It has been a while since I wrote, its been a hecktic week. Finals are coming up and all of us are just trying to survive. I had a bit of a bipolar week. While my acting is going really well and I feel like I'm really getting some where in my class I had a really hard event happen this week.
On Wednesday I went to get out money and I couldn't find my bank card. I came home and looked on line and found out it had been stolen on Monday and I had lost $660. We figured out that it was most likely either while I was in class from the american studio or while I was in the dorm in someone elses room. I called my bank and hopefully the money will be replaced, the hard thing is that it was most likely another student american or russian because they are the only people who have access to those spaces. I also am without money because my bank can't send me a card in russia so I have to figure out how to wire money, which I am working on. Hopefully everything will work out.
Thankgiving on the other hand was really fun. My friends Kenya, Lizzie and I started cooking at 12:30 and cooked until 6:30. We cooked meat and mash potatoes for 50 people. Turkeys aren't available in Russia except from the US Embassy and we are poor college students we can't afford that. But we had a magnificent roast and Kenya being from the south made fried chicken which was unbelievable. I made the mash potatoes and apple crisp (thanks Libby!). Everyone else brought salads and side dishes. We had wine and apple cidar and all sat and talked and were together. Even Tolya came. He made a beautiful toast to our freedom as a country and our freedom as people, every time he speaks he amaze me at the depth of his passion.
Friday night was very emotionally charged for me. We saw a play called "the Pillowman" it was literally brilliant but it was one of the most horrific moments of my life. The acting was brilliant even in Russian it translated completley. The story of the play is hard in itself; an author who writes murder stories about children and all the stories are coming true and they suspect him. He has a younger disabled brother who they are holding to get answers out him. You find out the brother is disabled because he was tortured by their parents as a child for an experiment. the play contiues torture, brutal, muders and death, I don't want to give a way what happens but it something that everyone should see, but it shook me to my core. It was amazing theater, one of my favorite pieces ever; I loved it and wanted to run out of the theater. It is exactly what I think theater should do.
Time is slowly slipping through my fingers and I'm trying to get as much done as I can with the little time I have left. I love you all and will be home soon,
Love
Kirsten
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
23/11
This weekend has been very filled with theater. Saturday night we went to see the cherry Orchard at MXT. It was good, the woman who played Charlotta was good and the two daughters but the lead was weak and some of the charcters weren't well developed. The stage though was really neat. When we took a tour fo the stage we saw them putting up this production. The way it works is on some kind of incredible mechanical device they put pieces of the curtain. When it is closed it looks like one piece of fabric. It then opens like a book and the pieces of curtaincan move and change to create different looks. The stage is also rotating so furniter and people move in and out very fluidly. Toight we saw Wvocheck the Opera at the Bloshoi and I have to say I was a bit disapointed. The set was also amazing it was a full bar that transitioned to 9 square apartments. The set was changed by moving panals like a square iris focusing. The singing was ok although the lead was from america, Russians aren't nessarily know for their singing. the good parts were I could read a few of the subtitles, the pit was filled with emotion they were amazing, and it was a dress rehearsal so we entered through the stage door and walked through the dressing rooms and stage to reach our amazing seats. Otherwise I've just been working really hard. My body is still sore and about to get more sore this week but we can't stop we have so little time left. We went to a flee market today to buy presents and I was very proud of my hagling skills. Hopefully you all like what I bring back.
