Time flies when you’re having fun. This term has indeed flown, but not so fast that I haven’t been able to catch on and enjoy the ride. This last week was filled with assessments: for Voice, Camera, Dance, and two for Movement. I rather enjoyed these and the sense of completion that they gave.
In our last class before the holidays we watched the short films from our Mike Leigh Project. Some of it was seriously impressive (and entertaining) but a lot of it, and most of my part, was seriously disappointing. In my attempts to be ‘real’ my character had diminished in purpose and importance so that on screen my performance was somewhat uninteresting. However, I learned a lot from the experience of creating a character in this particular way and, after all, the focus of this project was on the process, not the product.
I’m apparently youthful enough to qualify as a high school pupil. My course leader chose me and some others in the class to be involved in an extra project where we were the cast for a mock horror trailer set in a high school. Unpaid, a favour perhaps, but even so this was a fun few hours and I got to try out a London accent, and squirt on some fake blood and pretend I was dying which is always a laugh. Afterwards we discovered that the trailer may be shown at some prestigious places, to some rather important people, which was a good reminder that it’s important to always give 100% whatever the work.
Also this week we showcased the scenes we’ve been working on in our extra theatre classes throughout the term. I pranced around as Henry Higgins in my period dressing gown and slicked hair, with my RP accent, and it was really “quite a pleasure”. ‘Pygmalion’ by George Bernard Shaw is wonderfully written, sumptuous theatre and I love period roles. I hope I will get to do more of that in the future.
I left my end-of-term tutorial with mingled joy and despair. Apparently I started the term quite shy and have become much more brave and confident, which is positive. It’s also hardly surprising since this term has been my first experience of any kind of actor training, and of living in London. I think I can forgive myself for being a bit tentative to begin with. The main thrust of the criticism from my tutors was that I need to start stretching myself and not being afraid to go to the extremes in characters. This is fair enough, and I agree, but it touches on an important issue that I discussed with some of my classmates in some depth. How extreme can, or should, I actually go? Is it possible to be an unlimited, unrestricted actor and also a moral person? Does an actor need to separate their professional life and personal life, and pretend that what they do in their professional life isn’t really them? As a Christian, how can I be the best actor I can be without compromising my faith? I know this is an issue I will continue to face throughout my life. My conclusion was to accept that at any given time I am faced with two clear options, which are often in tension: to do what the world wants or to do what God wants. I am determined to always try to do the latter. Often this will seem strange or foolish to others (my tutors and classmates especially); the world will not understand, maybe sometimes even I won’t fully understand, but the truth is this: in Christ I am “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) and therefore to do anything else would be against my very nature.
I’ve learnt so much, I’ve grown, and I’m thoroughly enjoying this course but I am looking forward to being on home soil, celebrating Christmas and New Year with family and old friends and having a good break to recover, and absorb. I finished the week with a Christmas house party and the next morning I was on the train speeding back up to Scotland!
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8
Monday, 19 December 2011
Monday, 12 December 2011
9
“Hold onto your butts!” mutters Samuel L. Jackson as our heroes start their tour in Jurassic Park. For our research presentation on the visual effects in this film my partner, American classmate Matt Block, kicked us off by saying the same thing to the class. We had a lot of fun with this presentation, maybe a bit too much. We came dressed in shirts, khaki shorts and long socks, I wore a hat, and Matt broke out his wound make-up wizardry to give us each some vicious looking cuts and bruises; as if to suggest we’d just survived Jurassic Park! I hope we don’t get marked down for not taking it seriously enough. We saw no point in making the presentation dry and academic even if that is what the assignment might have suggested. I learned that theoretical and academic research doesn’t have to be dull and dusty. It can be an exciting adventure, complete with dinosaurs!This week was the culmination of all our work on the Mike Leigh project. We’d all created and developed our own characters, we’d met with other characters and worked on improvisations, as a group we’d written a script, and now this week we shot it. It was very quick. We only had one day to shoot a twenty-minute script so it felt a bit rushed through and before I knew it we’d wrapped, and that was the end of my character.
Also this week I met up with a very friendly agent and actress called Joanna Hole. She is almost certainly the most useful contact I have but it was so refreshing just to meet up and chat as real people. I didn’t feel I needed to ‘make an impression’ or ‘network’ in any way, we just genuinely got to know each other a bit. And that’s what it’s really about. I do think a career ought not to be built just on contacts with people that you know a bit or have worked with, but on real relationships.
I love Christmas. And I love singing. So imagine Carol Services. Actually the best thing about Carol Services for me is that they’re an excuse to bring friends along to church. All three of my flatmates came along last Sunday evening. I was part of a small group singing Silent Night in English, German and Mandarin! This Sunday two of my classmates came along. All Souls do awesome Carol Services. Joyful arrangements of carols with a big orchestral accompaniment, powerful musical performances, and an engaging talk about the real meaning of Christmas where the Gospel is explained loudly and clearly. Just perfect for bringing my non-Christian friends along to and it always led to good chats later on.
What were the odds that I would end up living right next to the work place of one of the only people I know in London, a primary school teacher called Alice? What are the chances that she would be responsible for putting on a nativity show and would invite me to come in and help? What is the likelihood that it would actually happen? Not high, but it did. I love being with and working with children so much, and I really miss it when I’m studying; there’s too many people of a similar age about. I need to spend time with some like-minded primary school kids to get things back in perspective. So I went in one day, watched them rehearse the play, gave them some suggestions and played some drama games with them. I enjoyed it just as much as my course work. It’s been said before: acting is child’s play. So maybe this is another option for the future. As Alice put it in a text afterwards, “You had a real natural flair with them – if you don’t make it to Hollywood…”
Monday, 5 December 2011
Pieces of Eight
The things I get to do! My character, for our Mike Leigh project, is in a band with some of the other characters and our task this week was to write and rehearse a Christmas song, complete with dance routine. Somehow I managed to write some lyrics and music in a few hours and then we spent an afternoon choreographing a little performance. It was so ridiculous and so fun that I could hardly believe it was course work. Later in the week we came together with a few other characters to write a script and we performed our song for them. I think at that point we all realised this isn’t just a comedy... it’s a carry on.
My first visit to the University of London’s Senate House Library was great, and I got some useful resources for my research project on the visual effects in Jurassic Park. Our visit was scheduled on the morning of a teachers strike for pensions, so we had to cross a picket line to get in. Research is easier in a library. It’s an environment that encourages exploration, and plundering a pile of big books is so much more satisfying than scrolling through text on a computer screen. It’s also an impressive building with an interesting history. Apparently Hitler liked the look of it for his prospective headquarters and it’s supposed to have been the inspiration for the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’.
Our Voice teacher dropped a very exciting bombshell this week. He works at Shakespeare’s Globe – the reconstruction of Shakespeare’s original theatre – and for next term we are going to learn a Shakespeare monologue and give it from that stage! Just now my goal isn’t necessarily Shakespeare, or even theatre, but even so the thought still sends a little tingle down my spine.
