Getting it right

WEDNESDAY 19 MARCH 2008

Well, I missed yesterday’s class and most definitely would get in trouble with Pritina for not showing up. We had to meet today for one hour but because Elizabeth didn’t show up, I worked with her for two hours. Since I still hadn’t learnt my lines properly, she had me stand in the middle of the performance space and read, then recite, my lines over and over again, until paragraph by paragraph I knew them by heart. She also cut out a few lines that she felt were unnecessary to the monologue. She also did this to make it easier on me when I started my memorisation.

It was long and hard work. By the end of two hours, I could remember four of the five paragraphs. Which was pretty good, Pritina felt that finally she was making headway with me. She reminded me that we would work some more in class but I told her that I had a dental surgery appointment tomorrow so I wouldn’t be able to come for practice. So she gave me the extra long Easter weekend to study my lines thoroughly and also try to work out who the character is talking to and what the monologue is all about.

This was going to be a truly LONG weekend.