Attention Seeking
Earlier this year I acted in a couple of productions put on by my local amateur drama society. I would willingly give up time at the pub/in bed/talking rubbish to my friends to stand in a chilly church hall and be told to run through the same scene for the 20th time and to:
"Stop smiling Lorainne because your character is feeling confused and unhappy right now"
It is hard to stop smiling when you are imagining the director crawling on all fours barking like a dog wearing a yellow feathered chicken costume. In case you are concerned for my mental health I always imagine people to be in humiliating and funny situations if they are annoying me (it is a good trick, you should try it). Obviously I didn't smile on the night and the show went fabulously well. I didn't enjoy rehearsing very much. I enjoyed going to the pub afterwards but the actual rehearsing was a drag. I felt there was no point - no one was really watching - it was not for real.
With my mountains of work now I am a student teacher I will not have time for drama until I qualify next June. Unless you count teaching as acting which of course it is.
I wish I could say that I miss acting because I have a deep and intellectual love of plays and literature. Or that I miss seeing fellow thespians. Or that I found rehearsing fun. These things are invariably true but what I really miss is the attention. Even though the audience consisted of the local blue rinse brigade (average age about 92) plus friends and family of the cast, and all we got as a review was a very small column in a very obscure local paper, the fact is, being on stage for those few hours over those three nights with hundreds of pairs of eyes looking at me gave me an amazing feeling. a feeling that for a short period of time, everyone in the room was concentrating on me, admiring me and wondering what I would say next......it is like being caught in a magic spell and I wanted it to last forever.
"Stop smiling Lorainne because your character is feeling confused and unhappy right now"
It is hard to stop smiling when you are imagining the director crawling on all fours barking like a dog wearing a yellow feathered chicken costume. In case you are concerned for my mental health I always imagine people to be in humiliating and funny situations if they are annoying me (it is a good trick, you should try it). Obviously I didn't smile on the night and the show went fabulously well. I didn't enjoy rehearsing very much. I enjoyed going to the pub afterwards but the actual rehearsing was a drag. I felt there was no point - no one was really watching - it was not for real.
With my mountains of work now I am a student teacher I will not have time for drama until I qualify next June. Unless you count teaching as acting which of course it is.
I wish I could say that I miss acting because I have a deep and intellectual love of plays and literature. Or that I miss seeing fellow thespians. Or that I found rehearsing fun. These things are invariably true but what I really miss is the attention. Even though the audience consisted of the local blue rinse brigade (average age about 92) plus friends and family of the cast, and all we got as a review was a very small column in a very obscure local paper, the fact is, being on stage for those few hours over those three nights with hundreds of pairs of eyes looking at me gave me an amazing feeling. a feeling that for a short period of time, everyone in the room was concentrating on me, admiring me and wondering what I would say next......it is like being caught in a magic spell and I wanted it to last forever.
posted by Lady Fotherington-Smethers at 10:42 AM
8 Comments:
Only a few days into the blogosphere Lorainne and you've got spam already!
As for:
"hundreds of pairs of eyes looking at me gave me an amazing feeling. a feeling that for a short period of time, everyone in the room was concentrating on me, admiring me and wondering what I would say next...." -
- maybe your blogging is a substitute for acting in this respect! It may have the same effect!
Tut tut Lorraine. Being a student drama techer myself and trying to teach chav students that a reherasal is just as important as a performance is the hardest part of my job. So in future listen to your director. hehe.
As fo the attention and accolade, if i'm brutally honest, it was one of the reasons i became an actor when younger. The other part being the feeling of playing the best pretend game ever.
Loving these blogs.
What age range and subject are you teaching? I'm post compulsory, i stupidly thought it would be easier.
ps I've never had spam cyber or otherwise
CW - you are right - the bog may give me some of the attention I am looking for. I could say the same for you. Yep...I am even getting attention from spammers.
Mr Oracle - I am teaching ages 11-18. Are you calling me a chav????!!!! I hope not. What does chav stand for anyway - I have heard it is an acronym Council House something or other.....I have met some very non-chavlike people who were brought up in council accommodation and some 'middle class' chavs.
I would be interested to hear about your acting!! tell me more.
OOPS!! I said the bog...I meant the blog this WAS unintentional...well my father is Irish but I have never visited any bogs....
Not calling you a chav at all. I teac lots of chavs with side pony tail and dangly earrings, track suit optional.
As for acting have been in and out the business for years, only theatre, hated film work, amd about to start a new production. First read through this wed.
I've tagged you on my blog so you have a task to do. It's linked to here so people will be looking for it.
Have a look see and you will see the task.
TC
There are lots of variations of what chav stands for including: council house and violent, council house average vermin and Cheltenham Average but in all likelihood, the word chav derives from the romany term chavi.
GO - let us know how the play progresses. Sharon - interesting to know where chav comes from. Pikey is also a term of abuse derived from gypsy. I always thought of gypsies as romantic tarot reading exotic looking people who don't need to worry about dull 9-5 jobs...however I suppose if they are chucking their litter in your field it is no joke.
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