Grounding and the Perils of Imagination! Blog 77

Dzień dobry

I did wonder as an hommage to my flying-off-today-to-Poland whether to press the 'translate into Polish' button on this blog, but decided that I might lose some of my friends from here if I did and more to the point I wouldn't understand it either. Mind you I better brush up on my hellos, thank yous and goodbyes at the very least. If there's one thing I like - its good manners. And of course thank goodness, my friend Maciej will be there to cover my ignorance.

Epping Forest - nr Chingford - April 1st

Yesterday I mused on the thought of a walk in Epping Forest and I did take half an hour to do so just by a friend's flat in Chingford, which is right on the Forest's edge. It was a bright sunny morning and the trees promised some good oxygen. What I hadn't factored in rather stupidly was that the ground would be quite as muddy as it was. Having left my wellies at home, I had only my work shoes (the red ones), but hey ho once you give into the sinking mud its quite fun really. Importantly it did help me do some useful thinking (I think!). 

Getting from A to B can be a bit of a challenge for me sometimes. I am often so absorbed in trying to think through an idea or solve a problem that I have a slight clumsiness challenge (as do both my daughters actually!) Its not unheard of for me to walk into lamposts, kick over coffee cups, lose my handbag, keys, glasses or phone on a regular basis and generally be a bit of a physical liability as my friends and colleagues will attest. 

Nice sitting on log - April 1st

Its a bit of an anomaly as being fully present in the physical world is actually rather important really. I remember that my lovely stage manager MJ became my self appointed 'carer' when I was working on the pantomime last year. I didn't really like the idea of having a 'carer' much, so asked him to please just use the word 'minder' - felt a bit more edgy, but I have to admit that it was quite nice to have someone ensure your bits and pieces arrived where they should. Not a diva - promise.

But of course being grounded is essential in the rehearsal space as well as out there - and there is nothing quite like being in the woods for doing both. Its a balance of being in your head and being aware of your body at the same time which I have no problem with in rehearsal. Its just allocating enough time to get everything done in the physical world that can elude me from time to time. 

Note to self: to double the amount of time I think I need to do something, as it all happens so quickly in the imagination its misleading!  

John Rayment alluded to this in his recent guest blog on here. He talked about being a typical 'lazy' actor preferring the default mode of sitting around talking about text but also acknowledging the critical importance of moving!  Our rehearsals are highly physical and grounded and demand some stamina. Its in that rehearsal space that the imagination and the physical find balance as a piece is realised.

In the meantime, I do have my passport and all my papers for Poland beautifully packed and my string mittens threaded through my coat and enough time to go through my check list - so may just cope without my trusty MJ this time. 

Next time I post on here I hope to be in Wroclaw catching up with my old friend Maciej after a 25 year gap and a generation of stuff to talk about. 

Have a sunny day.

Nothing like sunshine through trees - April 1st