Ok. I’ve been MIA for a little while, but I assure you that all is fine.
I have left London - our shows we successes. Here are some pictures
from the performance:
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| This is Farzana playing the courtesan (prostitute), Chabaname. Here, she's in the middle of her seductive entry dance, "Zim Zim Zim." |
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| Farzana playing Rodhaba and Abida playing her sister, Sodhaba. They're hiding from someone here... |
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| Abdul Haq (one of the sweetest people I've ever met) playing Arsalan of Samarqand along with Farzana (also an absolutely lovely person) playing Rodhaba. |
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| Parwin (who has been living in Canada for two years) playing Zan-e Mutakef and Maqsudi (who teaches drama at Kabul University) playing Ehsan. |
(Thanks to The Arts Desk for these images)
These were truly our two best performances. It seems like India was just
sort of the “warm-up,” and perhaps it was the amazing space that is the
Globe theatre that kind of kicked it into professional mode. It was
extraordinary to be able to sit in the Globe when it was completely
empty and watch rehearsals go on... and go on the stage... and the
balcony... and backstage... ah, a theatre student’s dream come true.
Here are some pictures from the Globe.
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| The rehearsal room on the top floor of the building around the Globe. It is the actual size of the stage, which is helpful. | | | |
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| Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in all of its glory! |
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| From the balcony. I didn't go right out onto it because tours were taking place and I didn't want them to be jelly. |
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| Backstage 1 |
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| Backstage 2 (note all of the fire safety equipment...for those of you who don't know, the original Globe was burned to the ground during a production of King Henry VIII when a cannon misfired...I guess they're just because extra precautious now) |
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| Backstage 3 (stairs up to the balcony and the area where they run the subtitles) |
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| Backstage 4 (view down the stairs - there's a rope to hold on to 'cause these are steep!) |
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| Backstage 5 (screens so that actors know when to go on) |
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| Backstage 6 (this is the door that actors use to go around to the outside entrances during shows to come onstage through the pit) |
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| One dressing room! |
We’re in Oxford now, and things are winding down a bit. Still two
performances to go until Germany for the remainder of the run, but the
Globe performance sort of seemed like the zenith of the production. I
feel kind of like I’m not working right now because I’m staying at a bed
and breakfast (which I always associate with leisure). But the free
internet is glorious so I can catch up on my blogging and random
internet surfing. I must, of course, be reminded that the work isn’t
done yet. I think this is something that the actors, too, will have a
hard time grasping: just because the “big” performance is done doesn’t
mean that the work is done.
As for eating food, I’ve been
perfectly happy to go to grocery stores and pick up a sandwich and some
yogurt for dinner. I think I went through sandwich withdrawal in India
and am now just taking advantage of it as much as I can. Going to
restaurants alone is kind of depressing and awkward. However, pubs at
lunch I can deal with. A good time in the middle of the day to relax for
a few moments with a pint. I have, however, rekindled my six-year
relationship with Ribena, the delicious blackcurrant drink that lines
the grocery stores of England.
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| ps - getting a haircut in the next few days. euro cut. now i just need to get the euro grizzle going. |
Ok, a pretty short post now but I wanted to show you guys some pictures. My mind, by the way, is beginning to grasp the historical nature of this project. I wish that I had been to Afghanistan before this experience because I think I would have a greater appreciation for what we’re doing. I’ve had the oddest experience with this country... one that hits me every time I think “Afghanistan.” I have a direct link to this country now, despite never having been there. But really, it’s the people who embody what a country is, I suppose.
More Afghan reflections to come, I’m sure.
PS - Remember in The Iron Lady when Margaret Thatcher (as played by Meryl Streep) exclaims: “Milk’s gone up again. 49p a pint!” (Of course you do, you’ve watched it at least half a dozen times and therefore remember all the lines of the film) Well I’m pretty sure I just spent more than that on milk. Maggie would not be pleased.
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| Beautiful even in 85-year-old Margaret Thatcher makeup |
