Feel like death? Try Beechams!

Long weeks. Good weeks. We've been working with our professional playwrights these two weeks. We worked on one of their existing plays and this week we got to pick their brains and have our brains picked by them. My fantastic group of seven (Claire, Claire, Siobhan, Kristin, Lloyd, and the ever wonderful Davina) have the pleasure of working with Alan McKendrick. Alan wants to explore violence and its connotations as well as that magical place that exists between violence and comedy, whether it be comfortable of not. We read The Duchess of Malfi and discussed it's themes and plot. We brought in images and characters that turned into improvised scenes adding on to the short string of vignettes Alan wrote for us. Also wached Amateur and an amazing, weird film called Du Levande (You, The Living). 

http://youtu.be/PSqKLizpFPo

The last two days of the term were spent with our Renaissance project casts and directors. I, along with the rest of the men, are in Edward II by Marlowe. Our director, Gordon Barr, had us read the whole play continuosly switching characters. We discussed after each scene and made some nice lists and brainstormed ideas at the end. 

I am proud to say that I will be playing Spencer when we come back from the Globe in February!

After a long challenging term that went way too fast (as well as a week of being sick), we had a wonderful Christmas drinks party! Several faculty members came as well, including Mark, Eve, Ewan, and Lucien!

And on the seventh day he rested. But not for long... I got cast in a short video by one of the RCS film students interested in special effects. We had a rehearsal on the Friday and filmed outside all Saturday morning. It should look pretty cool. There are missiles and explosions and I even get a little hero shot!

On Monday, Cameron, Lloyd, and I trekked up to Glengoyne Distillery and had a grand ol' time!

That night, I went and had some drinks and said a heart-felt goodbye to buddy Cam Cam. He is off home to Colorado for Christmas. :'( 

The next couple of days were spent packing and organizing for my trip to Berlin and Switzerland. Claire and I had some nice tapas and Wednesday night before I left we had a pre-Christmas party with plenty of wine and some fabulous antipasto! Scrumptious cheeses, cured meats, jam, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and balsamic. Mmm... Thanks Claire! Wish you were hanging with me in Berlin!!!!