A Midsummer Night's Dream... Revisited

Well, here I am, several weeks later! And today is our last performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. All in all, we have been having 'okay' turnouts- although we did have a full house in Rancho Cucamonga. I guess it's because this play has been promoted as something it is not- and that's why my director feels so strongly about showing and promoting the real Shakespeare, not as something profane, not as something boring.

I will be posting the pictures from all different performances later.

Excitement Builds

Yes, excitement builds, and the "fun" stuff begins. Angela now 'denounces' herself as, though still our mentor, a director. I love her both ways:)

The days at Shakespeare have become longer and more intense; we start now at 10 am until 2:30. As of next week we will have a two-week intensive at Angela's home, and will be running through parts of the show everyday five days a week, from 10 to 4. It will be an exhausting, albeit concrete, to building high this brick wall. I'm ready!

First Rehearsal!

Hello! You will not believe (or will you?) when I say I haven't blogged on here in a month. (You may not have believed me, but it's true!)And so much has happened in the past month. I decided firmly to not blog until I would have something or other just a teensy bit more interesting to tell you except for blocking... and blocking... and more blocking. Enough said. Two weeks ago was our first rehearsal, meaning (hurrah!) the hard part is over: no more blocking:-) Yes, our first rehearsal only lasted about fifteen minutes, but it was a REHEARSAL! No more "let us try" or "try it backwards", but a no-one-speaks, do-it-as-if-you're-on-stage rehearsal. And it was fun!

~Re-arranging the Stuff~

SO... today was Shakespeare class, and we began with a little speech by Angela. And then, we went- (drum roll, please) straight to BLOCKING! The fairies managed an arrangement for our song to sing our beloved Queen Titania to sleep, warning all evil "things of the night" to leave her be.

"(Verse One) You spotted snakes with double tongue,
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong,
Come not near our fairy queen.

(Chorus) Philomel, with melody
Sing in our sweet lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby:
Never harm,
Nor spell nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;
So, good night, with lullaby.

(Verse Two) Weaving spiders, come not here;
Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence!
Beetles black, approach not near;
Worm nor snail, do no offence.

Philomel, with melody, etc."

Angela changed a little of last week's bit of blocking, and on we went. The first verse of the song is to "Just Around the Riverbend" from the Disney film, Pocahontas. (Whoops... did I really have to say that???) Oh, well:)

A Call...

Just a little tidbit I found interesting about Macbeth. Macbeth's servant's name is 'Seyton.' Say that three times and tell me what it sounds like:P. Anyhow, it takes forever for him to anser to Macbeth's call, showing complete unrest and turmoil in Macbeth's kingdom. Ick!

A Stack of Blocks (No, not toys)

Last Thursday (again, sorry about the lateness), was another week of blocking. I designed my costume, and showed it to Angela, and she liked it; and we ran through the blocked scene, read through another, etc.

All the blocking, like a set of children's toys, tops one after the other, making an interesting and exciting play really exciting.

Shakespeareience

Shakespeareience was yesterday, in Glendale. It featured several different love scenes from some of Shakespeare's most "loved plays," namely, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, and Hamlet. Some of them were a little off by way of portrayal; and I'm looking forward more to our show in May.