I’m a jammy dodger. I slept in this Friday – for the first time so far, so that’s quite impressive – and woke up at nine. It just so happened that this was the morning an outside director (and therefore potential employer) was coming in for some practise auditions. I hurriedly got up and sprinted in. Had this been a normal class there was no way I would have been admitted. Even if we’re ten seconds late for a class then we have to miss the whole thing. However, because he was seeing each person individually, and I was halfway down the list, I made it with half an hour to spare! Ironically in Movement later that morning we were exploring different levels of tension and the circumstances our tutor used was sleeping in and running late. I had some recent experience to help me with that one!
Markoesa, my Dutch flatmate, introduced me to her traditional Winter holiday ‘Sinterklaas’. Prior to the Sinterklaas celebration on the Fifth of December everyone writes a little list of gifts they would like. Similar to a secret Santa everyone gets someone else’s list but nobody knows who has who. For that person a gift is bought or made, a short rhyming poem is written, and a surprise of some sort is prepared. Then at the celebration everyone receives their gift, poem and surprise (from Sinterklaas), eats lots of traditional food, and then can try and guess whom it was actually from. Markoesa and I did it once with our two flatmates and then again with almost our whole class. It was very fun and a great reminder to me that I’m living with, and working with, some very wonderful people. I’m praying that this Christmas they might come to understand why we give gifts...
My first visit to the University of London’s Senate House Library was great, and I got some useful resources for my research project on the visual effects in Jurassic Park. Our visit was scheduled on the morning of a teachers strike for pensions, so we had to cross a picket line to get in. Research is easier in a library. It’s an environment that encourages exploration, and plundering a pile of big books is so much more satisfying than scrolling through text on a computer screen. It’s also an impressive building with an interesting history. Apparently Hitler liked the look of it for his prospective headquarters and it’s supposed to have been the inspiration for the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’.
Our Voice teacher dropped a very exciting bombshell this week. He works at Shakespeare’s Globe – the reconstruction of Shakespeare’s original theatre – and for next term we are going to learn a Shakespeare monologue and give it from that stage! Just now my goal isn’t necessarily Shakespeare, or even theatre, but even so the thought still sends a little tingle down my spine.
I’m a jammy dodger. I slept in this Friday – for the first time so far, so that’s quite impressive – and woke up at nine. It just so happened that this was the morning an outside director (and therefore potential employer) was coming in for some practise auditions. I hurriedly got up and sprinted in. Had this been a normal class there was no way I would have been admitted. Even if we’re ten seconds late for a class then we have to miss the whole thing. However, because he was seeing each person individually, and I was halfway down the list, I made it with half an hour to spare! Ironically in Movement later that morning we were exploring different levels of tension and the circumstances our tutor used was sleeping in and running late. I had some recent experience to help me with that one!
Markoesa, my Dutch flatmate, introduced me to her traditional Winter holiday ‘Sinterklaas’. Prior to the Sinterklaas celebration on the Fifth of December everyone writes a little list of gifts they would like. Similar to a secret Santa everyone gets someone else’s list but nobody knows who has who. For that person a gift is bought or made, a short rhyming poem is written, and a surprise of some sort is prepared. Then at the celebration everyone receives their gift, poem and surprise (from Sinterklaas), eats lots of traditional food, and then can try and guess whom it was actually from. Markoesa and I did it once with our two flatmates and then again with almost our whole class. It was very fun and a great reminder to me that I’m living with, and working with, some very wonderful people. I’m praying that this Christmas they might come to understand why we give gifts...
Monday, 28 November 2011
Se7en
I thought I’d be the star pupil this week. I knew, because she’d told us, that we would be having dance class on our dance teacher’s birthday. So I organised getting a card and getting everyone to secretly sign it before the class began and prepare for a big presentation. Then some guy walks through the door and says that Lynne’s off, because it’s her birthday, and he’ll be taking the class instead. Fail. I gave him the card and he sent it to her, so she still got it but the impact of the gesture was desperately diminished.
We finished learning the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) in Voice this week. It’s fun to be able to write normal English words in a way that often looks nothing like normal writing. It’s helping me become more aware of how we actually form words out of distinct sounds, and this should prove very helpful when we come to work on accents.
Our Mike Leigh project is building in complexity. This week we were given more tasks but this time they involved meeting, or working with, other characters. It was strange and exciting to walk into a pub, as my character, and meet one of my classmates, as their character, and have a genuine interaction as characters, not as a performance but purely as an experience. It’s also very interesting, and often amusing, to discover what new personalities my classmates have decided to create for themselves.
Tiredness is continuing to rear its dreary head from time to time. It tends to be when I stop and sit down, particularly in the evening, after a meal. Drowsiness just steals over me… It happened this week in Bible study to the extent that I would lower my head to look at the passage, my eyes would fall shut, and I would almost drop off! When I’m too tired to study God’s Word that’s when I really know it’s becoming a problem. That’s when it’s even more necessary to be studying the Word. And getting more sleep!
This week, for the first time, I went away for the weekend. I visited Auntie Judy in her home in Haywards Heath. We went for a refreshing walk around the beautiful Wakehurst Place. They’d just had the ‘turning on of the lights’ ceremony for the big Christmas tree the night before.
On Sunday morning we went to Judith’s church, a lovely old building very happily situated, and it was a baptism of a family of three small girls, which was really lovely. It was so great to get out of the city and spend some time in a totally different setting and I’m glad I managed to make at least one social visit this term.
That afternoon I got back to London and went to All Souls to be part of a recording of the New Year’s Day Service for BBC Radio 4. It was rather enjoyable to join a church-ful of people pretending it was the first of January! We sang some great hymns with epic arrangements by All Souls’ Director of Music Noel Tredinnick. It will be broadcast at 8.10am on New Year’s Day and, if I can wake up in time, listening to it would be a wonderful way to start 2012.
We finished learning the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) in Voice this week. It’s fun to be able to write normal English words in a way that often looks nothing like normal writing. It’s helping me become more aware of how we actually form words out of distinct sounds, and this should prove very helpful when we come to work on accents.
Our Mike Leigh project is building in complexity. This week we were given more tasks but this time they involved meeting, or working with, other characters. It was strange and exciting to walk into a pub, as my character, and meet one of my classmates, as their character, and have a genuine interaction as characters, not as a performance but purely as an experience. It’s also very interesting, and often amusing, to discover what new personalities my classmates have decided to create for themselves.
Tiredness is continuing to rear its dreary head from time to time. It tends to be when I stop and sit down, particularly in the evening, after a meal. Drowsiness just steals over me… It happened this week in Bible study to the extent that I would lower my head to look at the passage, my eyes would fall shut, and I would almost drop off! When I’m too tired to study God’s Word that’s when I really know it’s becoming a problem. That’s when it’s even more necessary to be studying the Word. And getting more sleep!
