King Lear act 5, death death death.

Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life,
And thou no breath at all?
-Lear (seeing Cordelia's dead body)

Why do the 'good' and virtuous characters also die? While I don't mind at all the Goneril and Regan die, it makes an interesting image to see Cordelia lying alongside them with another seemingly more pure character like Gloucester. I strangely don't feel thematically satisfied as I imagine all of them lying on the stage together. It's like in war, while we may see a side as 'the goodies' or 'the baddies', it's always more complicated than that. There is always onslaught and bloodshed on both sides and that is the nature of it. It get's messy and that is why we don't like war. The innocent die.

Documentary preview!

Documentary sneak peak from Shakespeare on Vimeo.

Shot List

Tomorrow we're filming the acting group rehearse. These are some of the shots I want to make sure we get. If not tomorrow, then of course by the end of our production/filming period.

-Avril directing each group individually - wide, close ups
-Actors getting frustrated - close ups,
-Actors understanding, feeling like they are 'getting it' - medium
-Everyone rehearsing together- all actors in one shot - wide
-Interview with Avril
-Feet, hands, scripts, - all close ups
-Entering/exiting the rehearsal space - wide

** A VARIETY of close ups, mediums, wides, long, point of views?, establishing shots

Goneril and Regan in Cinderella?

It hit me in class yesterday how alike Goneril and Regan
are in comparison with the two ugly step sisters in Cinderella. 

We have a Cinderella, pure and most loved sister (and I would say is usually depicted on stage as the prettiest of the sisters) compared against two other sisters that are seen as greedy, power hungry and conniving.

However connecting their likenesses, is maybe a little too superficial. I wonder if our Cinderella figure - Cordelia, is not as saint-like as she initially seems in juxtaposition with her sisters. Cordelia seems to be just as stubborn as her father. In a family relationship, or in any close relationship for that matter, we usually tend to get to know the things that will really annoy, hurt or please the other. Obviously, the King needed some form of affection from his daughters in his old age and Cordelia would not give it to him. In a similar act of self-justification and power, the King overrules her by abandoning her. Like stubborn father, like stubborn daughter.

Documentary Final

Who do we want to interview?

-director

-actors

-Prof. Gideon? 

Preliminary interview Questions

–Filming Thursday 10^th Nov, Tues 15^th Nov in class

-Name, role/character, major, interests –how those can relate Shakespeare?

-Past experience/knowledge of Shakespeare

-What are you nervous about?

-What are you excited about in this production?

Avril

-Name, position,

-What is she actually doing? –refer to three separate relationships

-What does she want to achieve from this?

-Why does this mean anything to you to share these stories?

-What do you want to audience to get out of this?

King Lear, a cruel father.

No matter how angry my dad would ever get at me, I wonder whether he would ever even consider cursing me to not be able to have children. Is that not an extremely impactful and hurtful thing to say to anyone, let alone your own daughter? I can hardly think of any worse curse. 

KING LEAR
It may be so, my lord.
Hear, nature, hear; dear goddess, hear!
Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend
To make this creature fruitful!
Into her womb convey sterility!
Dry up in her the organs of increase;
And from her derogate body never spring
A babe to honour her! If she must teem,
Create her child of spleen; that it may live,
And be a thwart disnatured torment to her!
Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth;
With cadent tears fret channels in her cheeks;
Turn all her mother's pains and benefits
To laughter and contempt; that she may feel
How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is
To have a thankless child! Away, away!

This passage uses such harsh words and descriptions from a father to his daughter - about the very thing that most women might say is their greatness happiness and pleasure, the birth of their child. Lear does not even refer to his daughter as a human being but a 'creature'!

In this time and place, religion would have been much more closely connected to them as the church played a big role in their daily lives. The fact that Lear is directing this plea to the heavens, makes this speech a little more terrifying. They are not just idle words, the King wants the God's to punish his daughter and literally make her barren.

Elexi Walker on her role as Katherine.

Elexi was kind enough to respond via facebook to some questions I sent her regarding Southwark playhouse's production of The Taming of the Shrew. Elexi played Katherine set in a bustly part of South London where she says "there is a mix of people from different countries, but particularly a large portion of the demographic are from, or descendants of the Carribean. Katherine, Bianca and Baptista's family were from Jamaica. Setting the play in a place like this served to bring the story into the modern age."