Love
Kirsten
Love
Kirsten
Thursday, November 19, 2009
19/11
Last night I saw an unbelivable production by the same director who di Daemon called Opus 7. It was a two part show. The first was about the directors family, his heritage and there disaperence durring the Holocaust. It was done through a Chorus singing different songs while moving and forming different parts of the history. My favorite part was they took buckets of paint and threw them on the cardboardwall and from the splatter they created the Jews. They then took a knife and cut around the upper half of their body. They were then backlit as the paintings had a glowing circle of light around them; then the bodies fell and the center and all these ripped up news paper clipings came flying out everywhere. This led into what I think was the news of the holocaust as picture of Jews flased againts the walls. The second part was about a Russian compser during the stalin era, who barely escaped with his life but was the pride of Russia. To composer was played by this woman who has a beautiful soprano voice and was the lead in Daemon as well. The composer was just a child when he began and was quite young while he was being hunted by stalin. Russia was represnted by a giant woman puppet. Who started with the composer teaching him how the play the piano, as the woman climbed and painted and tipped over a wooden sturcture of a piano. Then the puppet was given a hat a gun and pictures of famous poets, actors, and artists of the time were brought out. One by one they were all shot except for the composer who ran away and barely escaped. It ended with the composer on display for everyone as the Puppet came back again as Mother Russia and embraced him. It was really amazing the woman was fearless she was doing the most amazing things with her body climing up things and working with the other cast members she had unbeivable control. I had so much fun and it was really mentally stimulating which I think is amazing when theater can do that.
I will try to finish a little bit about Petersberg although it'll be quick. The picture will be easier to tell the story with. I don't remeber what I said about the Summer Palace but it was beautiful. The summer palace is mainly about the archetecture. It was built for Catherine the Great and was mainly constructed in the Baroque style, although part of the palace which was done by her son in a later style but I can't rember what it is called. The rooms are all beautiful gold is everywhere and hand painted tiles and dining sets. The ball room litterally glitters. The most famous part of the Palace is the Amber room. I don't have any pictures because they are very strict about photos there. It is one of Russia's crowning joys which was a gift from the Germans, all the wall panals are made of pure amber of colors ranging from bright yellow to deep red, it is a magnificint work of art. The sad thing about the winter palace is that most of it is not original. When the Natzis invaded Russia they were headed toward Petersberg and they set up fort at the summer palace. As the Russians though closed in the Natzis knew that they couldn't hold their position so they burned the palace diminishing the main building and one of the winds to rubble. Luckly some things were saved by the musuem workers who as the Natzis approach shipped as much as they could of to Siberia. One of the things destroyed was the Amber room, the Natzis ripped the amber slabs of the wall and either destroyed them or hid them somewhere in Germany. The Russians never tracked them down, it was one of the most expensive projects completely recreating the amber slabs exactly as they had been before.
Probably the most moving place I saw was Saint Peter and Pauls catherdral in the fortress. I have never been to one of the grand catherdrals in Europe, this was my first one and it was completely overwhelming. Peter the Great built it for he, his family, and future rulers final resting place and it was stuning. Painting on the cealings, the tomb of Peter and alter that could not be desribed in words or shown in picture. The artist created a complex scene or sculpture I don't know how to describe it in gold, you could stand for hours and never get bored. We heard a choir sing; in the seagull there is a line by Nina,"My heart is overflowing with you." I didn't understand what it ment until I was this. The room filled your sould with a energy that moved you to tears. It was the true meaing of beauty.
Everything else is still going really well. We have been kicked into high gear in order to make the most of are 4 1/2 weeks left. My body is very sore but very happy. Still so much work to do.
Love
Kirsten
I will try to finish a little bit about Petersberg although it'll be quick. The picture will be easier to tell the story with. I don't remeber what I said about the Summer Palace but it was beautiful. The summer palace is mainly about the archetecture. It was built for Catherine the Great and was mainly constructed in the Baroque style, although part of the palace which was done by her son in a later style but I can't rember what it is called. The rooms are all beautiful gold is everywhere and hand painted tiles and dining sets. The ball room litterally glitters. The most famous part of the Palace is the Amber room. I don't have any pictures because they are very strict about photos there. It is one of Russia's crowning joys which was a gift from the Germans, all the wall panals are made of pure amber of colors ranging from bright yellow to deep red, it is a magnificint work of art. The sad thing about the winter palace is that most of it is not original. When the Natzis invaded Russia they were headed toward Petersberg and they set up fort at the summer palace. As the Russians though closed in the Natzis knew that they couldn't hold their position so they burned the palace diminishing the main building and one of the winds to rubble. Luckly some things were saved by the musuem workers who as the Natzis approach shipped as much as they could of to Siberia. One of the things destroyed was the Amber room, the Natzis ripped the amber slabs of the wall and either destroyed them or hid them somewhere in Germany. The Russians never tracked them down, it was one of the most expensive projects completely recreating the amber slabs exactly as they had been before.
