I had been meaning to start drama classes again for a while – despite my boyfriend cheekily telling me that I certainly don’t need any lessons in drama! Having started to take on more acting roles I decided to brush my fears aside (or at least beat them off temporarily) and immerse myself in a world of thespians – ooh slightly grammatically different from usual setting!
Of course that nagging voice in my head told me a 100 different reasons why it would be better to go next week, next month…..or even next year but I told her not to be such a party pooper and blasted her out with my ipod and ear phones!
The Drama group I attended is ran by two extremely knowledgeable ladies who were both very welcoming and good at putting people at ease quickly. I was one of 3 newbies who was welcomed into the group by the other students who are an eclectic mix of fascinating and vibrant individuals who are quick to create a lively atmosphere, and relaxed us noobs with wise cracks and gags!
The tutor warmed us up with some exercises which started off with some solitary miming – such as visiting a zoo or playing with a hose. I must admit I felt a bit batty but was surprised at how quickly I could visualise the things which she suggested and could see everyone else having fun at it!
Next we were to team up and improvise a situation off the cuff with a random subject we were given. At first this seemed a daunting prospect but the students soon inspired me to get my head around talking and acting out surreal scenarios and I began to enjoy myself. For anyone who has never encountered such a thing the best way to describe it would be to imagine speed dating in an asylum – a few short minutes talking and acting out nonsense with a complete stranger before moving on to the next person! What can I say – it allowed me to embrace my nutty side and I found it to be both liberating and confidence boosting! I’d recommend it to anyone who is socially shy whether you have an interest in acting or not. Your comfort barriers will be pushed but if you run with it there is a lot of fun to be had! Later we were teamed up and I worked with a lad who did an hilarious rendition of a slightly loopy priest!
The group are currently working on a modernised version of Romeo and Juliet which is full to the rafters with comic moments as well as tragedy. Now my homework is to work on developing a cockney accent for the play – now I better go put my mind to the task so it doesn’t all go Pete Tong me sparrow!