This week, for the first time, I went away for the weekend. I visited Auntie Judy in her home in Haywards Heath. We went for a refreshing walk around the beautiful Wakehurst Place. They’d just had the ‘turning on of the lights’ ceremony for the big Christmas tree the night before.
On Sunday morning we went to Judith’s church, a lovely old building very happily situated, and it was a baptism of a family of three small girls, which was really lovely. It was so great to get out of the city and spend some time in a totally different setting and I’m glad I managed to make at least one social visit this term.
That afternoon I got back to London and went to All Souls to be part of a recording of the New Year’s Day Service for BBC Radio 4. It was rather enjoyable to join a church-ful of people pretending it was the first of January! We sang some great hymns with epic arrangements by All Souls’ Director of Music Noel Tredinnick. It will be broadcast at 8.10am on New Year’s Day and, if I can wake up in time, listening to it would be a wonderful way to start 2012.
Monday, 21 November 2011
The Big Six
Starting to get some feedback on how I’m doing. Have done small assessments for Voice and Movement now, and I was emailed my Movement feedback which was quite positive. Had a couple of one-on-one feedback sessions; one for Dance, again mostly positive – except apparently I need to smile more and not look so serious when I’m concentrating – and one general one with Amanda, the Course Leader, about how the course is going – generally good but I’m too shy in group situations; I need to push myself forward and let my voice be heard a bit more. So it’s been encouraging to get some indication that I’m on roughly the right track.
We’ve started the big search for showreel material and we had a class where we just all brought in a bunch of scenes that we thought suited our type and had a read of them with others in the class. It was quite exciting to try lots of different characters and so far I’ve got a scene from Atonement (playing James McAvoy’s character) to work on and potentially a scene from The Men Who Stare At Goats (playing Ewan McGregor’s character). I’m sticking with parts played by Scots, because… well… they’re the best!
For our Mike Leigh project this week we were out in the town as our various characters. Again we were assigned tasks and we had to complete them whilst remaining in character. Mine was to visit the National Gallery and view certain paintings. It was a fascinating assignment but I confess I probably found it a lot more interesting than my character did. Some of those paintings are such masterpieces it’s impossible not to be impressed. And then you go close up to them and discover: that water is delicate brush strokes or the glint on that axe is a tiny blob of white paint or that lighting is actually different shades of colour. Some are so huge it’s a wonder how the artist practically achieved it. I also saw the Greatest Painting in Britain, according to BBC Radio 4; ‘The Fighting Temeraire’ by J M W Turner (1839). So whether or not I did much character development that afternoon it was definitely a worthwhile and very enjoyable experience.
The advantage of living with International students is that I get to learn about and experience different cultures. The advantage of living with two Americans is… Thanksgiving. Since we would all have class on actual Thanksgiving Day (this Thursday) we decided to celebrate it the weekend before. My U.S. flatmates, Amy and Jill, had a busy Saturday baking and cooking all the traditional food. We had a real turkey, which took ten hours to cook, and I helped in the kitchen a little bit making mashed potato and stuffing. A good number of people came along, lots of mine and Markoesa’s classmates and other Americans from Central. Many of them brought more food so we ended up with masses (and lots of leftovers!) and in general everyone ate far too much, which, I’m told, is what Thanksgiving is all about. I had my first taste of sweet potato pie, which is amazing, and I decided I’d quite like to be American. Or failing that I’d like to go to America, preferably in time for Thanksgiving.
The evening eventually dissolved into a big Disney songs sing-a-long, which suited me just fine, and I suddenly realised I’ve really not been doing much singing, and I miss it… However ‘tis fast approaching the season to be jolly, Christmas lights are sparking up all over London, so I’ve no doubt there’ll be plenty of carol singing to enjoy soon enough. Fa la la la la!
We’ve started the big search for showreel material and we had a class where we just all brought in a bunch of scenes that we thought suited our type and had a read of them with others in the class. It was quite exciting to try lots of different characters and so far I’ve got a scene from Atonement (playing James McAvoy’s character) to work on and potentially a scene from The Men Who Stare At Goats (playing Ewan McGregor’s character). I’m sticking with parts played by Scots, because… well… they’re the best!
For our Mike Leigh project this week we were out in the town as our various characters. Again we were assigned tasks and we had to complete them whilst remaining in character. Mine was to visit the National Gallery and view certain paintings. It was a fascinating assignment but I confess I probably found it a lot more interesting than my character did. Some of those paintings are such masterpieces it’s impossible not to be impressed. And then you go close up to them and discover: that water is delicate brush strokes or the glint on that axe is a tiny blob of white paint or that lighting is actually different shades of colour. Some are so huge it’s a wonder how the artist practically achieved it. I also saw the Greatest Painting in Britain, according to BBC Radio 4; ‘The Fighting Temeraire’ by J M W Turner (1839). So whether or not I did much character development that afternoon it was definitely a worthwhile and very enjoyable experience.
The advantage of living with International students is that I get to learn about and experience different cultures. The advantage of living with two Americans is… Thanksgiving. Since we would all have class on actual Thanksgiving Day (this Thursday) we decided to celebrate it the weekend before. My U.S. flatmates, Amy and Jill, had a busy Saturday baking and cooking all the traditional food. We had a real turkey, which took ten hours to cook, and I helped in the kitchen a little bit making mashed potato and stuffing. A good number of people came along, lots of mine and Markoesa’s classmates and other Americans from Central. Many of them brought more food so we ended up with masses (and lots of leftovers!) and in general everyone ate far too much, which, I’m told, is what Thanksgiving is all about. I had my first taste of sweet potato pie, which is amazing, and I decided I’d quite like to be American. Or failing that I’d like to go to America, preferably in time for Thanksgiving.
The evening eventually dissolved into a big Disney songs sing-a-long, which suited me just fine, and I suddenly realised I’ve really not been doing much singing, and I miss it… However ‘tis fast approaching the season to be jolly, Christmas lights are sparking up all over London, so I’ve no doubt there’ll be plenty of carol singing to enjoy soon enough. Fa la la la la!
Monday, 14 November 2011
Five, Still Alive
It’s crazy to think that already I’m more than halfway through the first term. I just know this year is going to go so fast. That’s an eighth of the course completed already!
I’m continuing to build a character for our Mike Leigh Project. Our tutor started giving us tasks to do which might be quite simple, like going for a run or going shopping, but we have to do them as the character. Whilst ‘in’ character if we meet any of our classmates we’re supposed to not recognise them, because our character wouldn’t know them, which is quite bizarre but fun. It’s interesting just how beneficial the process of simply ‘being’ the character is, and doing normal things but doing them as the character. The character experiences things differently to how I experience them and it starts to build an awareness of what it might actually be like to be that person.
I’ve finally chosen a scene to do for our theatre scenes showcase at the end of term. I paired up with a girl called Vicky and we discovered we’re both very much interested in period stuff. After a recommendation from my flatmate, Amy, we eventually settled on a scene from ‘Pygmalion’ by George Bernard Shaw (the play that My Fair Lady was based on). So I get to play Henry Higgins – a loud proud English gentleman – which should be fun.
