3:30 PM
Wednesday, April 9
If anyone is wondering why I (or any other of the grads, for that matter) haven't written in a couple of days, it is because we haven't stopped since Monday morning. In fact, the only reason I have time to write is because I seem to have caught a small cold, and am resting for the afternoon. Don't worry, though, because the European Healthcare System has taken very good care of me. I just paid less than 10 dollars at the pharmacy for a Z-pack, and I didn't have to use insurance of any kind. Wouldn't that be nice in America? But this is a conversation for another day. :-) Anyhow, it will be pretty difficult to sum everything up for you, but I'll give it my best shot.
We arrived at Les Subsistance early Monday morning, where the first order of business was to record our fingerprints at the security booth. The entrances to all buildings here use a fancy keypad that recognizes your finger. Pretty high-tech, huh? Right after this, we immediately sat down in the classroom for our first French class.
Let me just stop right here and talk about how great Martha (our French teacher, who came with us) has been. Her class is interactive, and by that I mean that she is just a naturally gifted teacher, who has introduced several different methods and interactive ways to make the language alive and useful for everyone. Because we are all on such different levels in our speaking ability, she definitely has her work cut out for her, and is doing a fantastic job. I'm picking up more and more French every day, and am finally beginning to understand bits and pieces of what's being said to me.
Ok, where was I? After French class, we moved into the residence hall, where we were delighted to find that we unexpectedly got our own rooms! The facilities are more than I ever hoped they would be. The rooms hallway itself is about 12 feet wide, and all the doors are really small and old-fashioned. They've really tried to keep much of the original architecture intact, which still gives the entire building that whole "monastery" feel. The kitchen is big and bright, with ample space and enough dishes to comfortably accommodate all 11 of us. Our rooms are spacious, each with its own bathroom and large closet. It's pretty much like we're in one big house together, and everyone has enough privacy if they need. It's been great so far.
After we moved in, we walked across the courtyard to the restaurant that provides our lunch every day. And, let me tell you, I need not go anywhere else in Lyon to get the perfect French cuisine experience. The food in this restaurant is to die for...and at roughly 20 euros (about 35 American dollars) a head at every sit-down, we are all extremely grateful to be eating this amazing food for FREE.
At the beginning of lunch, this charming little Frenchman comes up to the table and begins introducing himself. We learn that this is Daniel, the director/actor from the local conservatoire who is to be giving us a lecture that afternoon. As he joined us for lunch, he wanted to know what sorts of questions we had about "the process" of theatre in France. He would formulate his lecture based on our questions. We also learned that four French students from his school would be joining us every day in our workshops for the next two weeks, which was a pleasant surprise for all of us. Elsa, Simon, Arnaud, and Charles soon followed Daniel, and I must say that they are a delightful and funny group of people. They are learning English as we are learning French, and all conversations thus far have been held in wonderful mix of the two languages.
Daniel's lecture about the way French view theatre left me completely awestruck. Everything here is about COLLABORATION...funny thought, huh? There is no "boss," and no right or wrong. Even the director does not have the same role here. Everyone is working together for the good of the whole, and this is something the Europeans find very important. In general, the artistic culture here is much more prevalent than at home. The GOVERNMENT runs all the theatre schools and conservatoires, and the directors report directly to the Minister of Arts...this shows you how integral the French think theatre should be. It is absolutely unbelievable to be in a place that highly values the arts and its impact on one's life. Just as an example, Les Subsistance (where we are studying) operates alone on the over 2 million Euros it receives from the Government, and uses this money to constantly create new art. Many will say, "Yes, but doesn't this all come from taxpayers' pockets?" The answer is YES, and I don't think that's a problem. The problem lies in our country's unwilling-ness to financially support art, because most do not understand the importance of art to the quality of life. And don't worry, the French people definitely get their butts in the seats to view these productions. Nearly every show we saw at the Festival this weekend was packed, mostly with locals who wanted to spend their weekend watching people CREATE. Why don't we Americans work this way? Why do we sit on our butts watching television instead of supporting something that is good for mankind? You may be shocked and dismayed to find out that only a sad 1% of Americans attend the theatre on a regular basis. I think this can definitely explain many of the problems with our society. Ok...I'll get off my soapbox now.
Tuesday and today have been wonderful, if not extremely tiring. After French class yesterday morning, we walked to the studio to meet Xavier, our very kind (and very attractive) teacher who was to run our acrobatics workshop. I won't go into all of the things we've done (walking horizontally along a wall being one...don't worry, I have pictures to prove it!), but I think it will suffice to say that I can hardly move after only a day and a half of working with him. My body is sore and my limbs (and hipbones) are bruised and banged-up, but the work has been so challenging and fun that it hasn't mattered. We've learned so much, and Xavier has been such an excited and patient teacher. It was some comfort to us, as well, to find that the French students were just as sore as we were this morning. :-)
Ok, I think this entry has been long enough. Tonight we're going to a local theatre to see a show, and I'm excited to see what's in store. It's been really invigorating to flex new muscles (in my body AND mind) when thinking about my chosen profession. There's just SO MUCH MORE outside of the "box of theatre" the American culture has created.
More soon!