A Love Letter for RLT

As Company Administrator, from time to time I have to fill out forms and applications describing what makes our company unique.  And usually on these applications, I don’t have very much space to answer, so I have to write an abbreviated version. But I’d like to write my whole answer here.

Real Live Theatre is unique because first and foremost, we are a collection of people.  We are people who care about each other, who make a safe space for each other to grow emotionally and artistically, who do the hard work even though it’s hard.  We often joke that we’re married to each other, and it’s kind of true.  RLT members have to support each other on our worst days.  We’re in it for the long haul, and so we work on our relationships every day.  We make our decisions by consensus, because every person is an important part of our company.  We believe that people can’t make art if they don’t feel safe and supported, so we create an environment to ensure that happens.

RLT has a unique training regimen designed to strengthen and support each other.   The first hour is always the same, a combination of yoga, Suzuki method, and Viewpoints exercises. We believe that this repetition strengthens our bodies and skills.  The next 3 hours of training vary in content week to week, and we try to explore a new concept deeply over the course of several weeks.  This time can also be used to work on our new work (stay tuned for future blogs about this!).  This weekly group meeting is paramount for fostering trust, as well as honing our skills.

Real Live Theatre also does a wide variety performances, from semi-staged readings at our House Plays (a Play in a House), to fully staged shows like The Lion & The Clown, to world premieres like the upcoming Margaret Project, to established classics like The Tragedy of  Othello, to shows at festivals like Hand Grenades.  All these shows have one thing in common: none could have been done the same way with any other group of people. Our supportive community and dedicated training regimen fosters a company that makes work that’s brave, relevant, and unapologetically honest.  I can’t imagine being happier than I am with this group of people.  I can’t imagine making more satisfying work than the work RLT does.  And I can’t imagine another company that works like we do.

Happy Valentine’s Day, RLT.  So glad we got married.

Lucy Gouvin
Founding Member, Company Administrator

Rethinking Voice

Here’s one thing we love: training. We gather once a week to train, meaning we stretch, do some yoga, get warm, and devote three hours to our favorite performance techniques and developing new work. Last year we focused very much on the physical side of performance, regularly visiting the practices of Tadashi Suzuki, Anne Bogart, Jacques Lecoq, and others.

Monica Giordano

RLT company member Monica Giordano spent last summer in Plymouth performing with Bay Colony Shakespeare Company in two productions. Upon her return to training (we were also in production for The Lion & The Clown), she noticed “you are all brilliant with your bodies, but can I lead some voice work for us?”

Thus began a great integration of voice work into our routine, and it has helped each of us tremendously. Having studied with both Kristin Linklater and Patsy Rodenberg, the great masters of voice for actors, Monica has become an invaluable resource for our company. She favors Rodenberg’s technique, and is on her way to becoming a certified voice coach.

Monica using voice technique in "From the Sea to Somewhere Else", which she also wrote.

Monica offers private voice coaching for actors, or anyone who likes to communicate with their voice. I can honestly say that working with her over the past few months has improved how I communicate on and off stage. For more information on booking, visit http://reallivetheatre.net/classesworkshops/ or go to the TRAINING tab above.

I probably should have let Monica write this herself, but I wanted to make sure her praises were adequately sung. Monica – you are a star!

Until next time,

Kate