This week I made the all important decision of which picture to use as my headshot. This will be my primary marketing tool, and the first thing that casting directors or agents or anyone will see of me, so it has to be good. The photo shoot was an interesting experience and my photographer, Simon Annand, was very good. It was about being different characters, and just trusting the thought, not trying to demonstrate anything on the face. If the thought is there then we see it in the eyes. And that’s acting. So I was learning a lot even in my photo shoot. Looking back at the photos afterwards I found I looked kind of angry in a lot of them. I think my face naturally looks quite intense and serious. However, with the help of some second opinions, I managed to find one that works quite well, and here it is:
So having settled on a church I did a bit of an All Souls marathon this week. Having gone to a morning and evening service on the Sunday I then went to an open evening on Tuesday night (where I met a guy from Elgin, lol!), back to the student Bible study on Wednesday, the morning service on Sunday, followed by a lunch with my Bible study group that afternoon, and then the evening service to finish. I don’t think they’re sick of me yet, so that’s a good sign.
I’m beginning to feel a bit out of place, like a spy in the enemy camp. I don’t fit in with all these ‘actors’; I’m not one of them. How could a polite and clean, well brought up young innocent boy (a son of the Manse no less) make it in acting? But I have crossed into their territory; and maybe from amongst them I can make a difference. Then again, maybe I am an actor. Because to get this far, and fool people into thinking I’m an actor, takes some acting…
I’m continuing to build a character for our Mike Leigh Project. Our tutor started giving us tasks to do which might be quite simple, like going for a run or going shopping, but we have to do them as the character. Whilst ‘in’ character if we meet any of our classmates we’re supposed to not recognise them, because our character wouldn’t know them, which is quite bizarre but fun. It’s interesting just how beneficial the process of simply ‘being’ the character is, and doing normal things but doing them as the character. The character experiences things differently to how I experience them and it starts to build an awareness of what it might actually be like to be that person.
I’ve finally chosen a scene to do for our theatre scenes showcase at the end of term. I paired up with a girl called Vicky and we discovered we’re both very much interested in period stuff. After a recommendation from my flatmate, Amy, we eventually settled on a scene from ‘Pygmalion’ by George Bernard Shaw (the play that My Fair Lady was based on). So I get to play Henry Higgins – a loud proud English gentleman – which should be fun.
This week I made the all important decision of which picture to use as my headshot. This will be my primary marketing tool, and the first thing that casting directors or agents or anyone will see of me, so it has to be good. The photo shoot was an interesting experience and my photographer, Simon Annand, was very good. It was about being different characters, and just trusting the thought, not trying to demonstrate anything on the face. If the thought is there then we see it in the eyes. And that’s acting. So I was learning a lot even in my photo shoot. Looking back at the photos afterwards I found I looked kind of angry in a lot of them. I think my face naturally looks quite intense and serious. However, with the help of some second opinions, I managed to find one that works quite well, and here it is:
So having settled on a church I did a bit of an All Souls marathon this week. Having gone to a morning and evening service on the Sunday I then went to an open evening on Tuesday night (where I met a guy from Elgin, lol!), back to the student Bible study on Wednesday, the morning service on Sunday, followed by a lunch with my Bible study group that afternoon, and then the evening service to finish. I don’t think they’re sick of me yet, so that’s a good sign.
I’m beginning to feel a bit out of place, like a spy in the enemy camp. I don’t fit in with all these ‘actors’; I’m not one of them. How could a polite and clean, well brought up young innocent boy (a son of the Manse no less) make it in acting? But I have crossed into their territory; and maybe from amongst them I can make a difference. Then again, maybe I am an actor. Because to get this far, and fool people into thinking I’m an actor, takes some acting…
Monday, 7 November 2011
Fantastic Four
When the energy levels plunge, and the fierce appetite goes, and it takes half an hour to get out of bed in the morning it’s time to start admitting it: I’m not getting enough sleep. I daresay I’m supposed to say I’m getting to bed late because I socialise too much or something, but the truth is I’m normally finishing off tomorrow’s homework, or prepping a scene, or memorising some text. It’s all good stuff but the fact remains that I simply don’t have the energy required for this discipline if I’m only getting, on average, five hours sleep each night.
The workload is gradually piling up. I counted how many times my tutors have given us a task or exercise and said we should be doing it ‘every day’. Seven times. That’s a substantial daily workload, and that’s on top of 9-6 classes! I’ve also started doing two cardio fitness sessions each week, one on Monday and one on Friday. These are basically one hour of non-stop moving and non-stop sweat. They’re tough, but they’re so good. As I’ve said, I love physical exercise; it makes me feel alive! And, strangely, it gives me energy rather than sapping it.
We finished our first performance project this week; making short silent films. It was rather fun to screen them with the whole class and see what the other groups had been working on. I was somewhat dissatisfied with ours. We were quite ambitious with the narrative and, having not worked on the script enough, the story didn’t really hold up. But it’s tough writing by committee, and I thought we did work admirably well as a group. Now we start our next project which involves everyone privately creating a character, in detail, and then our tutor will bring us together for improvisation and eventually form scenes with the characters (in the style of Mike Leigh). It’s like a big game of Cluedo!
Bonfire night in London is quite impressive and a busy night for the London fire service. I was walking down a street on my way to meet my classmates, the air thick with smoke; bangs, flashes and explosions going off on both sides and regular distant sirens. It felt a bit like walking through a war-zone, and for a moment I could glimpse a taste of what World War II London might have been like. Strange that our 'remembrance' of the 5th November has become a 'celebration' of explosives. Fireworks are pretty though, that I can't deny.
So I’ve finally settled on a church. There are so many good churches in London and each one I tried was appealing in different ways. I was looking for somewhere really Bible-based, that has musical-worship that I can enjoy, that provides lots of opportunities for me to serve and get involved, and where I feel welcome. This I have found at All Souls. It was the first church I tried and I knew then I really liked it. Going back, after five weeks, felt a little bit like coming home. So that’s where I’m sticking.
Once when I was in Sainsbury’s a loud Scotsman was having trouble at the self-service checkout and I heard the supervisor say they don’t accept Scottish money unless it’s sterling. I was SO tempted to step up and say, in piercing Scots drawl, “Excuse me! Is there a problem with the money?!” and then drop in the classic, “That’s legal tender!” I was tempted, but it was a Saturday morning and the supermarket was very busy so instead I just paid for my milk, grinned to myself and went home for breakfast.
The workload is gradually piling up. I counted how many times my tutors have given us a task or exercise and said we should be doing it ‘every day’. Seven times. That’s a substantial daily workload, and that’s on top of 9-6 classes! I’ve also started doing two cardio fitness sessions each week, one on Monday and one on Friday. These are basically one hour of non-stop moving and non-stop sweat. They’re tough, but they’re so good. As I’ve said, I love physical exercise; it makes me feel alive! And, strangely, it gives me energy rather than sapping it.