Probably the most moving place I saw was Saint Peter and Pauls catherdral in the fortress. I have never been to one of the grand catherdrals in Europe, this was my first one and it was completely overwhelming. Peter the Great built it for he, his family, and future rulers final resting place and it was stuning. Painting on the cealings, the tomb of Peter and alter that could not be desribed in words or shown in picture. The artist created a complex scene or sculpture I don't know how to describe it in gold, you could stand for hours and never get bored. We heard a choir sing; in the seagull there is a line by Nina,"My heart is overflowing with you." I didn't understand what it ment until I was this. The room filled your sould with a energy that moved you to tears. It was the true meaing of beauty.
Everything else is still going really well. We have been kicked into high gear in order to make the most of are 4 1/2 weeks left. My body is very sore but very happy. Still so much work to do.
Love
Kirsten
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
17/11
Oh I feel so bad I haven't written in quite a few days. I have just been caught up in everything here. I have a lot of work right now. No matter what I do there is always something else for me to do. I have grown to love my scene more and more, my partners are great and I'm learning so much about myself through the character which is exactly what you want. I do have to go to bed but a quick update on my world here. I saw Beauty and the Beast in Russian the musical. It was fun which is exactly what it is suppossed to be. I also saw a beautiful production called Daemon. We had to watch from the cat walks but it completely kept my attention. There were no words it was all like an art piece. The stage was covered tin mutiple layers of paper and each scene- although they weren't scenes more like images, ideas, thouhts- was painted on to the stage. The space is self was a circular tower and the staged lowered itself down to the bottom so we were all no matter where you were sitting looking from above. To me it was the story of life, to others it was individual scenes, either way it was a beautiful moving piece of theater. Last night I saw a piece called Carmen, which was a student modern dance piece based on the Opera. It was really good, I enjoyed it alot. The dancing was definitly modern, it was a movement pased piece where one action would triger another reaction in both your body and your partners. I'm always interested how these types of pieces are built, whether it comes mainly from choreography or improve.
I still have plans to finish about Petersberg I just haven't gotten there yet. Its on my list for tomorrow
My shoulders are doing a little better but I still have to numb them every night. We added handstands to our lists of tricks so they are even more important. My body hurts though my ballet teacher added a duet for my friend Liz and I to do and it is really hard lots of turns and lots of balance so my core is being very worked. I love it though. Still everyday I walk home from school and I'm so happy about every sore muscle and special pleasure I'm experincing. I do miss you all though and while I don't feel like I have enough time left I want to see you.
Hope all is well in the states!!!
Love
Kirsten
I still have plans to finish about Petersberg I just haven't gotten there yet. Its on my list for tomorrow
My shoulders are doing a little better but I still have to numb them every night. We added handstands to our lists of tricks so they are even more important. My body hurts though my ballet teacher added a duet for my friend Liz and I to do and it is really hard lots of turns and lots of balance so my core is being very worked. I love it though. Still everyday I walk home from school and I'm so happy about every sore muscle and special pleasure I'm experincing. I do miss you all though and while I don't feel like I have enough time left I want to see you.
Hope all is well in the states!!!
Love
Kirsten
Saturday, November 14, 2009
14/11
I have been sick for the past few days and was in bed pretty much all day yesterday. I'm still forced to be at home but I'm no longer confined to my bed. It is nothing serious just a really nasty cold. So while I'm sitting in the dorm very lonely I will try to write about some more about Saint Petersberg. There are three places in particular that took my breath away and I will probably never forget. The winter palace/ Hermatage, th summer palace and Saint Peter and Pauls cathedral.
