Drama llama

Tonight was drama class - or rather, rehearsal for our upcoming play, David Campton's The Cagebirds. It's an avant-garde, strange little play about a (deranged) woman, the Mistress, who keeps a collection of birds/women in a cage. Each of the bird-women has a particular characteristic or personality quirk that distinguishes her from her cage mates.

I love this class so much. It's the one evening of the week that can be relied upon to provide laughs, emotion and a sense of belonging. Our core group of actresses has been together for three-and-a-half years, having performed the Female version of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, and two thematic plays composed of various scenes and monologues, Depth Perception and Atmospheric Disturbances. We're closer than sisters and have an unbreakable bond forged through performance-night jitters and the emotional processes of becoming a different person in front of an audience without losing your identity.

Sadly, it looks like The Cagebirds will be our swan song. Our theatre closed down at the end of last November, leaving our troupe essentially homeless. We were able to find an alternative rehearsal location in a church basement, but it's a rather uninspiring space.

And it's cold - figuratively AND literally. Some nights, it's hard to emote when you're shivering and bundled in your parka while reading your lines...

Kim plays The Mistress. Tonight, she ran lines with us while our director spoke with each of us in turn about our character's background and relationships with the other birds and The Mistress. With her dance and art background, Kim's a natural at leading our group.