Another week begins with Pendragon quietly slipping through the white front door,so not to disturb a sleeping Amarantha. We lay awake till Wally the cuckoo clunked out at midnight,to remind us that work beckoned next day for Him and parchment duties for Me,so we fell to slumber.
I rose but took my time,running myself a pampering bath,being careful with my dressing and perfuming,and preparing a fruity breakfast and some light spelt toast. I had some administration to do for my used parchment business,but that done,I settled down in our Sun Room to reflect on the weekend.
The big happening of the weekend was my first rehearsal with the Metropolis Elven Theatricals. Pendragon accompanied me for moral support,and a tasty muffin/coffee brunch,and then disappeared for a few hours to make his own entertainment while I entered the portals of the Workshop.
Remindur Toastyspur, the Assistant Director for this production,met me at the door and ushered me to the theatre studio. Other cast members began to arrive,and they were a motley,if merry assortment. Five elven ladies,and seven strong elven actors.Over yet another acorn decaff. we shared experiences and personal details until Remindur called us to warm up. We stretched and groaned,finding muscles we wished we had honed for a few weeks prior to this,if only to conceal our embarrassment at the creaking sounds we emanated.We laughed ,breaking the ice, and got the measure of our fellow protagonists.
Remindur has said we will spend the next three weeks honing skils, and so he began with Choral Technique.
We divided into two groups,to work on a short piece for performance one hour later.
It was fun. I have worked with this company several times before,in this venue. Group members often change but modus operandi rarely does and that gave me some reassurance as I found my composure,and my remembered skills.
At three we devoured some oaten biscuits and hot tea,before another short rehearsal and then to performance. Choral technique demands precision to detail,good teamwork, being a listener,and making a strong effort to bond with the rest of the group. We had one reluctant participant in our group. Not to perform,just to perform with us. She kept interrupting to tell us she didn't agree with anything we were doing. Luckily our combined elven good humour,and the newness of our acquaintance stopped a more aggressive burst of tension,or one of us quite simply telling her to "take herself to the gates of Hades".
We performed,and it went well. Not perfect, but strong enough to impress our director. He felt we had done more than he had asked for, and rewarded us with great compliments. I have to admit that I felt that I had been noticed,as when my voice rang out loud and precise across the stage,I felt Remindur turn to take in my delivery. I have a striking ,clear voice with precise articulation,and my voice carries well. We finished at four,and when I strode to the front door,light of heart and high in spirits,my dear Pendragon was awaiting me with smiles and hugs.
We headed for home ,taking the tram to Lobelia Drive, with me hooting and laughing with excitement ,and describing the minutest of details to Pendragon which had occurred that afternoon.
He was very patient with me,sensing how much this matters to me. I have not undertaken a personal project of this kind for a little while. Commitments at Dingley Dell Academy always took priority. I am now doing this for me.
I can remember my very first adult flurry into the dramatic arts. I had seventeen elven years and enrolled for some evening classes, not sure then if I had any talent of note.The class wasn't going well,as most follk would not let their elven hair down long enough to rid themselves of inhibitions.The educator was looking peeved and struggling to give the two hour instruction period any life. He issued a challenge in our improvisation section.
"Here is a chair" he said. "I want you to think of the most unusual way you can use it. On no account must you use it as a seat ".
The class shuddered with the fear of inexperience. Two or three elves and goblin folk attempted something half-hearted that didn't quite work.
It was my turn next. I'll never know where the idea came from,but before I knew it I had positioned the chair,positioned myself,started breathing heavily and declared my chair to be "an iron lung". The room erupted in laughter. Good,friendly laughter. The instructor said "well done",and some other classmates,spurred on by my lack of inhibition, came up with some more idiosyncratic ideas. The class improved greatly from there on in. We had fun,learned a lot,and my thirst for an audience and working on stage had truly begun.
Dramatic Arts have given me so much over the years,but I feel there is still much to derive from this kind of communication and challenge as I feel my way in my New Life.
The day started with rain,and looks like it will end with another plout. It's windy here too,with just an oocasional burst of Mr. Sun. The garden continues to show off its colours,but we have had no time dry enough to enjoy a seat there,in the past fortnight.
May July be less uncertain and our tans grow less rusty. Talking of rusty,we saw Mimsey and Jeraboa Dagwort from number 10, return last night with their silver,camping trolley and their long faces.Two days away from children and damaged hedgerows do not seem to have lit the fires of renewed devotion. Mimsey left the motor carriage,stomped up the path,seemingly carrying all their holiday paraphernalia, and audibly banged their old oaken door shut. Not too hard ,Mimsey, you don't want another repair !!
The Primpoles at number six have not been seen for a few days,but I did notice their elder son and his elven wife come to call this morning. They seemed reluctant to enter Primpole Holdings without an angry exchange first,and only when their fiery spat ended with Her slapping Him from shoulder to thigh,did they push open the gate and dawdle up the path. Clearly Severity's warm relationship with Weedy,has rubbed off on the younger generation,and the ladies in that family clearly wear the lederhosen.
Pendragon is working tonight in Metropolis,but he will call soon to know that I am safe and well. Tommorrow I have a visit early to Dr. Scroat,and will spend some time contemplating the details of my new gossip column for the Daily Scandal.More fun and more business. However did I have the time to work before ? The difference now is that everything I do ,I WANT TO DO.
Much love to you all,my dear hearted friends. You listen with good humour to my quaint meanderings,allowing me to vent my cosmic spleen about the injustices and transgressions in the world, and celebrate the rectitudes and virtues,although sometimes they may seem a little more thin on the ground.
Stay strong nad believe in the good,for happiness and fortune will be yours.From all at number five,the fifth toadstool on the left,but especially Amarantha Willow ,the Rainbow Faery.