The Winter Palace was built by I belive Peter the Great and just as a piece of archetecture it is incredible. The first part of the hall is the grand stair case. I've never wanted to have a ball gown on more in my life. Huge chandiliers, painted vaulted cielings, red velvet carpet, gold plating everywhere marble handrails, every little girls fantasy. then the ball room white marble and gold, a single expansive room that glitters even with out the sun which rarely come out in Petersberg. Each room after that is a part of the hermatage art gallery. One of the greatest collections of great painters from Davinci to picasso in the world. The rooms themselves are painted tributes to the time, with painters imported and trained in Italy and france to paint wall after wall and cieling after cieling in beautiful murals. To see the whole of the hermatages gallery, just to look at them for a second each would take 7 days to see them all which after being there I completly understand. There where very famous painters from the renissance and before but I'm not very familiar. I did see 2 out of the 12 DaVinci in the world, I think a Michalagelo and I can't think of the others right now but all of the big names. My favorite galleries where the impressionism and Post impressionism, I believe these are the correct terms. I saw paintings by Cezanne, Monet (my personal favorite), Renoir, Delacroix, Signac, Van Gogh, Matisse, and Picasso. It truly was the most diverse and famous collection of art. To be honest I think that I need to visit again. There was so much to take in I don't think I absorbed evy 1/8th of what I saw. I tried to take it in but I could barely keep up with the tour guide each painting, sculpture, bowl, statue was so intracate and amazing that you could have stood in one room for the entire 2 hour tour and have stayed intrigued. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.
Unfortunatly the computer is wearing me out so back to bed for a nap before acting. It is at the dorm so I'm going to try to go for a little. I will probably have more time later to write since I will be stuck at home all evening.
The time is going so fast I will be seeing you all soon
Love
Kirsten
The Winter Palace was built by I belive Peter the Great and just as a piece of archetecture it is incredible. The first part of the hall is the grand stair case. I've never wanted to have a ball gown on more in my life. Huge chandiliers, painted vaulted cielings, red velvet carpet, gold plating everywhere marble handrails, every little girls fantasy. then the ball room white marble and gold, a single expansive room that glitters even with out the sun which rarely come out in Petersberg. Each room after that is a part of the hermatage art gallery. One of the greatest collections of great painters from Davinci to picasso in the world. The rooms themselves are painted tributes to the time, with painters imported and trained in Italy and france to paint wall after wall and cieling after cieling in beautiful murals. To see the whole of the hermatages gallery, just to look at them for a second each would take 7 days to see them all which after being there I completly understand. There where very famous painters from the renissance and before but I'm not very familiar. I did see 2 out of the 12 DaVinci in the world, I think a Michalagelo and I can't think of the others right now but all of the big names. My favorite galleries where the impressionism and Post impressionism, I believe these are the correct terms. I saw paintings by Cezanne, Monet (my personal favorite), Renoir, Delacroix, Signac, Van Gogh, Matisse, and Picasso. It truly was the most diverse and famous collection of art. To be honest I think that I need to visit again. There was so much to take in I don't think I absorbed evy 1/8th of what I saw. I tried to take it in but I could barely keep up with the tour guide each painting, sculpture, bowl, statue was so intracate and amazing that you could have stood in one room for the entire 2 hour tour and have stayed intrigued. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.
Unfortunatly the computer is wearing me out so back to bed for a nap before acting. It is at the dorm so I'm going to try to go for a little. I will probably have more time later to write since I will be stuck at home all evening.
