Today was a big day for some members of Acting Club.
Attercop are currently in pre-production for our third short film, 'Treasures', which is being directed and was written for screen by a certain Ben Murray-Watson (that's me!). On Saturday, immediately after Acting Club we set about finding the perfect girl and boy for the film.
But first things first. Clowning!
Tanushka was back from her travels and raring to go. The red noses were out and Acting Club was going to clown school! This was my first experience of being a clown so I was thrown mercilessly into class with the other students. The clown master, Tanushka Von Clowningness, put on her 'sternest' face and best authoritative tone and put us through our paces.
Luckily, the themes of the day were a far cry from 'Chucky' and remained harmless and fun. It was fascinating to see how the use of the 'mask' red nose, gave the students an amazing freedom in performance. Clowning is about knowing nothing, about being free to play games and about being totally natural. As soon as you start 'performing' as a clown, the impact on the audience lessons. In a similar way to 'Meisner' last week, we are putting emphasis on 'realness' in performance. Performance that happens 'in the moment' and performance focus that doesn't find its creation in self-conscious displays of individualism.
Noses bagged up and clowns sent home for the day, I began preparing for the 'Treasures' audition. It is a testament to the quality within Acting Club that I was able to call in 5 girls and 3 boys from our group. I remember my first ever professional audition and how terror-inducing it was. But Tanushka and I have consistently encouraged a professional outlook in class and so I was expecting great things from our kids. They didn't let me down!
Not only did they work well with other children that they had never met but they also shone as individuals. Unfortunately, I couldn't call them all back for a recall but here's the thing. When I announced who I was recalling (a horrible task when working with kids) the reaction from our Acting Club students was a real eye-opener. They applauded and congratulated those that had been recalled and really stood out from the other non-Acting Club girls who for the most part, looked extremely disappointed. Of course, it's disappointing - hugely so - but they celebrated the success of others over their own feeling of loss. How great is that?
I would also like to champion the work of Theatre Workshop, Brighton. The professionalism and talent on display from their children was superb and we recalled a large percentage of those that we saw.
So who was cast? We're working on it - suffice to say that there is a member of Acting Club and a few members of Theatre Workshop who are still on the shortlist. Watch this space!
More clowning next week!
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