Theatrical experiences....

We had an amazing experience on Friday. It was our first performance day for our Theater class, and somehow our professor managed to get us permission to perform in the Odeon of Herodion Atticus-- an ancient theater built out of marble and stone in the side of the hill that the Acropolis is on. They are in the process of restoring it, and I think he talked to the man in charge of the construction who said he would let us in for an hour.

The acoustics in this theater were AMAZING. Someone stood in the very top row at the back of the theater and our professor said something in a tone quieter than even normal speaking, and the guy in the back was able to hear him. All 20 of us performed, and one person on our trip brought a flute and played between performances. At the end, she let me play a little bit which was AMAZING because the acoustics were so good that it made me sound even better!

This was probably the opportunity of a lifetime... I can't imagine how many theater scholars or performers would kill to have that opportunity. Standing in the middle of the stage (called the orchestra) made me think of how many performances had happened in those exact places and how many years people had been performing there. It was really neat.

Later that day, we climbed up Lycabettus Hill-- the highest point in Athens. The hike up the hill was rather treacherous-- it took about an hour from our hotel-- but the view from the top was worth it! It was a beautiful day, too, so once we had cooled down from our hike to the top, we basked in the sunlight for a little while.


The rest of this post is for those faithful followers who might be under the illusion that everything we do is wonderful. Yesterday (Saturday) we had a five hour theater workshop with a man named George who is an actor/director concerning ancient Greek theater. We were told we were going to learn about how to be a chorus member in the play Ajax. Well, I went not knowing what to expect, thinking that there's no way I could get let down. I want to say right off the bat that it was really weird and a bit "etchy-sketchy."

We first learned how to speak like the ancient Greek people did by pronouncing vowels and consonants in a unique way. We then participated in a meditative-like chant where we sang the five vowel sounds while we went around a circle and took turns screaming. We then learned how to laugh like the chorus in Ajax would using these vowel sounds. Then he choreographed the laughter to us hopping around like barbarian animals.

Around this time, we put on makeup. The point of the makeup was so we could look more like we were wearing masks without actually wearing the masks. It was really interesting to distort our faces and see how that made our look change.

George showed us how the chorus would enter for this play. The picture really explains it all... We were in a squatting position with our right hand extended towards the sky. In order to move, we wouldn't change position but rather begin to hop. Hopping required the jumping of your feet/legs, but for your upper body to stay still. It was a workout for the legs!

We learned a short routine acting as Sufi whirling dervishes. This included the squatting position again in addition to a smooth twirling action like the whirling dervishes.

The session ended with a recitation of the ancient Greek text of Ajax. George had been saying things in ancient Greek all day and they sounded like something from a pow wow or a cult-like meditation. It sounded kind of like barking. Real weird.

Overall, I guess it was a fun experience. How many people who come to Athens can have a five hour workshop with a man who is specialized in ancient tragedies and will give you face paint and teach you how to grunt and hop in unison? I guess when I write it that way it has a bad connotation, and although that is basically what we did, it wasn't really as bad as it sounds. But every time I look at the picture of us in the squatting position, I laugh at how ridiculous the afternoon really did seem.

Someone from George's "production team" was videotaping most of the workshop, and some of the people in our group were talking about it at dinner that night. We decided that in a few days the whole thing will be on YouTube and George and his people will advertise it like "Look at the Americans making fools of themselves!" Haha... what a unique experience.




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