A Midsummer Nights Dream Blog: Character Profiles

We have all been cast for our parts in our production of "A Midsummer Nights Dream" for children. We have two casts code-named "Liquorice" and "Sherbet". I have three parts in total. In "Liquorice" I play Lysander and in "Sherbet" I play Theseus and Flute. After all my research and development throughout my blog this is the final summary for each character.


Lysander:

Lysander is a citizen of Athens around 20 years old. He is a hopeless romantic, falling in love with girls and becoming infatuated without really knowing them but once he's in love that's it. He want nothing more than to marry who he thinks is the love of his life, Hermia. Due to the parallels between this play and "Romeo an Juliet" and his general character I'm saying they met and fell in love at first sight. I feel they probably don't know each other too well and are just going through young love, especially Lysander. He is considered a good man even by the high ranking members, for example when Theseus says "Demetrius is a worthy gentlemen" Hermia replies "So is Lysander". The duke agrees with this saying "In himself he is" but is only ignored because of Egea who doesn't want him marrying Hermia. That is his main obstacle as well as the decision by duke Theseus and he knows he can't change it so has to take another course of action. This of course annoys Lysander do much to the point where he suggests running away with her so they can live a happy life. He will do anything for love it seems even disobeying a duke. In the original text it implies that he would kill Demetrius if he had to get the love of who he wants although it's more out of naivety rather than being evil but even then whether he'd actually have the capacity to kill him is highly unlikely although the frustration to confront and threaten is certainly there since he's just an overly ambitious and naive young man. He does all this while still remaining a likable young man since he never actually brings harm to anyone and has good intentions throughout.






Theseus:

Theseus is the duke of Athens. He is going to marry Hippolyta, queen of the amazons. In the original it's heavily implied she's there against her will and has no choice to marry him but in this version that has been removed and they are two powerful leaders in love. In this version he's a nicer man and isn't really evil in anyway. When he is happy and talking about his wedding day to his fiance, he's interrupted which on it's own would irritate someone but the news given is that someone is going against the tradition/law of his culture. In this version I see him as someone who merely wants to uphold it and maybe a little offended that someone is going against what he was brought up to believe. Since in this version he doesn't threaten her with the death penalty it makes sense to go with this although he still firmly believes in maintaining his authority and denies it due to those reasons. Although I will say that he does have the capacity to go further. He doesn't really have an obstacle since he's the character of the highest status and controls everything in Athens although I guess you could say he's still placed in an awkward situation since he can still see the flaw with situation but just feels a need to uphold tradition and stand by his friend/well respected figure. He changes his mind in the end when he sees how Demetrius feels for Helena and then decides that it would be better for everyone if he overruled. He has no problem doing this despite going against one of his friends wishes although he does out rank Egea anyway so there isn't much he could do. Theseus is while arrogant (since he thinks of himself highly and enjoys his power although he doesn't feel abuses it, just prioritises himself) and a little greedy/forceful (Considering in the original had him kidnap a princess), he isn't an evil man, he's just a man with a lot of power that has both good and bad sides as evidenced by him overruling his friend.






Flute:

Francis flute is a man who's real job is to fix bellows (Photo of bellows below) but he wants to become an actor so has joined an amateur group in order to try and make it as one. He has somehow been given the chance to perform at the Duke's wedding which of course is both an exciting and scary idea for all of them. It's also an ideal opportunity to try  However both he and the group are pretty bad and very incompetent. Him and his crew always seem very unrehearsed and there's no one who can be considered good. Flute is not exactly the smartest of people although he is a nice man, filled with enthusiasm at first until he gets a part that he finds humiliating. He more or less has a smile on his face when preparing and performing with the exception of when he gets his part. His obstacle is really his (As well as his groups) talent. And his focus is mainly on getting the play done so he can hopefully succeed and he will put up with the part he doesn't like to get what he wants so while he's fairly stupid he's at least determined. The other mechanicals seem to be his friends or at the very least people he gets along with so that's probably a factor as to why he keeps going. So really he's a bumbling but determined fool and his hearts in the right place to get what he wants even though he didn't get the part he wanted.

