Power

Up early today and I haven’t done one of these power workshops since February. It’s a school in Brixton. I got there at 8am with my energetic armour on. I’ve had some hard ones in this area.

Turns out I was lucky. Year ten is not an easy age. The material I’m delivering is dry as a bone now. It used to be better, but now every inch of joy has been sucked from it by committees. I find myself in the room narrating my own process “They want me to read this, but actually let’s just see if you guys can guess based on the pictures…” “Oh and it’s this video now, someone was paid to make this video. Let’s see if the sound works.” They’ve improved the videos thank God, that’s one thing. There’s no coming back from playing year ten a video of a middle aged man in a hard hat who speaks like he’s inhaling frogs and starts every fantastically dull sentence with “and the interesting thing is…” I’m glad he’s gone.

I solved it with energy, my own energy, talking about energy. I spammed positivity at them and weirdly it stuck. I remember one time a few years ago I just said the word “power” about ten times in different ways until they all went quiet cos they thought I had had an aneurysm. That was a good workshop. Some of them started saying power back. Eventually they all did. They all said the word “power” a lot by the end of that workshop that time and it settled a very hard room. It isn’t the sort of trick you can often pull, but it worked in that particular dynamic thank God. I’ll likely never try it again. But… it’s a workshop about power. Their own power, electrical power, speaking truth to power. It got really sparky today again. I started to get some bold responses. I think in two hours they might have started thinking a bit more practically about energy, the world of work, the fact that life is coming sooner than they want it and they might be able to grab a lifeline when they can. And make some dolla!! Teacher took my number cos she wants me to come talk to the drama students about sustaining a career. Tough gig, and frankly I don’t want to charge the school what I’m worth so it’ll never happen.

My voice and my head were both absolutely overloaded by 11am. It’s almost Shakespearean when you are making up for dull material.

I have an audition due at ten tomorrow, a tape but one that makes sense for me. I was gonna do it today but it’s not in my head properly plus my voice is tired. I want my upper register for this tape. More and more these days my habit has been to wake up at crack of dawn and do a morning audition, get it in for ten. That’s the plan tomorrow. I’m trying to wind down already. Waiting for Tom B who is staying over so I can negotiate if he’s okay with an early start. I’m getting better at these tapes. But they still cost. I think the learning is in, I’ll drill it a few more times and then let sleep calibrate my brain.

Power. It’s an interesting word to say. Say it. Build it into your day. Full moon tonight. Power. Powah.