Settling In

We have been getting more art and culture in during the last week and a half than I usually see in a year in the U.S. They certainly do take their theater-going seriously here in Russia in general and St. Petersburg in particular and it is really refreshing. We saw a fantastic production of “Don Juan” with amazing sets and choreography. Even though it was entirely in Russian and we’ve only had a handful of Russian lessons so far, I could tell that the actors were right on with their portrayals of the characters. You really felt Don Juan’s impetuous and independent nature as well as his rapport with Sganarelle.
We also saw some top-notch student productions of some Tennessee Williams plays and a production of Hamlet. The students really give it their all, and I was surprised to find out how much time and effort goes into the whole process. The students have actually been working on these plays for several years in some cases and they choose their own roles in the plays. We were able to speak with the actors after their show and they were really friendly and extra enthusiastic about telling us about their preparations for the show. I would love the opportunity to be able to know a play inside and out like they do, because it really pays off in the quality of the production.
The classes are going great, and we’re always really busy. My Russian is improving, and the Russian alphabet is getting much easier to read. I can pretty much read all the signs on the buildings and ask street vendors for food. It seems a bit like everything is going by a bit too fast. We’ll be through with our dance classes next week and I’m going to miss Yuri, our teacher. The class is a great workout and a great way to explore our bodies as actors. In our acting class, we’ve been working on etudes, which are sort of like improvisations based on a character. Our teacher Alisa was great at showing us how to pull these off. It was such a strange thing to be working with so much freedom to do what you want, while at the same time keeping your character’s traits and situations in mind, but Alisa was a great guide.
We’re now in a new acting class based on the Meyerhold’s Biomechanics. Our teacher Elena is amazing. She’s a pupil of one of Meyerhold’s pupils, so it’s nice to know that our teachers are a few generations from some of these great theater artists. At first the class just seemed like we were doing crazy and nearly impossible dances and stretches, but she showed us how these movements can be used to convincingly act out a whole coherent scene. It’s going to be a bit of a Herculean task to work out all these exercises, but it is well worth the sweat and aching muscles at the end of the day.
We’ve been having a great time seeing all there is to see of the city as well. We saw the opening of the bridges, which I can only describe as a miniature combination of Burning Man and a Semana Santa in Mexico. The whole town crowds around these huge bridges to see the boats pass through when they lift them late ate night. There’s lights, dancing, music, and everyone just goes nuts. This really is a helluva town. It’s as fun as any American city, but with that exciting tinge of something exotic and new, plus a love of art and culture you can feel in the very stones that line the streets.

Welcome to St. Petersburg

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Charles Close. I’m an actor, and one of the more adventurous ones you’re likely to meet, as I believe this Russian adventure proves. I’ve been a theater student and lover of all things drama for the better part of my life and hold a BA in Theater Arts from the University of California, San Diego. Acting is something I’m passionate about and what I intend to make a career in. I also like to travel, meet new people, and love learning about new cultures and languages. Through the miracle of the internet, I was able to find out about this unique opportunity with the St. Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy to combine these two loves of mine and venture out here on a whim to Russia for a chance to learn more and have an amazing time furthering my career.
The first thing I’d like to do is set the scene, so to speak. I took a long series of plane rides to get out here from California, and after about twenty-four hours of flying and airports, I felt like I was rolled up wet and put away dry. Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice airline and I talked to a friendly Russian girl who taught me a few words, but I was dead on my feet. Getting into St. Petersburg was like of jolt of energy jump starting my system. The city is absolutely gorgeous! Olga, part of the academy staff picked me up at the airport and pointed out several places of interest and explained some of the history of the city along the way.

I was a little apprehensive about the whole apartment situation, because I told before arrival that they were having issues with finding living quarters for some of us, but boy did they ever come through! I’m living on a beautiful canal, in a fully furnished apartment (piano included!) that’s between two enormous ornate cathedrals; the Kazan Cathedral and the Church of Spilled Blood. Travel writers would give their left eye for this experience. It’s not all one hundred percent idyllic though. There is a bit of culture shock to take in, and it definitely makes one feel like a it of an outsider when you aren’t fluent in the language. But that’s all part of the adventure.

The classes are really something. I like the system of education that they have here. The students are all in highly specialized programs where they take an intensive course load with a tight knit group that they remain with for the duration of their studies. Our classes aren’t nearly as long into the day as theirs, but we are taking several hours all the same. We’re learning the Russian language, and even though I always feel like we could use more time in that class, we’re definitely getting a lot out of it and our teacher is great. We have a dance class, with an instructor who is one of the top talents in his field. Our acting teacher is amazing, and I feel like we’re definitely getting a lot out of her class. Some of our exercises are a bit back to basics, but then some are just out of this world. We went to a bath house and got to get a crazy spa treatment where we were beaten with birch branches in a sauna and then immersed in cold water. It sounds rather intense and at some points it was, but it was also invigorating. We get to recreate the experience in class to work on sensory memory and physicality.

I already feel like I’ve learned so much on this trip and about myself as an actor, and it hasn’t even been a week yet. We get to see a show about every other night, and it’s refreshing to see how Russians appreciate their theater over here. Their zest for the arts is contagious, and it is driving me towards new heights as a performer.