Sidelines and Centre Stage.

Acting is a brave thing to do. I've always known this, but Kasia's course is a real reminder of the difficulties involved with staying light and fresh enough to earn your place on stage.

It's so much about trusting your body and I'm finding that my best work comes when I'm slightly detached from my thoughts (being jet lagged, it turns out, was a bonus.) The moment I plan or predict the next action is the moment everything freezes and I become self-consciously hung out to dry. Excruciating for me, boring for the audience. My scoundrel's refuge has always been in ideas and language and even on day two the deficiency of this default defence is beginning to reveal itself (especially as occasionally this leads me to think that ideas without action are enough!)

A lot of our work is based on pre-performance, training us to be in a position to both grasp the major focus of the audience's attention, whilst also finding strategies and conventions through which we can trust and play together. The mat work, focused on realigning our spines, is already giving me a bit of an energy boost.

It feels full on, but the group are kind, and every time somebody falls on their face, there is both support for the risk they took and encouragement for them to try again. The truth is I'm really enjoying myself.