The time is going so fast I will be seeing you all soon
Love
Kirsten
Monday, November 9, 2009
9/11
We arrived back from Petersberg just afew hours ago very sleep deprived and sore but well worth it. I have to leave for class in a little bit but I wanted to start what will take me a few days to get down everything I saw and flet. First off I would say that EVERYONE should try at some point in their life to go to Saint-Petersberg, if you need a tour guide I would be happy to take you. I love Moscow and I think as a place to live I would move here in a heart beat but for beauty and tourism Petersberg is the place to be. I wish I had more time now to describe everything but Just a breif overview of our trip. We left Moscow around 11 in a overnight train. It had beds but they weren't that comfortable. and qwe arrived at our hostel around 8 nap breakfast and then on the bus for a tour. Our first stop was a Catherdaral it was the first of three we saw. We were allowed to enter while the mass was going on. It was so beautiful, the congragets singing, the decore, it took my breath away. Our next stop was another catherdal at a square I can't remember the name, that was dedicated to I belive Peter the great but I could be wrong. Our bus tour conitued the bridge where ships come. The next stop was a fortress and inside the fortress was Saint. Peters Cathedral where the Ztsar starting with Peter are burried. This was one of my favorite places but more later. Next was the Winter Palace and the Hermatage, again more on that later I need a day to put in to words the beauty and emotion these places stirred. After that we had free time, took another nap and then went out to a mexican restraunt with some friends. We stayed there for a while, they hade great music, ok food, and great Margaritas. We thought then we were going to go dancing but the club wasn't very good so instead we went for a walk and it was beautiful. Sunday we had breakfast and got on the bus to go to the Summer palace. Which isn't as grand as the Winter palace but was still beautiful with amazing gardens, it was a winter wonderland. After that we had a lot of free time so I went with a few friends to a great cafe and had an amazing lunch, then went shopping. It was so much fun. That night we saw Hamlet done by the forth years of the acting school in Petersberg and then got aucp of coffee before getting back on the train and waking up in Moscow at 8. That is all I can do for now I will try to write more and put up some pictures in the next couple days.
Love you all
Kirsten
Love you all
Kirsten
Friday, November 6, 2009
11/6
IT SNOWED!!!! It is os beautiful. We leave for Saint Petersberg in an hour I'm all packed I'm worried I'm going to freeze but hopefully not. My news today I got my right splits and a back bend!!!!!
Love you all
Kirsten
Love you all
Kirsten
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
11/3
Today has been one interesting day...
Like I said beofre today was a random day off for us so we went shopping. We went to this huge mall and I was so much fun. I bought myself a little black dress which needs just a touch of tailoring because of the wieght I've lost, a really cute Zebraish top, a gray sweater and a waist belt. They are all so cute! At the last store we were at I sat down with all of our stuff. As we were going to leave I realized that I couldn't find my purse. I looked everywhere but I know I had it. So we assumed it was stolen and I left a number for them to call if it was found. So I came home- side note I have to say I was very proud of myself because I stayed unbelievably calm- to cancel my credit card. I couldn't figure out how to do it online so I was going to call mom when my friend came and said that the dorm saw called by the studio because the thrid floor cleaning had found my purse in the bathroom. I had a russian speaker find out how to find my cleaning lady friend Masha- who had also lost her purse and wanted to return mine to me so I didn't feel like her- and went back to the mall and got my purse. All of my money was gone but my ID's, papers and credit card were all there. I lost about $300 because I got out money for Petersberg but I was really lucky I got my purse back. So basically I got adorable cloths and lost my purse then got it back. The lesson of this is: I need to buy a new larger purse that can't be swiped!
The rest of my week has been really good. My scene is going well and I started my monlouge that I'm going to do for our final I think either way it'll be good to have for auditions. I saw a musical last night done by the 4th years. The acting was good but Russian singers can't sing like americans do. My shoulder is feeling better I've been on rest but will go back to stregthening tomorrow, which I'm very happy about. I'm just waiting for Petersberg, it will be amazing!!!!!!