A Midsummer Nights Dream Blog: Final Week

Tuesday, 15/11/16:


Today we went over the mechanicals scene that we didn't get too last time. Initially we actually forgot the blocking and overall running through it was a tad awkward especially when coming in. I did put my all in with my energy, bounciness and volume today so I don't really have any issues with my performance as flute to be honest. I feel it's more or less ready and my level of energy will adjust accordingly to the requirements of the theatre space, I feel that I'm that comfortable with it. I like the face, voice and mannerisms I've given him. I guess the only problem with what I did today was that I simply messed up where I stood in the scene. I stood to the right of the stage when I should have been more to the left to do the "Through that cranny" line. I feel that if I remember that then it'll be great. It's very energetic and I feel it'll be very fun to perform and to watch and overall represents the character well for both styles.

One additional idea/development that happened today was that after I did my scream similar to the one from bottom (Which I really like and was quite fun to do) James suggested very quickly that I should jump into his arms very much like how Scooby-Doo would do (Reference photo below) and we tried it out and it looked surprisingly good in my opinion. It could do with speeding up a bit but the level of energy was great and when combined with the rest of the cast screaming and being very over the top it's great, I think it mixes very well. It's also a reference children will mostly understand and if not it'll still add to the comedy of it.





The issue with the scene was only when I finish saying my line "As true as truest horses that yet would never tire", it usually takes to long for Pau to come in which can bring down the pacing so I did point that out but that's only a small nit pick and solution to the scene although it is still important the reasons I've stressed a lot. Pacing counts especially for children with lower attention spans.






Thursday, 17/11/16:


Today we ran got to go through the final stages of blocking on the final scene of the play where everything is resolved and Theseus lets the couples marry who they wish. After that we had a full run through of the play with the Sherbet cast.

One thing we didn't really fix and I'm not sure we will fix is the wall climbing moment during the "Pyramus and Thisbe" play where he grabs my bottom. It's still overall really awkward but the main problem is that it's not obvious that he grabs me. However I think I can counteract this by simply playing up my reaction to it. As of now it's a high pitched "Ooooh" sound but I thin k I should put my hands where he grabs in order to make it more obvious and hopefully funnier. Also since it's a moment that intentionally awkward I feel that I need to keep the energy up a bit so that this moment doesn't lose the audiences attention as well as keep it looking from actually unrehearsed in anyway which I think is always risky when portraying a scene like this.

One issue we did improve today was the transition to the dance since the past attempts have been very awkward. I've worked out my path and timing for the Sherbet transition. As Pau is asking the audience if they'd like to see the epilogue, I walk over to my place as Flute. after people working it out it looked much better and the dance itself is great with more or less everybody embracing the style of children's theatre and some playing out to the audience, I'm certainly trying my best to do that and put on a big cheesy smile and I feel I'm doing a good job of it.

There are of course a couple of minor issues such as the timing on my last few Lysander lines, when I walk off with Egea and the last scene with Hermia, it's not romantic enough but those a small problems that can easily be fixed. Other than that though I must admit I think I'm ready to perform this play. I'm really looking forward to it and I have confidence in the production. Tomorrow we move into the theatre and we'll try to correct any minor issues we have.

A Midsummer Nights Dream Blog: Week 7

Tuesday, 8/11/16:


Today we had a run through of the play with both casts. Something I noticed today was when I was trying a deeper voice for Theseus. I mentioned before about deciding on a voice and considering what I said to Max about commanding a presence or denoting your status, giving him a deeper voice will age him a bit and possibly distinguish him from everyone else when combined with the tall confident posture I'm going for. I thought the voice would work from trying out a monologue in a voice session and going with the deeper voice for character in a attempt to age them and it gave off the qualities I think would suit Theseus. I'm not quite sure but I think it may be affecting my diction a little bit. Since I was putting more emphasis on my voice to try it out I forgot until I was off stage about my articulation and realised it may have been off a bit. So that's something to focus on next but for now I do like the voice and it does do what I thought it would, he certainly has more of a presence than before or at least I feel so.

I also added to the moment when saying "I must confess I've heard too much" and made it almost as if I'm cutting them off and kind of like I'm announcing it. Since it's something I want to uphold and won't hear any more of it but I'm also prioritising my wedding so I'm basically saying you can't do anything and I more or less don't care. But I'm doing it in a way that's not evil it's just mildly arrogant which would most likely be the case with someone of great power.

We have added in a moment where during the mechanicals first scene I take off the table but I wasn't really told to do anything while doing it so I just improvised and ran off with it with a silly run where my legs hit my bottom as I run and I'll keep a huge grin with Flutes face and I think it'll be a nice humorous moment.