"We decided that Katherine was not the screaming banshee as she is often played in period set pieces, and note was taken of how little she speaks, and when she speaks, what she said. I think that this informed how intelligent people saw her... she would say what she thought, and never mind what anyone else thinks, and this was also demonstrated in how she dressed, and how it changed as time passed.

"I would say that the play does highlight how much of a man's world it is and that women are still seen as inferior, and how women are expected to do what men want... Katherine does all she can to fight against this, and in our production, the "starving" and "arguing" that she is subjected to by Petruchio is not a malicious thing, but because he actually likes Katherine on first sight, and falls in love with her by that part of the play, it is an attempt to end his feeling awkward as a result of her silent treatment, after being publicly humiliated after the wedding (the "she is my goods, my chattels..." speech.) He brings her a bacon sandwich just before the tailor brings the dress out. Sweet isn't he?

On the whole though, it was important to show that Katherine and Petruchio were equal, despite their difference in their respective "new money/old money" backgrounds. They are as clever as each other and we can see that in the banter that they have in the wooing scene... Katherine is stubborn and doesn't stand for s***, but is essentially bowled over by this arrogant, witty, handsome man, who is not afraid of her, and the growth of their relationship allows them to play and tease each other.... and dupe her dad out of loads of money... leaving the audience with the feeling that the final scene is the beginning of their story."

Final project proposal, A DOCUMENTARY.

If you hadn't caught on, I am a film major specializing in documentary and cinematography. My idea for a final project is to document the other group that is planning on presenting a Shakespeare play.

This mini-documentary would consist of the filming of rehearsals, interviewing and just capturing all aspects of the how the production is put together -learning lines, analyzing the text, staging and putting on the performance.

We would need someone filming with a DSLR, capturing sound, interviewing and then editing the piece together.

I think it could be really interesting because there are bound to be many great moments of frustration, excitement, surprise and hopefully some great performances (!).

I am reminded of a documentary which can be viewed on netflix called OT: Our Town where a group of high school kids who had never before done any drama, set out to modernize and present an old play entitled Our Town. It's really great if you want to have a look and get a feel for perhaps how it might look visually. The documentary will be very observational and will feel like the camera is merely an onlooker to the action.

Please! Build on this! suggestions? comments? Want to do it?

Southwark Playhouse and TTOTS.

Have been trying to get in contact with the girl who played Katherine in a modern-day revival of The Taming of The Shrew in London.

Not successful yet, but the adaptation looks really interesting. I've been playing a lot with the idea the Katherine holds a lot of qualities that are more accepted in today's average female. The play see's her bold nature, outspoken mouth and fiery temper as outrageous and unwantable qualities in a wife. However, I am guessing that in this modern adaptation and from the picture of it below, I think we are seeing more and more that Katherine may be more like a lot of women in today's busy, demanding and independent-seeking world.

Shakespeare and children with Andrew Walner

I have actually been talking to one of my old drama teachers in Australia. He helped me a lot with a Shakespeare monologue I was using for an audition to get into a performing arts school. And his help worked! I got in and spent a year at the Victorian College of the Arts before coming to BYU.

While on the phone, Andrew and I spoke mostly about the teaching of Shakespeare in primary schools (I think Americans call it primary school too? grade 1-6 is primary school), as that is what he does during the week. He also teaches at a community theatre program for children on Saturdays. My little sister used to go to it a few years ago too.

What I tried to offer to the conversation was my interpretation of how Shakespeare has effected me this semester alone. While the text is often difficult, there are so many resources that help to understand and interpret the meaning of such language. Andrew is a strong believer that even children at the age of 8 can read Shakespeare and it can be just as compelling and understandable as Harry Potter.

I shared with Andrew my experience of reading the Tempest and how it was difficult for me to enjoy reading The Tempest when a lot my classmates enjoyed it more-so over The Winter's Tale. However, after seeing it on stage over the weekend, my mind opened up to the magical elements and the relationship of characters. Seeing it on stage, everything became much clearer and less wordy for me. I mean Shakespeare was meant to be seen and not read right?
Andrew also told me how he once taught The Tempest to a group of 14 year olds in high school. Instead of keeping the names of Miranda, Caliban etc, they changed them all to names from Harry Potter so that they could more easily identify with the characters and 'act' out a couple scenes with Hermione in mind for Miranda and Albus Dumbledore as Prospero.

shakespearebot.com

I tried to have a conversation with this thing..