Hail the Mighty Sloth!

Number of Steps: 13271 (4.19 mi)

So this morning was another three hour film history lecture in which she breezed through all kinds of different people and films (including an awesomely horrifying “look how great Stalin is” ending to a film from 1949) in order to get us to watch a full film called The Cranes are Flying.  We watched it last year too, but it’s still crazy beautiful.  Unfortunately, we didn’t finish it… so we have to wait a week for the last 20 minutes!  I feel bad for all the people who don’t yet know the end!

After lunch it was back to acting, with a mildly successful etude about an audition.  As usual, we’ve got good specific characters and a good atmosphere, but we’re still circling the idea of a successful event.  Then we had another pretty strong day where teamwork is concerned, though I think it took us a while to get our focus today.  OH!  And one of the games we played was particularly difficult for me… because it was a game in which we had to mill around and the two people who were killers would wink at someone to kill them.  For those of you who are aware of my bizarre winking tic, this proved to be difficult for me.  In fact, I’m winking right now as I type about it.  Trust me folks, it ain’t easy being this neurotic.  And, as my big finish, I was a three-toed sloth crossing the road.  Revel in my inspiration!

We don’t have a show tonight, so some of us went down the block to what turned out to be a GREAT little vegetarian restaurant called Avocado.  It’s a little pricy for the portion size, but it was so flavorful and yummy!  They’ve got a pretty cheap lunch deal, AND they’ve got a bunch of cocktails with fresh juices that I fully plan on partaking in at a later date.  Then most of the group headed to the mall, so I came back to the dorm, grabbed some groceries and settled in for the night. 

Trolls and Mosquitos

Number of Steps: 13660 (4.31 mi)

This morning we had singing with Marina, which was fun, as always.  She’s such a character!  And, aside from the last few bars, I made some real progress on my song, which always feels good.  After that we had ballet…which did NOT go well today.  The combinations he gave us were much more complicated, and he spent even less time explaining them than usual.  There was one combination that was extremely difficult, and he never explained it, and then he’d make us do it despite the fact that we looked completely confused… and then he’d mock and chastise us for doing it wrong.  If I screw up because I screw up, that’s on me.  But if I screw up because you refuse to teach me, then we have an issue.  I was grouchy all through the rest of class (and so was he… he really doesn’t like teaching this class…it oozes out of his elegant and beautifully sculpted pores how much he dislikes us) and then all through lunch, and I was really worried it was going to carry over into acting class, but luckily I was able to shake it as we practiced our etude – which today involved a high school house party interrupted by parents.  It was a good time.  All in all, our teamwork was really on in class today – we were very ensemble-minded today.  I’m very proud of the work we did today.  And my work as a mosquito was quite moving, let me tell you!  I have never had that many people that glad to see me pretend to be killed.  Of course, this particular etude was very close to my heart, since I’ve been having these epic battles with mosquitos the last few nights.  One will buzz in my ear as I’m trying to sleep, so then I turn on the lights to try to find it.  If I can’t, then with the lights still on, I lie down… a decoy for the mosquito.  When it inevitably comes to buzz in my ear, I stalk it until I am able to swat that little bastard down.  This has, for the last few nights, been a process that takes me to about 2:00 in the morning.  Here’s hoping I have exorcised the demons through my etude today.

At any rate, after class we headed to the Lenkom theatre for a performance of Пер Гюнт (Peer Gynt)…now I know what you’re thinking (if you happen to be someone who knows a little something about Peer Gynt): “aren’t you still at the theatre?”  Yeah… Peer Gynt is notoriously long and cumbersome, which is why no one ever does it.  But this production clocked in at a brisk and lively 2 hours and 15 minutes long!  The set was very dynamic – moving all over the place, changing all the time.  The choreography was amazing!  There was a fight sequence done with a bunch of long planks of wood that was breathtaking…and the battle with the trolls… DAMN!  And there were these crazy people in red tubes… it was really pretty remarkable.  The physical control these actors have is staggering.  And, as an added bonus, it featured Russian Traysie Amick and Russian Matthew Merritt.  (I forgot to note earlier that the production of Marriage that I saw here on Sunday also featured this same Russian Traysie Amick, as well as Russian Robert Linder.  So all the doppelgangers work at this theatre!)  I am delighted that watching Peer Gynt was not only painless, but downright pleasurable!  I would venture to state that not many people can say that!  

Russia Day

I barely moved today… so no pedometer

Today is Russia Day – basically Fourth of July for Russia.  Big day, right?  Classes were cancelled, so we had the whole day to ourselves.  Lots of celebrating and parades and fireworks…right?  Well… kinda.  I mean, there were certainly state sponsored festivities, but with all the unrest over the current political situation, we were pretty much advised to steer clear of any and all events.  It ended up raining most of the day too, so it turned out to be a good day to stick around the dorm.  I read most of the day, had a meeting with JT and Vanessa (the other grad student) where we ate chips, drank beer, and talked about theatre – pretty much awesome.  Then we had our weekly potluck… and I have to say, it was impressive.  Today, in celebration of Russian Independence Day, Justin made the most American thing he could muster: Apple pie.  And Liz (one of our Canadians) made a pasta casserole thing.  Very fancy.  (Sara wanted you to see her cheese as well.  It was good cheese.)   

