The orange takes centre stage

I was reading an article recently about concentration which contains many tips as to how to improve your focus:

Use a Physical Cue. Develop a quick physical motion that you connect with the act of focusing. For example, snap your fingers or briefly cup your hands around your eyes like a camera lens as you actively focus. Doing this same action every time you want to concentrate teaches your brain to switch to “focus” mode whenever you give that physical cue.

A similar benefit may be gained from juggling

This ability to focus, to concentrate, is extremely important to actors. I was attending rehearsals yesterday for a series of plays shortly to be performed in London (details below). In a play called 'Circles' by Michael Dickinson  one of the actors, Denholm Spurr was throwing an orange (and then catching it) as he paced round the room.

Of course, I could not see into Denholm's brain (even if I wanted to, which I don't) but it probably looked a bit like this:

The red area shows the part of the white matter of the brain that is enlarged by learning to juggle. It is in the intraparietal sulcus at the back of the brain.

According to Denholm, this physical action helped him to remember his lines.


In 'Circles', the extract from Michael Dickinson's 'The Rich Young Man', Mary Magdalene talks about how the Princess Salome danced for King Herod to gain the head of John the Baptist for her mother. Here's a clip of Rita Hayworth as Salome doing that dance -

 

It's amazing what you can pick up just from watching rehearsals - think of what you may learn by coming along and watching not just one play, but three!

Key details:

CALL ON ME
by Hugh Allison

“You should know I don’t speak exactly how those so-called comedians portray me”
Two publicity-hungry celebrities (one Christian, one Atheist) compare life-stories.

CIRCLES
by Michael Dickinson

“Lead us not into temptation”
A brief encounter between Mary Magdalene and Jesus.

WONDER
by Chris Sivewright

“Death would in fact be a release”
Four friends discuss live, death, philosophy… and the hidden Arabic on the back of the hand.

Starring: 

Stephen Cheriton (Demetrius in New Rep Company’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
Emilia Petryszyn (Lady Teazle in N1 Theatre Company’s The School for Scandal)
Denholm Spurr (John Keats in Pale Fire Theatre Company’s Romantics)
Louisa Tee (Anna in Opera Upclose’s Don Giovanni)

MC: Richard Ward.

Directed by HughAllison.
Assisted by Anna-Jane Niznikowska.

All tickets: £5 (of which 50p goes to The MS Society)

7.30pm on Tues 20^th, Wed 21^st and Thurs 22^nd November 2012.

At The Dogstar, 389 Coldharbour Lane, London, SW9 8LQ.
(Nearest tube: Brixton).

Produced by Almost Random Theatre.

Email: art.theatre.uk@gmail.com

Phone: 01865 512428: