There are some pretty cool tools out there on the world wide web, including Wordle, which creates a 'cloud' from text you enter into it. Following the example of Canadian actor Kris Joseph http://www.krisjoseph.ca/, I extracted all of June’s lines from the script, and entered them into the Wordle. Here is my cloud:

So, nothing unexpected there, for anyone who knows the piece already!  However, I am certainly going to apply this to scripts in future, and I suggest you try it with your audition monologues. And yes, that means you have to physically type in every word - accurately - of your text. Type it into a Word document, then copy and paste it into Wordle. It all helps with the learning, and engagement with the text, processes.

I had a wonderful time at the VASTA conference.  The Guest Presenters, Patsy Rodenburg, Kristen Linklater and Catherine Fitzmaurice all gave incredibly generous and inspiring workshops, and Arthur Lessac delivered a wonderful Keynote Speech, which you can read here . Arthur turns 100 in a week, and we all wish him many more years of health and joy, so that we can enjoy his passion for the voice and for humanity.

My presentation at the conference, the performance of The Fall of June Bloom: A Modern Invocation was enthusiastically well-received. We (my fellow presenter/actors John Graham, Michi Espinosa and myself) are encouraged to believe that we will be touring this production certainly in the USA, and possibly also Australia and the UK, in the not too distant future.

Our experiment of rehearsing online, over 3 time zones, using Skype, GoogleChat and iVisit proved an amazing experience, but not to be compared with the experience of actually being in the same physical space as each other. I am extremely grateful to Michelle Cuomo for making space for us to work out at Queensboro Community College – not to mention the wonderful job she did of convening the whole VASTA conference.

And what a wonderful experience, to work with two such talented, generous and experienced actors as John and Micha, who brought so much life and colour to the characters.  I am so looking forward to working with them again.

Tomorrow, the Acting Class begins again, with a great bunch of returnees! Welcome back, one and all, let’s get down and dirty with our Archetypes and play, play, play.