Happy Russia Day from our ambitious chefs!

We had a good discussion about the theatre we’ve seen so far and the theatre we are planning to see, we chatted about our etudes for tomorrow, and we pretty much did our own thing for the rest of the evening.  We’ve had it pretty easy for the last few days, but for the next 18 days…things are about to get sort of non-stop.  It’s go time!

18! Seriously!

Number of Steps: 8939

Today things got started a little late because we needed to give the St. Petersburg folks some time to get their feet under them, as they arrived back in Moscow via night train, rolling into the dorms at 10:30 this morning.  So we had the second of our AWESOME theatre history lectures today at 1:00 instead of the customary 11:30.  It was a wonderful, heartfelt lecture that ended far too soon, followed by an acting class that started a little late and ended a little early for a variety of reasons.  But we did have a fairly good teamwork day, and we did our partner etudes (Daniel and I were water wings – you know those floaties that kids wear? – it was really fun).  Then half of the group went to the Satirikon theatre to have their minds blown by their production of The Seagull (I’ll be going to see that with the other half of the group on the 30^th – our last night in town…this is the best possible thing I could think of to be what I do on my last night in Moscow).  The rest of us hung around the school until 7:00 when we went to an encore performance of the showcase of the first year MXAT students.  It was three hours of their self-selected best etude work from the year – and it was extraordinary.  First, it took me a few pieces to get used to how young they were.  Then, later I found myself reflecting on how old they seemed.  These 18-year-olds from all over Russia were fascinating to watch.  And, I happened to sit next to our translator, so every now and then she would lean over and explain something to me, which was an excellent bonus!  The evening was mostly monologues with a couple of dialogues interspersed, and they looked like they were probably based largely on observation etudes – characters they had built by observing people around them.  There were even a few cultural references - like Joan Jett, the Lady Marmalade number, Sid Visius and a truly fantastic Prince.  I'll admit, it was comforting to hear a little English in those little bursts throughout the evening, and not to feel like a complete outsider the whole time.  With those - we were in on the joke!  But regardless of the language barrier, there was so much energy, commitment, and above all SPECIFICITY to each character done by these 18-year-olds (yes, I know I repeated that... I just can't get over it).  I think probably the thing I am noting the most this time around is that attention to detail that is at the heart of the Russian theatre.  There is no room for generalization in the Russian theatre – you must always be more specific and more specific.  Ask another question, dig a little deeper.  I think it’s that attention to detail that is the key ingredient that not only makes what they do so compelling, but that could most readily be brought back to work in the US.  I have heard a few of the kids on this trip, after they see a piece of amazing theatre, sounding a little despondent.  They ask themselves why we even bother when there is work on this level happening out there, and we’ll never achieve it.  And my answer is that we bother because we are moved by the same impulses as these artists we’re sitting here revering, and it’s our privilege now to bring back whatever little glimmers we can of the things we experience here and put them to work in our own world.  So there’s my challenge to myself as I move into my third year at Wayne: increase my eye for detail, increase my aptitude for specificity, never accept the easy answer unless it generates more active questions. 

Nada Mucho (in Russian)

I forgot to wear my pedometer today.

Today was a fairly chill day as Moscow days go.  After yesterday’s beautiful, sunny, not-too-hot-not-too-cold, perfect tourist weather, it rained all day today, so it was a good day for doing a little grocery shopping and generally staying inside.  I did go to Starbucks this morning for some quality internet time, where I was kind enough to assist an American family in ordering their coffee (seriously, I’ve got this Russia thing!).  Then I read read read read read for most of the day until meeting up with JT in the evening to go see a production of Женитьба (Marriage) by Гогол (Gogol) playing at the Ленком (Lenkom) Theatre.  I had looked up a plot synopsis, but that was all the background I had on the play, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it.  It was a very energetic and engaging production with a lot of creativity in the staging.  The Hilberry (the grad theatre at Wayne State) will be doing that show in the coming season, so I kept trying to cast it out of the company.  I’ll look forward to seeing how it all shakes out, especially since JT tells me that this play can often be a real snooze.  So here’s a big challenge to JT (who’ll be directing it) and the Hilberry company: I had a great time at this play… I hope I can say the same again soon!

After the show we had a very pleasant evening of sitting in the kitchen swapping stories about nothing in particular, and then I turned in for the night.  Of course, there is a mosquito in my room that I am finding it difficult to kill… which means I’m going to wake up all itchy.  Damnit.  But hey… itchy in Moscow beats itchy in Detroit!