We finished our first performance project this week; making short silent films. It was rather fun to screen them with the whole class and see what the other groups had been working on. I was somewhat dissatisfied with ours. We were quite ambitious with the narrative and, having not worked on the script enough, the story didn’t really hold up. But it’s tough writing by committee, and I thought we did work admirably well as a group. Now we start our next project which involves everyone privately creating a character, in detail, and then our tutor will bring us together for improvisation and eventually form scenes with the characters (in the style of Mike Leigh). It’s like a big game of Cluedo!
Bonfire night in London is quite impressive and a busy night for the London fire service. I was walking down a street on my way to meet my classmates, the air thick with smoke; bangs, flashes and explosions going off on both sides and regular distant sirens. It felt a bit like walking through a war-zone, and for a moment I could glimpse a taste of what World War II London might have been like. Strange that our 'remembrance' of the 5th November has become a 'celebration' of explosives. Fireworks are pretty though, that I can't deny.
So I’ve finally settled on a church. There are so many good churches in London and each one I tried was appealing in different ways. I was looking for somewhere really Bible-based, that has musical-worship that I can enjoy, that provides lots of opportunities for me to serve and get involved, and where I feel welcome. This I have found at All Souls. It was the first church I tried and I knew then I really liked it. Going back, after five weeks, felt a little bit like coming home. So that’s where I’m sticking.
Once when I was in Sainsbury’s a loud Scotsman was having trouble at the self-service checkout and I heard the supervisor say they don’t accept Scottish money unless it’s sterling. I was SO tempted to step up and say, in piercing Scots drawl, “Excuse me! Is there a problem with the money?!” and then drop in the classic, “That’s legal tender!” I was tempted, but it was a Saturday morning and the supermarket was very busy so instead I just paid for my milk, grinned to myself and went home for breakfast.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
FREEEDOM!!!
I dressed up as William Wallace from Braveheart for a Halloween Party. I’m not likely to get that opportunity very often so I thought I’d better make the most of it! Here’s a picture, for amusement sake.
Monday, 31 October 2011
Three Weeks In
As part of the course we got to attend the BFI London Film Festival and we went to see a Belgian art film called The Last Winter. It was beautifully shot in some stunning landscapes but incredibly boring. I don’t mind slow films that much, but if the pace never changes even slightly then it’s bad news for a tired work-laden acting student on a Monday afternoon. I did stay awake; I struggled, but I did.
Shooting our 3minute film with no dialogue was a great experience. Our choice of location was ambitious to say the least: Westminster. On two occasions we were stopped and questioned by the police and both times they were very friendly and understanding. We got some lovely shots with Big Ben in the background and some background extras from the hordes of passers-by gave more than funny looks during the scenes with us fighting beside the road or pretending to jump off the bridge. It’s so public, so busy and so noisy that we would never normally be able to do any filming there, so I’m glad we took this opportunity.
We had a particularly intense movement session on Friday, by the end of which about a third of the class were in tears. It was quite draining because we pretty much didn’t stop moving for two hours, and I suppose it started to unlock emotions because we were moving to some pretty powerful music. At the end I felt strong compassion for my classmates but also strangely alienated: the session seemed to unlock cheerfulness in me rather than sorrow, so I was sitting there grinning like an idiot amidst the tears and sniffs! But we had a big group hug at the end of it, so that was fine.
I went to St Helen’s church this week by a friend’s recommendation. It is a great church, bigger than I expected, and I felt very welcome. I had a really exciting chat with a filmmaker who has just entered the same competition I entered some years ago called ‘Enter the Pitch’. Register to vote for his pitch here:
http://www.enterthepitch.com/1319711920.pitch
He mentioned an article he had read entitled something like ‘God is back in Movies’. These are exciting times. More than ever before Christians need to get involved in the film industry: Hollywood is turning from superficial superhero spectacles to meaningful Biblical Blockbusters. In the next few years we will see epic realisations of the stories of Noah (directed by Aronofsky), David & Goliath (starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Taylor Lautner), Moses (directed by Spielberg) and the poem ‘Paradise Lost’ (directed by Proyas – who directed I, Robot). In the past Biblical epics have been huge commercial successes and let’s also not forget that many in today’s cinema audience may never have heard these stories. Believers need to be present in every area of the industry to ensure that the truth and meaning of these powerful stories is maintained. This is why I’m pursuing this career, and it's no coincidence that this is happening now. I really sense that something huge, and more exciting than I could have imagined is just around the corner. God is revealing Himself to a new generation through cinema, and He's gathering an army of His people to make it happen. And what makes this so exciting and exhilarating is that He's called me to be a part of it.
My aunt, Judith, sent me an apple tree sapling for my birthday and this week I planted it in our little back yard. The story with my flatmates is that in fifty years time the tree will be really big and there’ll be four different students living here. Then one day a famous actor will turn up at their door and ask to see his apple tree!
Shooting our 3minute film with no dialogue was a great experience. Our choice of location was ambitious to say the least: Westminster. On two occasions we were stopped and questioned by the police and both times they were very friendly and understanding. We got some lovely shots with Big Ben in the background and some background extras from the hordes of passers-by gave more than funny looks during the scenes with us fighting beside the road or pretending to jump off the bridge. It’s so public, so busy and so noisy that we would never normally be able to do any filming there, so I’m glad we took this opportunity.
We had a particularly intense movement session on Friday, by the end of which about a third of the class were in tears. It was quite draining because we pretty much didn’t stop moving for two hours, and I suppose it started to unlock emotions because we were moving to some pretty powerful music. At the end I felt strong compassion for my classmates but also strangely alienated: the session seemed to unlock cheerfulness in me rather than sorrow, so I was sitting there grinning like an idiot amidst the tears and sniffs! But we had a big group hug at the end of it, so that was fine.
I went to St Helen’s church this week by a friend’s recommendation. It is a great church, bigger than I expected, and I felt very welcome. I had a really exciting chat with a filmmaker who has just entered the same competition I entered some years ago called ‘Enter the Pitch’. Register to vote for his pitch here:
http://www.enterthepitch.com/1319711920.pitch
He mentioned an article he had read entitled something like ‘God is back in Movies’. These are exciting times. More than ever before Christians need to get involved in the film industry: Hollywood is turning from superficial superhero spectacles to meaningful Biblical Blockbusters. In the next few years we will see epic realisations of the stories of Noah (directed by Aronofsky), David & Goliath (starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Taylor Lautner), Moses (directed by Spielberg) and the poem ‘Paradise Lost’ (directed by Proyas – who directed I, Robot). In the past Biblical epics have been huge commercial successes and let’s also not forget that many in today’s cinema audience may never have heard these stories. Believers need to be present in every area of the industry to ensure that the truth and meaning of these powerful stories is maintained. This is why I’m pursuing this career, and it's no coincidence that this is happening now. I really sense that something huge, and more exciting than I could have imagined is just around the corner. God is revealing Himself to a new generation through cinema, and He's gathering an army of His people to make it happen. And what makes this so exciting and exhilarating is that He's called me to be a part of it.