Love you all
Kirsten
Like I said beofre today was a random day off for us so we went shopping. We went to this huge mall and I was so much fun. I bought myself a little black dress which needs just a touch of tailoring because of the wieght I've lost, a really cute Zebraish top, a gray sweater and a waist belt. They are all so cute! At the last store we were at I sat down with all of our stuff. As we were going to leave I realized that I couldn't find my purse. I looked everywhere but I know I had it. So we assumed it was stolen and I left a number for them to call if it was found. So I came home- side note I have to say I was very proud of myself because I stayed unbelievably calm- to cancel my credit card. I couldn't figure out how to do it online so I was going to call mom when my friend came and said that the dorm saw called by the studio because the thrid floor cleaning had found my purse in the bathroom. I had a russian speaker find out how to find my cleaning lady friend Masha- who had also lost her purse and wanted to return mine to me so I didn't feel like her- and went back to the mall and got my purse. All of my money was gone but my ID's, papers and credit card were all there. I lost about $300 because I got out money for Petersberg but I was really lucky I got my purse back. So basically I got adorable cloths and lost my purse then got it back. The lesson of this is: I need to buy a new larger purse that can't be swiped!
The rest of my week has been really good. My scene is going well and I started my monlouge that I'm going to do for our final I think either way it'll be good to have for auditions. I saw a musical last night done by the 4th years. The acting was good but Russian singers can't sing like americans do. My shoulder is feeling better I've been on rest but will go back to stregthening tomorrow, which I'm very happy about. I'm just waiting for Petersberg, it will be amazing!!!!!!
Love you all
Kirsten
Sunday, November 1, 2009
1/11
November!!!!
I can't belive the month has gone by so fast. Halloween was alot of fun I think some friends have pictures so I will try to get them posted my hip hop character was a great success and I did a very good job staying in character (I think I danced off all the calories I consumed on halloween).
Yesterday before the party I saw probalby my second favorite piece of theater, Richard III (Shakespeare). I was directed by the same man who direct Hamlet- my favorite. The show was stunnning the visual imput was emotionally enthrawling. They used Shadows as part of the scenery which added so much. Also each of the deaths was unique. The hit man would come on stage and they would be holding wine or a news paper and their victime would be in white and they took such ardinary objects a killed people in the most gruesome ways- it was horifying yet beautiful. My favorite scene was the ghost scene right before the last battle. the Ghosts actually did an etude with Richard and when it was over He said the "This is the hour..." speech which is usually at the begining. It had so much more meaning just changing the placement. It was neat because rolls in Richard that would typcally be cast aside rolls were so developed even with out lines. You could tell that the actors took even the smallest part so seriously, it is so wonderful to see. That is something that I really respect Russians for they care about even the smallest characters. The show was a work of art.
This week is more relaxing we have no class on wednesday for some obscure holiday that was added just recently because they no longer wanted to celbrate the October Revolution but they still wanted the day off. I personally am going shopping. On friday we leave very late at night for Saint-Petersberg I'm really excited it is supposed to be beautiful.
I hope you are all doing well
Love
Kirsten
I can't belive the month has gone by so fast. Halloween was alot of fun I think some friends have pictures so I will try to get them posted my hip hop character was a great success and I did a very good job staying in character (I think I danced off all the calories I consumed on halloween).
Yesterday before the party I saw probalby my second favorite piece of theater, Richard III (Shakespeare). I was directed by the same man who direct Hamlet- my favorite. The show was stunnning the visual imput was emotionally enthrawling. They used Shadows as part of the scenery which added so much. Also each of the deaths was unique. The hit man would come on stage and they would be holding wine or a news paper and their victime would be in white and they took such ardinary objects a killed people in the most gruesome ways- it was horifying yet beautiful. My favorite scene was the ghost scene right before the last battle. the Ghosts actually did an etude with Richard and when it was over He said the "This is the hour..." speech which is usually at the begining. It had so much more meaning just changing the placement. It was neat because rolls in Richard that would typcally be cast aside rolls were so developed even with out lines. You could tell that the actors took even the smallest part so seriously, it is so wonderful to see. That is something that I really respect Russians for they care about even the smallest characters. The show was a work of art.
This week is more relaxing we have no class on wednesday for some obscure holiday that was added just recently because they no longer wanted to celbrate the October Revolution but they still wanted the day off. I personally am going shopping. On friday we leave very late at night for Saint-Petersberg I'm really excited it is supposed to be beautiful.
I hope you are all doing well
Love
Kirsten
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
