Journal Entry #2

September 27, 2007

Dear Fairfield,

Whether it was a high school production, a Broadway musical or a kindergarten masterpiece, we have all experienced some work of theatre. However, this past weekend, I had the joy of not only experiencing a theatrical production, but also being able to immerse myself in the world of the actors.

From September 20-22, my acting professor, Jon Leiseth, and his company performed "Ravenous," a piece they had been working on all summer in Minnesota. Based on the history of King Henry VIII's six wives, the seven member cast brought their work to The Quick Center for the Arts here at Fairfield for its world premiere.

However, this play was in no way the conventional type of performance most are used to seeing. Known as a devised work, the ensemble came together over the summer with only the premise of the Tudor family history in their minds, and worked in collaborative effort to create this ever-evolving piece.

This piece also tore down the fourth wall that the majority of plays stand behind and allowed the cast to interact with and directly engage the audience, who was assigned the role of King Henry. Working to please and impress us, the king, the actors played their parts to explore a world of power and sensuality.

But what made this show even more memorable was not only seeing my professor and classmate, Sarah Gatti '10, up on stage, but being able to train with them, as well as the rest of the "Ravenous" cast, during my Acting I class. During our regular class and our PPL (Physical Performance Lab) sessions, various members of the cast trained alongside us as Vera Mariner, a "Ravenous" cast member, shared her voice expertise and taught us proper breathing techniques.

While learning from this professional acting company, we also had the benefit of getting to know them before their performances, connecting us to the show that much more. From the meet-and-greet the first day they arrived, to the talkbacks after each performance, we were able to strike up friendships with the actors, adding to the intimacy of the performance and heightening our engagement with the action on the stage.

It's very rare that one has such an opportunity to work with the professionals they see on stage as in depth as we did. The "Ravenous" Residency certainly started the semester in Acting I off on a high note and I simply can't wait to see what the coming months hold in store!

Talk soon!

love, anna.