs cause. There will be a LOT of stress too so I intend to be as prepared as possible and try and be productive with the time I'll have.

Week after next - we open. 

Good God. 

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”

-Moliere

Calling My Inner Child

 I am currently playing a 12 year old girl from 1940's England (don't worry it's supposed to be theatrical, not annoying and precocious, but theatrical). Throughout the rehearsal process I have been trying to channel my inner child and so far I've mainly discovered the enormous gap between the energy required to run around like a genuine kid and the distinct lack of energy I as a 28 year old have.

By the end of each day I am s-h-a-t-t-e-r-e-d. 

In my head I can remember being 12 and feeling full of beans, ready and raring to go but in my body -  well it creaks after kneeling down for 10 minutes, I have to have a proper limb stretch before I'm any good to anyone!

Yesterday in rehearsals the four of us (my character is the second eldest of 4 siblings) had to play a small game of 'tag' in a scene, 3 run-throughs of that scene later we were all huffing and puffing. Sad really.

Where did the child in me go? 

Maybe she's doing what she always did and is still reading Enid Blyton books (St. Clares and Mallory Towers), writing stories, dressing up and playing shops with my sister's child. 

She never did like running around, hated all forms of PE and only wanted to play in worlds made up in her head.

Maybe we haven't drifted so far apart after all.

“There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.”

- Deepak Chopra