Hi everyone! It has been a while since I have added a new post to this blog. I have just been so busy lately going to classes and rehearsals, that I've either forgotten to post or have been too tired to even open my laptop. With all that being said...I am having an amazing time. Since my last post, I have made 32 new friends who are all so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I was also cast in the apprentice production of Henry VI Part 3 as Rutland and Gabriel. I have posted the show dates in the performances tab, but there are 2 more shows that I don't know the dates of yet. As for how classes and workshops are going, I couldn't ask for anything better.
Last week, before anyone was cast, it was a lot of technique work. We worked on text stuff, like breathing, punctuation, rhetoric, meter, and paraphrasing. All things that are the foundations of performing Shakespeare. I have learned more about Shakespeare in these two weeks, than I have ever before. Something as simple as breathing at the top of every line was new to me. I learned how punctuation can actually connect to a characters state of being or emotions. The class on meter was by far my favorite because we worked pretty in-depth with iambic pentameter. I learned what a troche and caesura are and how breaking iambic pentameter can relate to what a character is going through or what they are thinking. Also related to iambic pentameter, is the fact that you should always bring up line endings because the tenth syllable in the line is the most important. I have taken in so much new information over the past two weeks that, at times, I became a little overwhelmed. The more I practice all of these things, though, the more I understand and the better everything sounds. It took me a while to get used to the "no pauses" rule in Shakespeare, but it makes sense that I wouldn't pause unless there is a new thought.
I have also been working on a monologue from Macbeth with my CSC2 mentor. The CSC 2 members are a little bit older and more experienced than us. They do there own production, which this year happened to be Macbeth. They teach some classes and coach us on monologues we choose. My coach, Kody, is really nice and he is so knowledgeable about the show and how to play certain parts. He gives really great advice about how to fix my monologue and make it better. I am also working on an Olivia, Viola scene from Twelfth Night with the director on Henry VI Part 2. I haven't gotten to do much work on that as of yet, but I know it's going to be great!
The apprentice show rehearsals started this week and so far it has been going well. It has been mostly table work so far, but that gives me a chance to really understand my characters and what exactly they are saying. It allows me to think of choices I can make once we get the show up on its feet. Another really cool aspect of our Henry VI shows is that they are both going to be set in a Steam Punk era, which is so cool! The crowns for our royalty characters are made up of gears and clock hands. I am just really excited about this because it sounds like such a cool concept. My first role, Rutland, actually gets murder in Act 1, Scene 3, which is sad, but honestly Shakespeare deaths are pretty fun to play, so I am excited to see where it goes. The Richard III rehearsals have also started this week and I got the chance to sit in on the read through, a table work rehearsal, and a fight choreography rehearsal. It's so awesome that we apprentices can observe like this because it gives us a look at how professional rehearsals are run, and it also gives us a look into other actors processes.
My favorite part of the week was definitely our stage combat class. We broke up into partners and came up with a fight sequence. We got to use "found weapons," which were things like metal pipes, mallets, even a chair leg! We were taught how to fall safely and how to fall on our backs without hurting ourselves. I don't know why I find fake fighting really fun, but I just do. The only downside was a pretty nasty bruise on my leg from falling to fast, but hey that's method acting right?
To finish off the week, we were in workshops for the Green Show on the Boston Common. This is something that happens before the main stage show starts. Apprentices will go around in partners and perform a 5 minute or less skit that has something to do with Shakespeare or being on the Common. My partner and I have decided to come up with a little song and dance about the many different things you can find on the common before the show starts, such as food trucks, merch tents, concessions, and accessibility tents. I'm not going to lie, right now it's looking a little rough, but I'm sure once we memorize the lyrics and work the dance, it will be pretty funny. Although, I am a little nervous about just randomly going up to people and starting a performance, but hey, I'm here to get out of my comfort zone!
Phew, ok I think that's everything! I also added some new pictures to the gallery and a video of our stage combat class under the videos tab.
Until next time!
~Courtney