The sherbet mechanicals which I'm in don't do too much when they first come on. The only thing we've really done as of now is the when they come on we're very cramped together and when the front one stops we all bump into each other so we worked on it. We were put into groups and sent away to add in our own choreography. The group made an entrance where they clap and almost dance onto the stage. To be honest I thought this was not very fitting since they introduced a bunch of bumbling, incompetent fools by showing them doing something smooth and calculated and I really didn't think it worked, it didn't seem to represent them properly at all which I must say I feel bad for saying because on it's own it was a nice moment. Although saying this I had no ideas for what my group could do after seeing that although we seemed to agree that something which shows how amateur and unskilled they are. This is why I thought the initial entrance we had was OK since us bumping into each other immediately suggests what they are like. I'm sure we can add to it in additional rehearsals but the one that was done today I don't think works at all.

I knew all my lines even to the point where I could prompt Jack A without using my script. I think I'm getting the right level of energy especially for the romantic lines and have taken on the note of being more sappy. The idea I had before of kissing the air I tried out and it got a laugh so I'm definitely keeping that since it also fits with the scenes tone and it is quite over the top which is a good thing in this.

I have also been trying to apply my verse forms to my lines more since I feel now I'm very comfortable with them. I feel it is making a difference to the way I'm saying them, Mainly my Lysander lines are getting better in my opinion. Examples are when I'm talking to Helena and saying the "Nature shows art, that through thy humour makes me see thy heart" line. I'm now observing the punctuation more and the lines seem more structured and poetic. While that still needs work it's at least always on my mind when saying my lines now especially when doing the rhyming verse lines which need to be done properly to bring out the romance of the situation and with the clash of confusion, potentially bring out the comedy. It's also helping with certain moments such as the "Where is Demetrius" line, I now know what words to emphasise such as "Vile" since I'm insulting him but I'm still keeping it kid friendly so I'm going to play up the overly protective or ambitious side of him at this time and it came to me because of applying the verse and getting me to think more about the context and structure of my lines as well as what words to emphasise. I also feel I'm going to have to go through the script and highlight the verbs in my Lines since that's often the words to put emphasis on. An example Is in the beginning when Lysander says, "Keep promise love and if though lovest me come steal away with me tomorrow night". The two words to highlight in that sentence would be "Promise" and "Steal". Considering it's context "steal is the word to go with since it's implying that they are going away with out permission and the rebellious nature of it. That's just an example but I will do it for every scene to get the best results.






Wednesday, 9/11/16:


Today we had a different type of run through. We would go through the play and sort out individual issues such as having to sort out the literal love triangle at the beginning since we keep going into a line. We also need to look like we're actually going to follow the duke out of the room before I stop Hermia to tell her about running away since it looks like we're preparing to walk to the middle of the room and looks a little rubbish but the try we had where we actually changed and stopped our actions looked pretty good and spontaneous. I might add a little more secrecy to the line since that's what came naturally when trying out that change. I'll try a stage whisper but I'm not sure if it'll be effective for children but I will certainly try.

We worked on the entrance of the Mechanicals. my complaints about the others ill-fitting entrance was actually mentioned and resulted in it being changed. What they changed it to is more or less what we had to do. We have to come in singing a chant and then engage in some sort of wacky antics at one point I go to try and leapfrog James but he gets up and I have to keep hold of him while flailing on him. This intro is so much more fitting in my opinion since it represents what they're like, bumbling and incompetent. Also it's a little more silly and funny so I think it will have a greater chance of making the children laugh and is just overall fun to be honest.

I added in a moment of Flute shaking with excitement and then that is shattered and he instantly stops when peter quince says about his part. The only problem is it's not very well timed at all although I have only tried it out once so I will have to work that out and maybe talk to him about it.






Thursday, 10/11/16:

Today we continued on from where we got to yesterday. The only scene that I got to do today however is the scene with Lysander and Hermia in the woods.

I felt a bit better about my performance as Lysander today. Since I'm going with a sort of hopeless romantic approach I had to add a little more energy still and I felt that it was actually cartoony enough to be quite amusing. A bit of feedback Jack A as Lysander got is to act a little bit like a prince from a Disney film as in add in their energy and a slight bit of their confidence. I took on this advice a little too and I think that it is more fitting for him and matches the level of energy for children's theatre or at least for now. In the theatre I will have to play it up more but the base is there for now which is great.

