So...it's been a while!

Woops!!

So, it's been quite a long time since I've updated my blog. As you may have guessed I started at drama school in September and kindof lost all of my free time/life/other hobbies! However I am absolutely loving what I am doing with every minute of the day - no matter how scary the future career prospects currently look! 

I'll give you a quick catch-up on what's occuring so far in my drama school life.

• Sadly, I am no longer able to do reviews for www.thepublicreviews.com because I do not finish in classes until 7.30 or 9.30pm and theatres don't invite reviewers to weekend performances (which is annoying although sensible!)

• I am in classes from 9am or 10.30am until 7.30pm every weekday at the moment. Although my long days are often by choice because I have decided to try and become fitter and more talented by attending 9am ballet classes and late-night jazz and tap classes. I can't say my dancing has much improved but I am absolutely loving doing dancing.....and definitely decided that if I have a little girl when I'm older I am gonna send her to ballet classes! 

• For our first rehearsed showing (not allowed to call it a performance because we are still developing and rehearsing throughout the process, and it was only shown to staff and students) we did The Cherry Orchard. Despite my initial grumblings against such a naturalistic piece I ended up absolutely loving it, mainly because I got the vulnerable, comical role of Dunyasha which I had great fun playing with and creating from scratch for myself.

• I did a basic stage combat course just after Christmas which involved single sword, rapier and gauntlet and unarmed fighting. It was brilliant fun, exhausting and ultimately annoying when I didn't do as well as I thought I was going to (I did pass though!). However, when I watched the videos back I could understand why.....I hit like such a girl! i hit like Mr Burns from The Simpsons, with limp wrists and lack of intent. Must work on that for the intermediate stage combat exam which I will be taking at Easter

• We are currently in rehearsals for Euripide's Helen translated by Frank McGuinness and I have worked my way up from servant (in the Chekhov) to Helen of Troy!! Quite a transformation and quite the challenge. A challenge which I am really looking forward to getting my teeth into, particularly as I am sharing the role with another girl in my class and we are going to try and be on stage simultaneously as Helen, creating a physical and abstract performance.....or that's the plan.

I think so far I have improved in many ways since coming to drama school and it has done wonders for my confidence and skills. I intend to make the most of it and make sure that I leave here a powerful product to be sold in the drama world!