Erasmus+

The entire crew of the Erasmus project, the makeup-artists, the props and lights people and of course we actors, met together in the cafeteria. We were briefed on the week. It was clear from the start, that we would be in a hurry, and the level of stress would be high.

In the afternoon, Daniel, who also helped the other drama course, arranged games and warming-up exercises for us. We got to know our group and co-actors.

We started reading through scripts of our scene. 

On Tuesday we practised, practised and practised some more. I had quite a small number of lines and my scene was rather short, but once I learned my lines (which I was adamant to do in Shakespearean English, because I am a nerd), I helped others in my scene figure out how to memorise their monologues and difficult lines. 

The costuming department measured our heads for crowns and hats, and we rummaged through the storage for any clothes that would fit us and our characters. By then I had a clear picture of who I wanted Puck to be, and what he would look like, how he would act. 

We decided someone should narrate the story to explain the confusing plot to the audience. Since Puck breaks the fourth wall either way, I was chosen to do that. Since I knew my lines, I worked on the explanation.

On Wednesday we began practising in the big gym, where we would perform. Everyone knew their lines to the best of their ability, and we focused more on actions instead of words. We walked like our characters, talked like our characters, etc. 

Acting like Puck was out of the ordinary for me, because in theatre even small things should be exaggerated. Exaggerating the childishness and giddiness of Puck was difficult at first, but I learnt to enjoy it. Everything else about how Puck acts in my eyes is quite similar to me, except he had to be far more expressive than I am. A little more jumping and skipping, clapping your hands together when happy, etc. 

Thursday was the first time we tried our costumes on properly, and ran the whole act through in the gym. It was a mess at first, since everyone including me were both excited and nervous. Being on stage in costume was surprisingly easy for me. Maybe being in costume helped me take the character apart from myself more: I was able to let go, per se. 

We also got our makeup done for the first time. It was odd. Puck got heavy green eyeshadow, golden horns, and a golden leaf crown. Green, because he is a fairy from the forest, and gold, because the vest I wore was cream-coloured with golden details.