A problem with today was that I really didn't get to do much overall. This was because during certain scenes everyone kept getting distracted and there was a lot of corpsing and laughing. While yes it was fun it did result in some of not being able to get on with the second Mechanicals scene which was unfortunate since the other cast went through the scene and had it mostly staged and choreographed. Even though I'm pretty good with knowing Thisbe's lines and keeping them in a rhyming verse with good timing the moments after where bottom comes on were awkward last time. This is what I wanted to work on but couldn't also the adding to what I do when I'm scared and run off with the mechanicals. An idea I had to add in a comedically over the top scream although not sure if I would've done a high pitched one or a sound of fear similar to one that Rik Mayall does in "Bottom". I would have tried out both of these but will have to wait and see which one if either of them works.

Also I've had one issue on my mind for a while to do with the moment Helena says "Lysander if you live good sir awake" and the I respond. I have to wake up, stand up and then say my line or at least that's how it's been rehearsed as of now. I think that this moment is not well paced in the sense that since I have those two actions to do in between two rhyming lines and it destroys the rhythm of the lines or at least is a little too awkward for it since the two lines are a rhyming couplet. I think I can fix of this by waking up in a more snappy, faster manner and saying my response line on the ground still but sat up. Then I can say my next line while getting and standing up. I think this will help the moment. As an action on it's own it was fine but with the language I think it needs to be tweaked to keep the flow of the dialogue and not sound awkward. I will try this out on Tuesday and see what happens, my feeling is that it should be an improvement.

A Midsummer Nights Dream Blog: Week 6

Tuesday, 1/11/16:


Today we had a run through of the play with the sherbet cast.

My feedback for flute was very positive today, apparently the changes I make to my face and the voice I'm putting on are quite funny and it's definitely a change from the other characters I have. I was very happy to hear that since I'm glad I experimented with him because if I had just stuck with the heightened version of myself I feel that it probably would've been rubbish. I feel I'm putting the "Energetic movement" feature of children's theatre to good use with flute or at least he's the best I've implemented it so far.

One note we were given was that while the background interactions between me and James during our Mechanicals scenes are very good they are way too overplayed so it meant that to the people watching it was very distracting and not much attention was paid to Bottom or any of the others. This just means that we will have to down play it so I think that I'll limit the amount of interactions we have so make it only about 3 that have any real energy to them the rest will have to be lowered and only there to keep the scene from being static in any way, the constant movement (Even if only slight) will keep them watching.






Thursday, 3/11/16:


Today we had a run of the play with the liquorice cast. I got some fairly positive feedback for Lysander today but I did get some notes to improve. Firstly my scenes with Hermia aren't lovey dovey enough yet. We needs to hold hands more, have bigger smiles on our faces and blow kisses to each other because as of now it looks a little dull since we aren't doing that. I had an idea of just before I go to sleep and shes blown me a kissed (Which we added in today) I would kiss the air in her direction quite a few times and then quickly plop me head down. This is mainly for comedic effect but I feel that small moment will add to the sappiness of it all. We do need to play it up.

I also need to make more of seeing Helena when I wake since I apparently don't look both surprised and mesmerised by I either go with one or the other. So I need to combine the in order to give off a bigger impression of how I'm feeling. I deliver my lines well apparently it's just the initial moment of noticing her I need to work on. I also need to look for Demetrius instead of just randomly running around the stage which is what I appear to be doing. It was the blocking done by the other and I just copied it without thinking why but now I get it so that's an easy fix.

On a positive note, the scene where me and Demetrius are talking to Helena and we're being rivals we're meant to act while she's talking not just stand there so I improvised. I looked at Helena with utter love and passion and then when I catch a glance of Demetrius I go into a pose where it looks like I'm challenging him to a silly fight. And when she says "If you were men" then I act as if I think I'm the best. My idea that I did was to pull that same ace as when I ride off on the horse and then flex my muscles. It looks silly which is great and the reaction was positive so I think I'm keeping that. It was actually very fun and it adds energy and more humour to the already funny scene so I see this as quite a good addition to keep their attention, if they aren't interested in what Helena is saying then there's always the visual comedy to make them laugh.

A Midsummer Nights Dream Blog: Week 5

Tuesday, 18/10/16:


Today we had a complete run through of the production although only with one cast (Liquorice) due to time. Overall it went very well although there were a few familiar problems.

Firstly though I'm happy to say that I think I'm almost there with knowing all my Lysander lines. I managed to get through the whole play without using my script until it got to the last two lines which I have practiced but as is clear by not knowing them off by heart, not enough. I didn't use the script though I just had to be prompted with the first word or so of the sentence but to be honest I'm actually very happy with that since it means I've not got very far to go at all with all my lines. Tomorrow if we run with the Sherbet cast then I'm going to try the same. I'm very confident that I know all of my Theseus and Flute lines. I'm happy with this mainly because I can get to work on applying the verse forms to my text to get the best flow.