My aunt, Judith, sent me an apple tree sapling for my birthday and this week I planted it in our little back yard. The story with my flatmates is that in fifty years time the tree will be really big and there’ll be four different students living here. Then one day a famous actor will turn up at their door and ask to see his apple tree!
Monday, 24 October 2011
First Not First Week
At the start of this week we discussed ‘type’ a bit which was very interesting. I was excited (and relieved) to discover that the roles I would suit (according to my tutor) are exactly the kind I want. The ‘nice guy’, the soldier/officer, the best friend, upper class roles, period roles, Mr Darcy… I am my own ‘product’ and as a beginner this ‘type’ is what I have to sell myself as. Score! What are the odds that I would have looks and personality that exactly match the characters I really want to play… The fingerprints of God again.
We’ve started our first performance project for which we’re in groups of five. Our task is to write, shoot and edit a 2-3 minute short film with no dialogue, on the theme of ‘time’, where all five of us appear in a significant role. This is familiar territory for me and it’s strange to be the youngest inexperienced actor in the class and yet in my group to be the one with the most technical knowledge. It makes me so appreciative and thankful for the course I’ve just completed and reminds me how much I did actually learn from it.
I’ve started on some extra evening classes working on theatre scenes. I think it’s a good idea, on a course so focussed on screen acting, to keep practising theatre on the side. In the future I would definitely try for some work in theatre if it was a good role, and if it paid. Also it was refreshing to get to work on a script and actually do some acting. It was an opportunity to take all the teaching in movement, thoughts and objectives, relaxation and breathing, and actually practically apply them.
When it comes to meals I’m quite proud to say I’ve been dabbling in the culinary arts more often than not. I pack myself a lunchbox every day without fail so I can make sure I’ve got a good supply of high energy fruit and nuts, and because it’s cheaper. When at home my two favourite dishes are omelette and toasties, mostly because they’re quick and easy, and there is scope for lots of variety in toppings. My philosophy is, as long as I don’t find myself eating the same thing too regularly then I’m doing alright. I’m learning that there’s lots of fun to be had in the kitchen. I think my next experiment will be Egg Rosti…
The church search continues. Last Sunday I went to the Metropolitan Tabernacle – what used to be Spurgeon’s church. This was another big one but hugely different from Holy Trinity Brompton. It was a very traditional service format, led solely by the minister, and with old organ-accompanied congregational hymns. Everyone was smartly dressed, mostly in black suits, and I was ushered briskly to my seat where everyone sat in complete silence waiting for the service to start. I must have looked somewhat out of place sauntering through in shirt and jeans, with a rucksack slung over my shoulder. But it is a good church, even if only because the sermons are amazing. Peter Masters is the minister there and he is brilliant. Both the morning and evening address was a solid challenging message that gloriously uncovered the deep truth in the passage. Masters has authored many books and leaflets also and I took some of the free handouts away with me.
This Sunday my experience was somewhat less encouraging. I went to St Columba’s Church of Scotland and it was a sad affair. I went in hope that perhaps here in London our nation’s church had not suffered the same fate as so many congregations on native soil. Alas my hope was in vain. It’s vacant, the pews were mostly empty, the average age was over sixty, and the seven or eight young children were thoroughly patronised during the children’s address before being removed. I was encouraged to see one smiling young-ish lady in front of me until I discovered it was also her first time. The service was more similar to the style of Paisley Abbey than a normal parish Kirk, they even had a half-decent choir, but the sermon was tragically hollow, speculative and in no way related to the passages that were read. Maybe it was just the shocking contrast to Peter Masters but during the ‘sermon’ I felt a sudden urge to stand up, turn to the scattered congregation and yell, “Please, don’t listen to him. He’s preaching his opinion. Listen to the Word of God. It is Truth!”… I didn’t. But I squirmed through his whole ‘feel-good mumbo-jumbo’ and belted out the hymns as loud as I could.
It struck me that here was a representative picture of the whole Church of Scotland: it is vacant – leaderless or misled, lost and uncertain; it has abandoned the Word of God – picking and choosing from God’s Truth, joking about sin, conforming to society; and it is dying – congregations are small and old, the younger generation are not being reached, and the whole institution is splitting, crumbling, and falling apart. We have strayed so far, but I believe it is not too late if we are willing to turn back to God, put His Word firmly at the centre of everything and lift up Christ as the Head of the Church. I earnestly hope and pray that He will not let the Church of Scotland fall but will restore it. The nomination committee at St Columba’s have chosen a possible new minister who will be preaching there in a few weeks. He’s a Macleod so that’s got to be a good sign!
It’s funny how some things are the same no matter where we are; like the taste of chocolate. As I finish writing this I am eating some chocolate. We’ve come to an agreement in our flat; chocolate is good. It’s true. And it reminds me of Christmas…
We’ve started our first performance project for which we’re in groups of five. Our task is to write, shoot and edit a 2-3 minute short film with no dialogue, on the theme of ‘time’, where all five of us appear in a significant role. This is familiar territory for me and it’s strange to be the youngest inexperienced actor in the class and yet in my group to be the one with the most technical knowledge. It makes me so appreciative and thankful for the course I’ve just completed and reminds me how much I did actually learn from it.
I’ve started on some extra evening classes working on theatre scenes. I think it’s a good idea, on a course so focussed on screen acting, to keep practising theatre on the side. In the future I would definitely try for some work in theatre if it was a good role, and if it paid. Also it was refreshing to get to work on a script and actually do some acting. It was an opportunity to take all the teaching in movement, thoughts and objectives, relaxation and breathing, and actually practically apply them.
When it comes to meals I’m quite proud to say I’ve been dabbling in the culinary arts more often than not. I pack myself a lunchbox every day without fail so I can make sure I’ve got a good supply of high energy fruit and nuts, and because it’s cheaper. When at home my two favourite dishes are omelette and toasties, mostly because they’re quick and easy, and there is scope for lots of variety in toppings. My philosophy is, as long as I don’t find myself eating the same thing too regularly then I’m doing alright. I’m learning that there’s lots of fun to be had in the kitchen. I think my next experiment will be Egg Rosti…
The church search continues. Last Sunday I went to the Metropolitan Tabernacle – what used to be Spurgeon’s church. This was another big one but hugely different from Holy Trinity Brompton. It was a very traditional service format, led solely by the minister, and with old organ-accompanied congregational hymns. Everyone was smartly dressed, mostly in black suits, and I was ushered briskly to my seat where everyone sat in complete silence waiting for the service to start. I must have looked somewhat out of place sauntering through in shirt and jeans, with a rucksack slung over my shoulder. But it is a good church, even if only because the sermons are amazing. Peter Masters is the minister there and he is brilliant. Both the morning and evening address was a solid challenging message that gloriously uncovered the deep truth in the passage. Masters has authored many books and leaflets also and I took some of the free handouts away with me.
