Paper cups of tea.
In a conservatory of only 600 students, everything seems more cosy and welcoming. It is more difficult to be lost as another number when there are as many students in the whole college as there are in one lecture hall of any major US university. Granted some people enjoy getting by blending in with every other university student with their college lettering and fraternity/sorority symbols branded across their chests. Part of me misses not staying in America and taking part in that very iconic stereotypical scenario, but most of me likes being extremely individual.
Fair trade tea bag, hot water, dash of milk all combine into one resting peacefully in my paper cup. I enjoy sipping tea out of a paper cup while at college. That particular vessel has a profound feeling that comes with it. It reminds me of the countless hours I've spent in this institution working at exercises to evoke emotion and refine my craft, flailing about in movement studios attempting to conjure inspiration for the next assessment coming up on the schedule, singing in cramped practice rooms trying to make the sounds that come out of my mouth as pleasing to the listener as they are in my head. Throughout all the tasks and assignments and lessons, every hour or so the words "tea break" give us the odd quarter hour to escape and refuel.
In three years of training at a top UK drama school I have been challenged to change the way I observe the world. I have seen sides of myself that I never knew existed. I have improved gradually, yet drastically in my vocal technique, physical awareness, and improvisational skill. One of the greatest accomplishments I have achieved during my training is that I can now go to an emotionally dangerous place on stage where I am not hiding behind the character I'm playing but giving appropriate aspects of my life to the character so that my reactions on stage, however heightened they may be, are real and evoke real emotions.
I am greatly anticipating the next years of my life, leaving the student life behind. I have a lot of things to see before I am ready to move back to America, but that doesn't mean I am not homesick. France is now in my immediate future. I'm having a civil partnership this weekend with my partner, Tony. We are off to Nantes the on Monday where we will spend the next week and a half honeymooning/meeting the family/going to another wedding of one of his cousins. More than anything it will be a time to relax with my partner as we begin the rest of our lives together. Soon we will be moving in together and sharing the bills and the rent and before you know it we'll be buying a Labrador and paying a mortgage (though London is so expensive one of us is going to have to get rich). He still makes my day better when I see him and even though we both like a good argument, its all out of love and trying to understand each other more. The civil partnership hasn't been vastly broadcast because I don't view it as something that necessarily changes every aspect of life. Of course it has its definite changes for Tony and me, but it is still a very personal commitment that we will happily share with anyone that will accept without judgement. I don't want to hear anyone's issues with my age, or reiterate that, yes, I do realise this is a big deal. It is a big deal, but not because anyone tells me it should be. If anything its a small thing because it only involves mine and Tony’s relationship. It is something we both want to do because to not would mean calling it a day and returning to our respective countries. So I'm happy and Tony's happy and on Saturday our few guests attending the ceremony and then our extended group of friends at our reception will all be happy. Neither of our families will be joining us on the day of our civil partnership.
So here I am just days away from completing my training at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and days away from tying the knot (as some people say). Closing the book and opening it at the same time. I'm a lucky guy. Not always in a good mood, not always happy, but lucky nonetheless. Hey, I hope you are lucky, too.
In a conservatory of only 600 students, everything seems more cosy and welcoming. It is more difficult to be lost as another number when there are as many students in the whole college as there are in one lecture hall of any major US university. Granted some people enjoy getting by blending in with every other university student with their college lettering and fraternity/sorority symbols branded across their chests. Part of me misses not staying in America and taking part in that very iconic stereotypical scenario, but most of me likes being extremely individual.
Fair trade tea bag, hot water, dash of milk all combine into one resting peacefully in my paper cup. I enjoy sipping tea out of a paper cup while at college. That particular vessel has a profound feeling that comes with it. It reminds me of the countless hours I've spent in this institution working at exercises to evoke emotion and refine my craft, flailing about in movement studios attempting to conjure inspiration for the next assessment coming up on the schedule, singing in cramped practice rooms trying to make the sounds that come out of my mouth as pleasing to the listener as they are in my head. Throughout all the tasks and assignments and lessons, every hour or so the words "tea break" give us the odd quarter hour to escape and refuel.
In three years of training at a top UK drama school I have been challenged to change the way I observe the world. I have seen sides of myself that I never knew existed. I have improved gradually, yet drastically in my vocal technique, physical awareness, and improvisational skill. One of the greatest accomplishments I have achieved during my training is that I can now go to an emotionally dangerous place on stage where I am not hiding behind the character I'm playing but giving appropriate aspects of my life to the character so that my reactions on stage, however heightened they may be, are real and evoke real emotions.
I am greatly anticipating the next years of my life, leaving the student life behind. I have a lot of things to see before I am ready to move back to America, but that doesn't mean I am not homesick. France is now in my immediate future. I'm having a civil partnership this weekend with my partner, Tony. We are off to Nantes the on Monday where we will spend the next week and a half honeymooning/meeting the family/going to another wedding of one of his cousins. More than anything it will be a time to relax with my partner as we begin the rest of our lives together. Soon we will be moving in together and sharing the bills and the rent and before you know it we'll be buying a Labrador and paying a mortgage (though London is so expensive one of us is going to have to get rich). He still makes my day better when I see him and even though we both like a good argument, its all out of love and trying to understand each other more. The civil partnership hasn't been vastly broadcast because I don't view it as something that necessarily changes every aspect of life. Of course it has its definite changes for Tony and me, but it is still a very personal commitment that we will happily share with anyone that will accept without judgement. I don't want to hear anyone's issues with my age, or reiterate that, yes, I do realise this is a big deal. It is a big deal, but not because anyone tells me it should be. If anything its a small thing because it only involves mine and Tony’s relationship. It is something we both want to do because to not would mean calling it a day and returning to our respective countries. So I'm happy and Tony's happy and on Saturday our few guests attending the ceremony and then our extended group of friends at our reception will all be happy. Neither of our families will be joining us on the day of our civil partnership.
So here I am just days away from completing my training at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and days away from tying the knot (as some people say). Closing the book and opening it at the same time. I'm a lucky guy. Not always in a good mood, not always happy, but lucky nonetheless. Hey, I hope you are lucky, too.