Wednesday, 19/10/16:


Today unfortunately I didn't get to do any kind of rehearsing since today was focusing mainly on the singing sequences of which I am only featured in the last one of the play which we have rehearsed the most so we left that one for today. I was asked (as well as the others who don't sing) to go to library and research theatre for children for an upcoming presentation as well as for the production itself. When I got to the library my computer had some technical problems so while I was waiting for it to be fixed I went over my lines but also had a bit of a think about the style. I realised that even though it's been present in my mind and I am aware of the basics of performing for children which I have referenced throughout this, I haven't really done an adequate job of combining the two attempted styles, I'm leaning towards more the Shakespeare side of things as of now and really that needs to change quickly. When I got it home I did some further research into children's theatre in order to get a better understanding of it even though I already understand the basics.

I watched a few clips of the famous children's entertainer Justin Fletcher (Better known as Mr. Tumble) since he's one of the most well known and experienced in the business and he is also in the Cbeebies version of our play so I wanted to look at his performing and see if I got the initial basics correct. My list of basics that I thought for acting in the style is as follows:

- It includes a lot of energetic movement because if you seem bored or too static then it will make them lose interest fairly quickly. This seemed to be correct from any clip I watched even though he wouldn't be running around and waving him arms constantly he'd still put precision and, a bit of speed and energy into his basic movements. One idea we had to try and counteract this is to have as much movement as possible. For example during the scene where the mechanicals are talking and being given their scripts there's overall not much movement so we're adding in background acting and interactions so that there's always some sense of motion and nothing on the stage is really static unless it has to be.

- I thought that in terms of vocal delivery it would have to be slow and clear. This was also confirmed, it was not slow to the point of being in slow motion but just so it's very articulate and easy to understand but with the bouncy voice or a heightened or adapted version of a certain tone you want to portray. When looking at the clips I noticed that they were also taking into account deaf children which made me think that they would adapt their delivery to suit children with disabilities/learning difficulties so that's all the more reason to make everything as clear as possible.

- They feature a lot of singing and dancing to increase the variety of the piece they're watching. Children do have lower attention spans so if you give them more to focus on then you'll keep their attention for longer. Also children do like to feel comfortable and generally love repetition (Since quite a few shows such as "Teletubbies" show clips twice) so having a song which will have repeated verses is a good way to achieve that which this play does.

- Any emotions are exaggerated to the point of being silly and some are changed outright such as you never see someone genuinely angry in one these, it will usually be changed to them being grumpy to play up the humour.

Something he said in an interview I watched of his is that doing children's theatre is important since it's their first experience with the art form and will be the best time to inspire and teach people. I completely agree with this since it's the time when if you like something you'll obsess over it and if you can spark that little bit of interest it'll grow and develop.

Thursday, 20/10/16:


Today we had the run through with sherbet that I thought we were having yesterday before the plans were changed. However before we ran through it we were given a task to help us out with the idea of theatre for children. We had to devise a very short play which summarises "A Midsummer Nights Dream" but in a way that is only for children and to remove the Shakespeare element entirely. This was actually very fun but also quite interesting because it did seem to give me a greater idea of what I might want to include even though I already somewhat knew elements of the style. The first thing we decided on was that we would need to introduce ourselves to help make the audience feel comfortable and we even gave ourselves different and possibly silly names names such as Jared for myself, Billy for Jack A and Dr. Tim for mike etc. We took turns narrating specific segments of the short piece to add a little variety and overall kept it simplistic and short. So if we showed that to children I reckon they would be entertained by it. It did help to try and put some of the features of the style to use.

Something I noticed was that whenever we portrayed a negative emotion such as when we mentioned Oberon's jealousy and anger we would make it silly or seriously overplay it to the point where you couldn't take it seriously at all. We'd just up the body language and make ourselves look pompous and appeal to the comedic potential of the emotion since we didn't want the target audience to get upset or uncomfortable. A primary focus was to keep it up beat, happy and with a lot of energy.

Also after watching some of those clips of Mr. Tumble I realised what I've been aiming for in the dance at the end seems to be correct since I'm encouraging them to join in and interacting with them. This was backed up by a clip of him singing "Heads, shoulders, knees and toes" and his actions throughout it seem to match what I'm doing especially the cheesy smile.

