Acting up...

It's one day before opening.
My first 'proper' play in China.
California Suite by Neil Simon (not exactly chinese but hey!)
Last night we moved into the space for the first time. Big theater, seats 350+ people,in an old art deco style building, big bannisters, furniture that looks like it came out of a vintage film (smells like it hasn't been aired since then also!).

It has been a while.I have been chomping at the bit to act. ever since graduating drama school in 2006, but Haifa called, and then China so acting hasn;t been at the forefront for some time... but it's been constantly in my thoughts,that dream, that vision, that career
goal that you have never really kick started...so finally...here I am. About to tread the boards again...now in Shanghai. exhilarating.

There is something magical about theatre. Both as an actor and as an audience member. It requires a quality of listening,of total mind body and spirit engagement,of deep empathy, that society sometimes steps over its its rush to 'progress'.
That's what's drawn me to it, even as a kid, to be in someone else's shoes for a moment, to see life from their perspective, to hear their stories, to see and feel the struggles that unite us, or divide us, that make us human. The magic of being transported to someone else's world for just an hour or two...

I'm acting with East West Theatre, a semi-professional theatre group, the only english speaking group I have come across so far in Shanghai that consistently puts on shows.
We are a mix of nationalities - from the US, to South Africa, to China, to England, Singapore and New Zealand (hehe). Most of us come from a background in drama, either having studied it at uni or worked professionally in the field before coming to China. It's a transient group, the nature of Shanghai, people always coming and going, but there is a real gun-ho attitude that keeps this company going from strength to strength, I mean it's totally voluntary, and everyone is there because they love it and want to build up more of a scene in Shanghai. And the support is great, from the sponsorship deals with Marks and Spencers, to the set being donated by Sofatel, to stage managers and techies that stay up all hours even when they have their day job early start the next day...that spirit of unity in theater, i love it, a random assortment of people, from all walks of life, coming together for one common love...

So the show we are doing is 'California Suite' a 70's Neil Simon Play, the master of American wit. It's set in a hotel room in LA, and there are four acts of various incidences that could only happen in a hotel room...I'm in the opening act, playing Hannah Warren, a 42 year old New York editor meeting her ex-husband whom she hasn't seen for 9years to discuss the custody of their 17yr old daughter who just ran away from her to LA. It's written like a round of gun fire, with witty bantering back and forth nearly the whole time,it's all about the timing, the rhythmical language of Neil Simon, but the layers of sadness and desperation that you start unpacking from the seemingly 'light' text...wow...that's what i love about this process...nothing is what it seems...just when you think you have understand a line, another meaning comes...all depending on the quality of listening and responding...yum.
The other scenes include a wife who catches her husband cheating on her, a closet couple from England on their way to the Oscars, a group of friends who have been holidaying together for too long and things start to get very tense...yep, the joy's of hotel life.

We had a very short rehearsal period, only like three weeks...but as theater tends to do, it is coming together nicely...
And as fate would have it, this weekend the director of NZ Drama school, my old stomping grounds, and the head of acting + fellow students just happen to be visiting Shanghai for a conference...and may pay a visit...slightly nerve wracking considering this is my first 'big' theater gig since graduating, but also a kinda blessing in a way...to get honest, clear and concise feedback and support from those who know you and witnessed your growth in the rigorous (and sometimes horrific) three year drama school training process...
Time to put it into practise...heheeeeee