XXIII - Know What You're Doing
Back to routine amidst summer and tube strikes, cycling through cardiology tests, storytelling, and reflecting on improv.
Greetings, dear readers. The summer is agonizing and I find myself back to the closest thing to a routine that a freelance actor and facilitator can have. It wasn’t easy with the tube strikes in London but I somewhat managed to survive last week. All being said, I support any strike action. The problem are not the workers, but the greed of people on the top.
Last week I had an exercise test for my periodic cardiology check up St Bartholomew’s Hospital. I always feel fragile when I have any type of test because it’s a reminder that my heart is not like the average one. So there I was, shirtless, on a static bicycle, with a bunch of cables hanging from my torso and a big rubber mask striped to my head like a facehugger from Alien. The staff was incredibly kind and supportive, cheering me up through the process like I was cycling over a hill towards the goal. I felt really grateful and also a bit sad thinking of the fragility of the National Health Service due underfunding. The problem is not the NHS, but the greed of the people in power.
Last friday I had a full day of storytelling for Freshwater Theatre, and it was exhausting. It was fun though, I always try to be playful and enjoy it genuinelly, although sometimes it’s challenging when the adults present are distant and not helping when the kids’ liveliness goes wild. The problem is not the children, but the apathy of some teachers.
🧠 The Improv bit
At Improv Utopia, and again at the Robin Hood International Improv Festival, I got the similar compliment: I know what I’m doing and I mean what I say on stage. I’m owning this. Even though I’m capable of doing shitty sets every now and then, my intent is always to be purposeful and never random.
I can’t remember if I read it from Jonathan Fox or Jo Salas, but on stage you need three things: accuracy, grace and economy.
You need to be accurate everytime you set foot on stage, that means to have a purpose and commit to it. You have to be graceful. I don’t mean that you have to be a ballerina, but you have to be mindful that you are entering a space with an audience and we need to offer that stage grace. Lastly, you have to be economic, meaning you don’t need to do more than the necessary to fulfill your purpose. Less is more.
I always try to have this in mind. So accuracy, grace, and economy makes the acronym AGE. And age, leads to wisdom. 😃
🎭 The Theatre bit
It’s always good to look back at the place we started. In my case, it was the Carles Pons theatre classroom at the Jaume I University, 25 years ago. In the last years they got pretty good recording and archiving the showcases from the different levels, so I was thrilled when I found out I could watch what I missed. I wish the archive went as far as my presence there, but maybe it’s for the better. Maybe I wouldn’t like what I see, dying to give notes to my past self.
I watched the recording of the showcase of one of the initiation levels, it was a version of Carles Pons’ Puja’t al Carro (Jump to the Wagon) a comedy presenting the history of theatre through the lens of a travelling troupe. From the ancient Greece to Tennessee Williams and Garcia Lorca, it got bits and bops of the diferent eras of theatre. Although a bit outdated (1984 was long ago), it’s quite funny and it feels like a staged documentary.
I enjoyed watching the newcomers showcasing. I sensed their nervousness and detected their mistakes. I could feel what they’ve must felt because I was in their shoes. There’s something magical about performing for the first time, it will never be perfect, but there’s something that stays within you even decades after. Sometimes, that thing grows and defines you. There are many of the mates that started theatre in college with me that now are full time performers. I guess I was in a good year.
🪑 The Playback Theatre announcement
I’m opening bookings for Level 2 trainings abroad focused in voice, musicality and/or long form. So far I’m visiting Germany and Lithuania starting next year, and I’m open to visiting your community as well. Shall we talk? Answer this email.
📆 What is coming up
21st of September - Acaprov (London, UK). We have a gig in a hotel! Join us at Hart Hotel in Shoreditch for an extra musical next month. Get your tickets.
2nd to 5th of October - European Playback Theatre Gathering (Salamanca, Spain). My country is hosting this international event filled with workshops and performances. See you there? Come check it out.
📚 🎮 🎥 📺 The geeky dessert
When I was a kid, my mother used to buy me comic books, creating a monster. Most of the times, she didn’t know what she was buying. Yay, the 80s. That’s how Dreadstar got into my lap. Jim Starlin is linked to the Guardians of the Galaxy and is the creator of Thanos. Dreadstar is a personal project of his, and quite similar to Guardians but way mature. Definitely not suited for a child.
This heavy mix of science fiction and fantasy became a personal favourite despite its darkness. Just to give you an idea of the tone, one of the issues is focused on one of the members of the team dealing with the repressed trauma of being molested by her father while being a child. Yep, that’s the kind of stuff you can find in this comic. Imagine reading that as an infant.
I only have the first twelve issues. The comic is quite niche and it’s been bouncing between editors during the last decades. From Epic Comics to Dynamite, landing now into Dark Horse Comics announcing omnibus releases for next month and next spring. Will I ever have the complete collection and finally know the ending of the adventures of Dreadstar? Time will tell.
✨ That’s all folks ✨
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Ferran Luengo