Inspiration comes from the unlikeliest of places

I have been absolutely amazed at where I seem to find inspiration and help. There is a dance teacher named Matt Williams at my studio, who I don't know particularly well. I've taken his class 3 or 4 times when he taught open classes, but not he only teaches at the kids school at the studio - since I'm sadly no loner a "kid," I can't take it. Which is a shame because I think he is a fabulous choreographer - whose choreography uniquely has a sense of humor. It's rare to find choreographers who are truly uniquely funny without being "Schticky" or over the top. He has a really wonderful combination of being funny, intelligent, and multi-layered. Anyhow, I hardly ever see him, and I doubt he even knows my name, but he knows my face and his wife (who is lovely and kind) takes my ballet class. So I was waiting for work yesterday and he walked in and awkwardly said hello - the way you do when you only kind of know someone - and I just went for it and asked him for advice on "proposing a show" thinking he might have something useful I could use for RADA. In the ten minutes I had before work, he gave me so many inspiration ideas and helpful advice (more than ANYONE else has) - leaving my head spinning with the tool I needed to clarify my proposal and make it truly astounding! THANK YOU MR. WILLIAMS!

The other super helpful person has been my friend Dave - who keeps pointing out the differences between the English and American approach to life - which has proven immensely accurate. For example - he said Americans like to depend on recording, power point presentation, and pictures to prove a point, where in England - in school and usually at work - your point has to be prove primarily through words and discussion. In school, you actually have to give all your presentations PURELY verbally - no "mechanical help" - just as the RADA application says. Every American I ask - there first response is to bring in recordings of the music and of a taped staged reading, pictures, and create a power point presentation. (Matt was the ONLY one who seemed to be able to get over the "mechanical help" when I told him I couldnt use it - and offer VERBAl alternatives - for example instead of costume SKETCHES - obviously you can describe the costumes - BUT ALSO - pick some well knows designers who design IN THE STYLE you have in mind - whether it be in theatre or fashion - to help create a more solid visual. TO make it even stronger - tell the panel WHY they would design for your "Low budget studio production." It seems fairly obvious typing it - but I never thought of it.

Then - another random helpful person was CRAZY DANA - Reinking's BFF - who sent me all of her proposals she presents to the school board. (Dana teaches theatre at a public school in "the hood.") The format, order, and certain aspects of her proposals are extremely helpful. They arent verbal - they are written - but also dont provide "mechanical help. " I especially enjoyed the "essential questions this play is likely to raise" portion. It allows you to bullet point as many important points of the play as possible - before I was trying to eloquently put them together in a paragraph. Bullet points are much better.

So I went home last night after work, I promised Kat I'd watch "Gossip Girl" with her. (I have to say I love Kat - but - Gossip Girl seems rather - er ---- well - lame compared with the conversation with Matt Williams. Anyhow - we cooked a DELICIOUS meal from a Giada cookbook then as we were watching Gossip Girl - I continued to do research on-line - which all made ideas jump out at me like the illuminated patterns John Nash sees in A BEAUTIFUL MIND. SO I ended up watching Gossip Girl watching videos of cock-fighting and chicken farming surrounded by every copy of Henry V that I own all for a proposal of a Gore Vidal play...and oddly - even Gossip girl gave me a very important piece of information - how to "archetype" all the characters - socio-economically. Before I was trying to be too deep - but I realized - all the characters are socio-economic steoreotypes - old money - new money - the artist - the social climber - the working class - the lower class - it made it much easier.

I'm sure none of this makes sense if you don't know the play - but it's all very good!