First issue of the day was my Spoken English class, which, after yesterday’s problematic lesson, (how do I get them to practise their Spoken English when some can barely say a word?) filled me with a certain trepidation. First through the door were exactly the same as yesterday: Nitika, who is extremely fluent; Rajesh, almost equally so, but with a rather more reserved thoughtfulness, and Ambika, one of my R4J cast, who is lovely but very nervous and unsure. But all nice to talk to – while waiting for the others to arrive, we discussed health, what one should do to live to a ripe old age (like me.) And then, as before, others drifted in – mostly different from the previous two days. And actually, a distinct improvement, with some of them able to use language with some measure of fluency (and one or two almost totally silent.)
We moved onto literature, and I got each one them to talk a little about something they had read, ever, which they remembered and had something to say about. And most did very well. All in all, it was, I think, a successful lesson. I enjoyed it, and I think at least some of them did too.
Before the afternoon rehearsal, I rearranged the chairs in the Seminar Room to the position they will be in for the show. Which gave plenty of room, and also accommodated an audience of 120 (much to Aparna’s astonishment.) And then we ran through Scene 1, which has at last got to the stage where I do not have to spend my time staring at a book, but can look at what they are doing. Annoyingly, there were two absences. We covered these with two others who were there, vital in that we were choreographing the fight sequences, but does mean that two of the six fights that go on still need basic work. The scene is still, of course, not ready, but can get from start to finish. They tend to act in tiny chunks, but then switch off; the cheering of the two gangs is a brief cheer, and then silence. And virtual passivity. Work to do.
Afterwards, I met the headmaster of another school; part of Yogi’s strategy for the production is to use it to build links with (and increase recruitment from) neighbouring schools. It seems I will be visiting his school to meet the pupils, talk to them about the play, the UK, Api, everything (it would seem) and to stay overnight.
In the evening, Bidhan and I went out for dinner, after having a beer in my room. We tried a place neither of us had visited before, which he was not too impressed with, but seemed fine to me. I had brought some cards with us, thinking to while away some time… until he informed me it was strictly illegal to play cards in public.