These Sandals are Made for Walking

Number of Steps: 25180 (7.95 mi)

So yeah… my feet are tired.

Today we had the day off of classes because five of our twelve are in St. Petersburg for the weekend.  So those of us who were left behind slept in.  Huzzah!  Then, a little before 2:00 we ventured out of the dorm toward Alexander Gardens outside the Kremlin.  We had designs on going back to Red Square as well, but it was totally blocked off since they’re setting up for the Russia Day festivities on Tuesday, so we stuck to the gardens for a while, wandering through the fountains and seeing the sights (like two dudes charging money to have people take pictures holding giant lizards or snakes, or overly aggressive mascots).   From there we wandered into the ГУМ (pronounced “Goom”), which is a giant mall, in search of ice cream.  We didn’t find what we were looking for, so we headed over to Охотный Ряд (a large underground mall) where we found some pretty bitchin’, albeit overpriced gelato.  After that I led the group over to Стару Арбат (Old Arbat), which is a big long pedestrian street of shops and kitsch and artists and such.  This was a place I had been to last year, but I had always taken the metro, so I was very pleased with myself for successfully leading us there by foot.  I’m feeling so Muscovite these days.  Anyway, we had an afternoon snack at a restaurant that used to be a bus, two of the girls danced with some street performers, our one African-American student was mobbed by two probably drunk Russian men (and yes, the two of these men were effusive enough to be considered a mob) who wanted her to come with them to dance somewhere. 

Once we got home I met with JT for a little bit to give him the skinny on the next few days, and then we pretty much settled in for the night (well, I did anyway…but I’m old and walked 8 miles today and I even may have gotten a bit of a sunburn on my shoulders...so settle in I shall!).  I skyped with my family for a few minutes, but the connection wasn’t very good, so it mostly consisted of us putting the back of our open hands on our foreheads (our nonsensical signal that we can’t hear the other person) or listening to my niece demand drawings of Mickey Mouse or Tinkerbell.  I love skyping with my niece.  Tomorrow… I am going to make myself do some actual reading.  I have got to get some studying done this month or I am going to be in trouble!

I'm so Russian

Number of Steps: 11167 (3.45 mi)

So, a lot of stuff happened today, but the thing I am most proud of has nothing to do with theatre.  While I was sitting on the steps of the MXAT American Studio reading before we went to the theatre tonight, not one, but TWO Russians asked me for directions, and I successfully understood them and provided them with the information they needed.  AND, when our singing teacher stopped us in the courtyard to tell us something, I was able to understand what she wanted us to do.  (And one of our translators popped in at the end of the conversation and confirmed that I was correct.)  Yeah, Russia… I got this!

So, aside from my ever-increasing levels of Russian aptitude, today was a day much like Wednesday.  We started out with singing.  We all sang through our songs, and that was pretty much that.  I love singing… I really miss it.  I need to give myself the gift of voice lessons when I get back to Detroit – I will feel better if my voice is in shape.

After singing was another day of ballet, and weirdly enough, after ballet class, I was less sore than I was than when I went in.  In fact, I might say I was the least sore I’ve been since our first movement class on Tuesday.  So go ballet!  I mean, I still suck at it, but at least it seems to be good for me on some level.

The afternoon brought us back to acting class, which was another good day for teamwork.  It turns out that, collectively, we are relatively good spellers.  We had one spelling game that came down to a clash of the titans between me and Vanessa – the other grad student on the trip.  It was great fun – especially since I did end up winning in the end, but really only on a technicality.  I think the two of us could have done that all day.  And yes… I am bragging about the spelling and ball throwing ability of two graduate students.  But trust me, it is really way cooler than it sounds.

This evening five of our group headed off to St. Petersburg for the weekend, while the rest of us headed to our first show at the MXAT: Зойкина Квартира (Zoyka’s Apartment), which is a play by Mikhail Bulgakov about which I know pretty much nothing.  So we walked into this one totally blind.  It was pretty trippy and difficult to follow, but it was visually and vocally stunning, and I think we figured out most of the major plot points and even maybe some of the more subtle ones, as we discussed it.  It would be impossible to explain this play, but it involved a lot of sex and drugs, dancing and singing, piano playing and paranoia, and a set that was basically a giant rotating cube.  It was unreal.  And there were these people with giant black globes as heads – I decided they were intended to look like those security camera bubbles, to signify that there are these people who are always watching.  Oh… and the costumes and the dancing were kind of the big hit for me.  The costumes were just plain GORGEOUS, and the physical dexterity of these performers is just beyond beyond.  It was a weird evening of theatre, but it was pretty damn cool.

Since half the group is in St. Petersburg, we don’t have class tomorrow… a two-day weekend is a rarity in the Month in Moscow program.  And then we’re going to have Tuesday off for Russia Day… so we’ve got a lot of free time coming, and I’m feeling a little crippled by it.  What to do, what to do!