This Sunday my experience was somewhat less encouraging. I went to St Columba’s Church of Scotland and it was a sad affair. I went in hope that perhaps here in London our nation’s church had not suffered the same fate as so many congregations on native soil. Alas my hope was in vain. It’s vacant, the pews were mostly empty, the average age was over sixty, and the seven or eight young children were thoroughly patronised during the children’s address before being removed. I was encouraged to see one smiling young-ish lady in front of me until I discovered it was also her first time. The service was more similar to the style of Paisley Abbey than a normal parish Kirk, they even had a half-decent choir, but the sermon was tragically hollow, speculative and in no way related to the passages that were read. Maybe it was just the shocking contrast to Peter Masters but during the ‘sermon’ I felt a sudden urge to stand up, turn to the scattered congregation and yell, “Please, don’t listen to him. He’s preaching his opinion. Listen to the Word of God. It is Truth!”… I didn’t. But I squirmed through his whole ‘feel-good mumbo-jumbo’ and belted out the hymns as loud as I could.
It struck me that here was a representative picture of the whole Church of Scotland: it is vacant – leaderless or misled, lost and uncertain; it has abandoned the Word of God – picking and choosing from God’s Truth, joking about sin, conforming to society; and it is dying – congregations are small and old, the younger generation are not being reached, and the whole institution is splitting, crumbling, and falling apart. We have strayed so far, but I believe it is not too late if we are willing to turn back to God, put His Word firmly at the centre of everything and lift up Christ as the Head of the Church. I earnestly hope and pray that He will not let the Church of Scotland fall but will restore it. The nomination committee at St Columba’s have chosen a possible new minister who will be preaching there in a few weeks. He’s a Macleod so that’s got to be a good sign!
It’s funny how some things are the same no matter where we are; like the taste of chocolate. As I finish writing this I am eating some chocolate. We’ve come to an agreement in our flat; chocolate is good. It’s true. And it reminds me of Christmas…
Monday, 17 October 2011
First Week
Tuesday was my first day of classes and it was AWESOME! We had a Movement class at 9am followed by Acting followed by a short lunch break followed by Voice until 1730 (and that was an early finish). I was on my feet (bare feet) the entire day and it was invigorating! I felt alive. This is it, this is what I came for, this is what I've been missing for three years. This is 'work' as God intended it; mental and physical toil together. This is the antidote to all those days in the Academy sitting on hard chairs in large movement rooms for a class; but sitting, not using the space, educating the mind but not the body, losing connection with my physicality, core and even emotions. Now, wonderfully, I have this opportunity, a year, to waken up my body and reconnect. It’s going to be a challenging year of taking risks, making brave choices and being open and honest. Integral to an actor's work is the ability to be totally truthful, not ‘acting’ or faking things but simply being…
Wednesday was an 8.45am start, just to shake things up a bit, but in general the days are nine to six. Real nine to six! Then we have homework from all the various tutors so evenings are quickly filled up too. It’s busy, it’s craziness, but it’s so good.
All the tutors are brilliant at what they do. Each are very specialised in their field (e.g. movement, voice, camera, dance) but also have a clear awareness of how their ‘piece’ fits into the jigsaw of the overall actor’s process. They are focussed and passionate and there is always something to get excited about in every class. The classes are usually at least two hours long, but it doesn’t feel like it. Once there is a group of committed people working hard together, time is often left at the door. And my classmates are great; varied and fascinating people, genuine and open, and hardworking. I’m often surprised at how aware they seem to be of themselves (and in contrast how unaware I am of myself) and how well they can articulate their thoughts and feelings. So far I have been contributing very little, which worries me a little, but perhaps that will change. Most of the time I find myself going through a whole class and just listening; taking in what the tutor and others are saying.
It’s exhausting work. Draining, but in a good way. I tend to notice it when I’m going to sleep or when I get up. My body feels different, I’m more conscious of a body-mind connection, my general awareness is slowly opening up and I feel like I’m breathing in more of life. Which has its down-sides. I woke on Sunday morning with a really bad sore throat, which soon transferred itself to my nose and is now a regular cold. I don’t get ill very easily, but clearly this has been a lifestyle change significant enough to catch my immune system off-guard.
I’m continuing my search for a church; I’ve tried Holy Trinity Brompton – it’s big and trendy and BIG. I received a welcome from the legendary Sticky Crumble (Nicky Gumbel), and that was quite an experience. Being at their student service was literally like being at a rock concert with the loud band, lights, smoke, the works. Part of the importance of church for me is being able to mingle with people of all different ages, because I’m with students all the rest of the time. So I don’t think being part of HTB’s Student Population is what I need. It’s cool, and it’s not me.
There is so much to tell, so much going on and so little time even to reflect as I am doing now. But I must endeavour to keep finding the time. It is important; even just to remind myself I’m really doing this, that it’s really happening. Praise God.
Wednesday was an 8.45am start, just to shake things up a bit, but in general the days are nine to six. Real nine to six! Then we have homework from all the various tutors so evenings are quickly filled up too. It’s busy, it’s craziness, but it’s so good.
All the tutors are brilliant at what they do. Each are very specialised in their field (e.g. movement, voice, camera, dance) but also have a clear awareness of how their ‘piece’ fits into the jigsaw of the overall actor’s process. They are focussed and passionate and there is always something to get excited about in every class. The classes are usually at least two hours long, but it doesn’t feel like it. Once there is a group of committed people working hard together, time is often left at the door. And my classmates are great; varied and fascinating people, genuine and open, and hardworking. I’m often surprised at how aware they seem to be of themselves (and in contrast how unaware I am of myself) and how well they can articulate their thoughts and feelings. So far I have been contributing very little, which worries me a little, but perhaps that will change. Most of the time I find myself going through a whole class and just listening; taking in what the tutor and others are saying.
It’s exhausting work. Draining, but in a good way. I tend to notice it when I’m going to sleep or when I get up. My body feels different, I’m more conscious of a body-mind connection, my general awareness is slowly opening up and I feel like I’m breathing in more of life. Which has its down-sides. I woke on Sunday morning with a really bad sore throat, which soon transferred itself to my nose and is now a regular cold. I don’t get ill very easily, but clearly this has been a lifestyle change significant enough to catch my immune system off-guard.
I’m continuing my search for a church; I’ve tried Holy Trinity Brompton – it’s big and trendy and BIG. I received a welcome from the legendary Sticky Crumble (Nicky Gumbel), and that was quite an experience. Being at their student service was literally like being at a rock concert with the loud band, lights, smoke, the works. Part of the importance of church for me is being able to mingle with people of all different ages, because I’m with students all the rest of the time. So I don’t think being part of HTB’s Student Population is what I need. It’s cool, and it’s not me.
