Today is for the punctuation marks and the stresses. Let’s read the scenes with really bad stresses! It is difficult. Most of us try to do it that they tell the end of the words with more stress.

We are more, than the last time, but still on the Base of the Krétakör. (The next open rehearsal is said to be organised on their own place. Probably.) Zoli asks for a three minutes long silent period at the beginning of the rehearsal. A complete silence, without any sounds or movements. And he even “threatens” us; if there is a noise, we start it again. I, as a half outsider, volunteers to measure the time. I am not allowed to move, so I look at my watch. Then sometimes I look up, but I am afraid of losing totally my sense of time. As three minutes seem to be extremely long. Everybody listens to the others, the noises from outside, and themselves too for sure. I mark with a slow hand rising the end of our silent period. Zoli does not speak even now, he shares the roles of the scene to be analysed with voiceless articulation and pointing. Bugrislav using Ákos Orosz’s voice cries into the air: “Let’s go ahead my friend! Long life for Wenceslas and Poland!”

Today is for the punctuation marks and the stresses. Let’s read the scenes with really bad stresses! It is difficult. Most of us try to do it that they tell the end of the words with more stress. (However, I think it would be enough if we remember Péter Novák’s introductions in Beugró, or the news reports of the sport channels, they are vivid proofs, that it is not so easy to put the stress on the wrong place...) Then we should read it with good stresses. It is even more difficult. All of us concentrate so much that no perfect sentence was born, but the solution of the previous task would be ready that way. It is obvious, that this sentence can tangle our tongue on its own: “And we will abolish all taxes, which were required by the terrible Ubu!” Zoli has another request: let’s pronounce just the vowels. It is easier and really funny.

The text is almost in our pocket, the fantasy can come now. We are on the market place of Warsaw, Bugrislav, the Polish prince has won over the crowd, to be able to stop Ubus. In the scene they are chasing Mama Ubu: the guards are trying to stop the soldiers. Where is Mama Ubu escaping? We plan a complete scene of Indiana Jones, with secret doors, rope ladder, and a casemate system under the castle. It is impossible to perform it that way in theatre, but it is good for Zoli to learn, who and what can see behind a scene.

Then comes another lesson of speech, we match the next scene to this one, these are the first moments of King Ubu’s “fighting tour”, which he is forced to do. He is waiting for the Russian army. At all comas we snap, at all exclamation marks we stamp, at we hit our thighs at all points, at the question marks, we hit out ankles. The first semicolon raises some uncertainty, but then we get over the logical exercise soon... Then the same in process, the pronunciation marks are with momentary stops, with two back steps, with squatting, or they are stressed with small jumps by those, who are speaking then. The tempo is always given by the one, who has the words, not everybody can follow everybody perfectly. Three or four people are walking around, they would need to see each other. The text at the same time and remember that what comes at each pronunciation marks. It is not easy for even the best-trained ones too, and it is an impossible mission without the sense of rhythm. But at least everybody tries to do it...

The next time, I will try to find out, that has Zoli Balázs got, what he expected. What the actors can use from the experiences of these open rehearsals, can they build in the viewers’ ideas, does the idea work, according to which more eyes can see more.

Zsófi Rick, Fidelio

(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)