Days 2/3

Yesterday, after touring the two theaters we worked again with Tom Davey in a series of exercises combining simple speech, intention,  and increasingly more complex (but still fairly simple) movement. These had the result of getting us to have an awareness of our space, of each other, and so forth.  We worked with "Yes" and "No" and two lines from "Dream": "I love thee not." and "You draw me." Afterwards, I joined a colleague for lunch at The Swan where we get a 25% discount.  Later we were guests for a lecture/performance by Patrick Spottiswoode, director of Globe Education, on Shakespeare's language (English).  Then drinks, then a delicious dinner served at Crosby & Hope, in the lobby of Sackler Studios, the rehearsal rooms where we do most of our explorations.

Here we all are at the end of the first day, in one of the rehearsal rooms.  Notice the room is nearly circular:

Today (day 3) we met an hour earlier, got split into three groups, and each group was given over to a director charged with developing a scene from Midsummer Night's Dream.  My group got Jonny Woolf, an actor who has been working since he was eight, as well as a director and Globe educator.  I think we are lucky.  He is treating us like professional actors.  We did further scene work, all using a scene with Demetrius and Helena, finding ways in, using lots of movement.  He demanded clarity of being sure each movement was distinct and that we knew why we were doing it.  We learned an activity called Story Woosh, where the synopsis of the play (or you could just do a scene) is prepared so that it breaks into each exchange or moment between a group of characters.  The actors sit in a circle.  As each character is mentioned, the actors next in line stand up, and form a tableau to illustrate what is described.  The facilitator may ask questions of the students to highlight what the emotions or dynamic appears to be.  Then they say "Woosh" and those actors sit down, others replacing them as the story continues.  What a great way to familiarize everyone with the action, to preview it, and to start building a comfort level with the students.  It was great fun to see the work of the other people in the group.  Casting is tomorrow... whom will I play?

Then, after a brief break, we took seats in the Wanamaker Playhouse to watch a class of British school children (probably seventh graders) perform a condensed version of Henry V.  They certainly all had magnificent diction!  It was quite interesting, using multiple actors playing Henry, which they took turns speaking, and interesting choreography.  This is a good idea for staging other plays with a smaller number of characters than one has in a class, so as to get everyone involved.  I think I may try this with The Crucible for my grade 11s next year.  Then we went to lunch at The Swan again (it's very good, and, as I may have mentioned, we do get a 25% discount).  After lunch it was back to the studios for more "lively action", this time led by Chris Nayak, who trained at the Old Vic.  Chris brought physicality into iambic pentameter, with several terrific exercises.  We had some good conversation about what can be brought to light when the rhythm is broken.  

Tonight I look forward to reading Merry Wives in bed and then drifting off at an early hour.  And so, anon.