There is so much to tell, so much going on and so little time even to reflect as I am doing now. But I must endeavour to keep finding the time. It is important; even just to remind myself I’m really doing this, that it’s really happening. Praise God.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Dewar Arts Award
Check out my profile on the Dewar Arts Award website:
http://www.dewarawards.org/ArtistDetails.aspx?ArtistId=341
“Renaissance man” – I’m loving that! The biography was not written by me I hasten to add. Strange to think that only a few months ago I was browsing those previous winners thinking, I really really hope they’ll give me something… And they did. Yay!
http://www.dewarawards.org/ArtistDetails.aspx?ArtistId=341
“Renaissance man” – I’m loving that! The biography was not written by me I hasten to add. Strange to think that only a few months ago I was browsing those previous winners thinking, I really really hope they’ll give me something… And they did. Yay!
Monday, 10 October 2011
First Times
Humid rain dropped from a grey October sky onto the fiercely perspiring brow of a young man dragging a huge wheeled-suitcase into Glasgow Central Railway Station. Even on the smooth station floor his heavy luggage, his whole life in a bag, seemed to heave against him, pulling away from the life ahead, urging him to return to the familiar. But there was no turning back now. With barely a minute to spare – soaked in sweat – he threw himself, his luggage, his life, onto a train bound for London and found a seat. Arms and hands throbbing, shoulders tensed, unable to even sit back because of the warm moisture dripping down his back, this lonely traveller sped off… into the future.
Wonderfully glamorous. And if I thought getting to the train in Glasgow was hard then getting to my London house – navigating the underground whilst sufficiently laden so as to render me almost completely immobile, and eventually trying to get a taxi but with no credit on my phone – was almost outside the realms of possibility. Still, I made it, and seemingly with energy to spare as that same night I accompanied Jill and Amy, my two American flatmates, swing dancing (!) and then, briefly, to a house party where I met a couple of my soon-to-be classmates.
The next day was Sunday and I took the opportunity to attend All Souls, the church where Christianity Explored began, and hear Rico Tice preach. It’s a big church, with a major emphasis on Internationals, and as a visitor I felt extremely welcome and at home. Of course, vast quantities of the people that walk through the door every Sunday are probably visiting, there for the first time, and this is a very foreign concept to me and must be hugely challenging for a church. But All Souls is a good church; Bible-based, mission-focussed, and very friendly and welcoming. If I wasn’t so keen to experience some other churches in London I would just settle there now.
The next day was my 21st birthday, and I spent most of it cleaning and tidying my very dusty bedroom. Starting a new life can be very fun and satisfying; deciding how to arrange the bedroom, where to put everything, what system to use in the sock drawer; discovering the kitchen, the shower, whether the living room couch is comfy, fixing the broken drawers… It can also be exhausting; one thing I’m completely tired of already is spending money. I thought I brought a lot of stuff with me but there is so much still to get. Bedding, towels, food, tickets, stationary, clothes, food again- it just never stops. My funds are rapidly running out and I’m already living on borrowed money because my loan is taking its time to come through. It’s a good exercise in managing finances… and patience.
My first week in London was full of ‘first-time’ experiences: my first time meeting my three flatmates – Markoesa (from Holland) is the third and also a classmate; my first time meeting the rest of my class, which was somewhat daunting as most have tonnes of experience and have been working for years (I think I’m the youngest… yikes); my first time walking around Central as an official registered student; my first time in a London theatre – saw ‘No Naughty Bits’ about when Monty Python went to America, which was pretty rubbish and a cold reminder of what I’m up against in this industry, namely: mocking moral boundaries equals comedy; my first time visiting London Zoo, where I watched a pair of highly bored lions for a while; and of course my first time in a London cinema, where I saw The Lion King 3D which was awesome and where the lions were decidedly not bored.
So far it’s all been great but I’m rather impatient to get started on what I actually came for; my course! Even now it’s hard to believe that I’m actually here and this is actually happening. That God would open this door in the first place is truly amazing, and now that I’m actually walking through it I sense that He’s been ‘in the shadows’ all along, preparing me. How magnificent to be serving the King! But it’s going to be hard, that much is guaranteed. I’ve decided on a verse I’m going to hold onto throughout this year:
“‘They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 1:19
Wonderfully glamorous. And if I thought getting to the train in Glasgow was hard then getting to my London house – navigating the underground whilst sufficiently laden so as to render me almost completely immobile, and eventually trying to get a taxi but with no credit on my phone – was almost outside the realms of possibility. Still, I made it, and seemingly with energy to spare as that same night I accompanied Jill and Amy, my two American flatmates, swing dancing (!) and then, briefly, to a house party where I met a couple of my soon-to-be classmates.
The next day was Sunday and I took the opportunity to attend All Souls, the church where Christianity Explored began, and hear Rico Tice preach. It’s a big church, with a major emphasis on Internationals, and as a visitor I felt extremely welcome and at home. Of course, vast quantities of the people that walk through the door every Sunday are probably visiting, there for the first time, and this is a very foreign concept to me and must be hugely challenging for a church. But All Souls is a good church; Bible-based, mission-focussed, and very friendly and welcoming. If I wasn’t so keen to experience some other churches in London I would just settle there now.
The next day was my 21st birthday, and I spent most of it cleaning and tidying my very dusty bedroom. Starting a new life can be very fun and satisfying; deciding how to arrange the bedroom, where to put everything, what system to use in the sock drawer; discovering the kitchen, the shower, whether the living room couch is comfy, fixing the broken drawers… It can also be exhausting; one thing I’m completely tired of already is spending money. I thought I brought a lot of stuff with me but there is so much still to get. Bedding, towels, food, tickets, stationary, clothes, food again- it just never stops. My funds are rapidly running out and I’m already living on borrowed money because my loan is taking its time to come through. It’s a good exercise in managing finances… and patience.
My first week in London was full of ‘first-time’ experiences: my first time meeting my three flatmates – Markoesa (from Holland) is the third and also a classmate; my first time meeting the rest of my class, which was somewhat daunting as most have tonnes of experience and have been working for years (I think I’m the youngest… yikes); my first time walking around Central as an official registered student; my first time in a London theatre – saw ‘No Naughty Bits’ about when Monty Python went to America, which was pretty rubbish and a cold reminder of what I’m up against in this industry, namely: mocking moral boundaries equals comedy; my first time visiting London Zoo, where I watched a pair of highly bored lions for a while; and of course my first time in a London cinema, where I saw The Lion King 3D which was awesome and where the lions were decidedly not bored.
So far it’s all been great but I’m rather impatient to get started on what I actually came for; my course! Even now it’s hard to believe that I’m actually here and this is actually happening. That God would open this door in the first place is truly amazing, and now that I’m actually walking through it I sense that He’s been ‘in the shadows’ all along, preparing me. How magnificent to be serving the King! But it’s going to be hard, that much is guaranteed. I’ve decided on a verse I’m going to hold onto throughout this year:
“‘They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 1:19
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