When doing the run through today I tried to embrace the silly humorous side a little more and I noticed a couple of improvements. Firstly I tried upping Theseus's dialogue especially for the first line since that impact needs to be there to get the audiences attention as much as possible. I tried putting emphasis on certain  words and made him seem a little a happier and more friendly just by adding a little more energy to this first moment which I feel is appropriate considering the target audience. My change for flute was much better I feel. When we came on as the mechanicals I just improvised and did something silly with my face and just stuck my bottom lip further out. This small change seemed to extend to the rest of him since it seemed to change my voice and physicality to something that seemed a little more along the lines of an enthusiastic child although my voice was still very similar to last time. I also had a thought about Flute's attitude toward it all. Despite his initial disappointment I feel that since he goes along with it at all, he would try his hardest. Since he is a bellows mender which is a fairly boring job he'd probably put up with some embarrassment in order to get somewhere more interesting. I looked up any small character profiles of the characters and one I found does heavily suggest that. It says he is determined so I thought I'd add in a little moment to signify this. When he says "Must I speak now" I'm gonna carry over the enthusiasm he had before he was given his part so it does suggest that in a basic way so that at the very least he'll put up with it. It'll seem like he's now looking forward to doing it since it means something interesting is finally happening to him so he quickly gets on with it. The past couple of rehearsals I've made it that he's a little more comically upset about it somewhat but forced to go along with it which works but what I thought today just seemed to make sense since if it bothered him that much he would've just left so the fact he stayed does mean something. After trying it it did seem to give him more life and energy even though he had some already, the more he has, the better.




Research links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbWAos5nnP8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYACdrBOm2c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeNuY5znSHU

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/msnd/characters.html

A Midsummer Nights Dream Blog: Week 4

Tuesday,  11/10/16:


Today we made a fair amount of progress on the basic blocking. Thankfully some it was to do with me as Lysander.

Some of us were asked today to help direct the scene being blocked and we had to pick a specific person to critique. I picked Jack A since he's also playing Lysander and we could give each other tips on our performances and see if we could take any inspiration from each other. I was glad to find that I did actually pick up some ideas from watching him. I gave direction on how to say the lines in the scene we have such as, "I had no judgement when love in her I swore". That is a line that needs to be said as with a hint of regret and and a bit of confidence trying to convince Helena that he was wrong in loving her.

I even gave Max (Playing Oberon) some advice about keeping his status in mind. My examples basically suggested that hist posture and actions didn't accurately denote his status as a ruler. His posture was a bit too relaxed and he wasn't standing up straight to show the confidence and in a scene where he laughed he looked down and I suggested that a person of power would usually be depicted looking when laughing. It's just a few minor details which can change how a person is viewed. After noticing all this and telling him I thought that I should apply it to Theseus since Oberon is the other world equivalent of him and I feel that he needs a sense of presence and these subtle features could imply that.

Even though I gave direction on how to perform the scene, when I went to do it, I was fairly bland although I'm putting this down to lack of energy since I had the mind set of the direction I gave but it apparently did not come across.

Sally gave a note of criticism about the fact that some of us are clearly unrehearsed, that some us we are still using our scripts or it seems we're reading our lines for the first times. I'm not sure if this applied to me fully since quite a few of my scenes I'm off book for just not the latter half yet. I will say that as of now though I don't think I'm doing the style much justice

Something I realised today was that I referred to Theseus as an antagonist when that isn't the case. As with the majority of Shakespeare "Villains" they usually have reasons and justifications for what they do and as I've said in Theseus's case it's most likely due to upholding tradition. However I've came to the conclusion he isn't an antagonist just an obstacle since he's not doing anything especially bad with in that culture and he changes his mind at the end suggesting that if it was a belief then it wasn't a very firm one so he ends up making the right decision and also I did find a suggestion online about that if they is a villain in the play it's love itself since it's the root of all the problems and obstacles in the play. I'm personally not sure about that since I feel that love doesn't cause issues it's the other emotions that come about in situations of love such as hatred, prejudice and jealousy that ruin situations like this. To be honest I'd argue that if there is a villain then it's probably Egea since she's the one being stubborn and doing whatever she can to get what she wants such as going to a hierarchy. However that's not exactly the focus of the play especially the version we're putting on. So I think Theseus is just more of a neutral character and like I said is only an obstacle but just happens to have his own beliefs with no real evil intent, just to uphold tradition in his culture.







Wednesday, 12/10/16:


Today we managed to complete the basic blocking of the play. We blocked the few scenes and ran through them with both casts.

The scenes involving me were my final scene as Theseus/Lysander (Depending on the cast) where everything works out. It was pretty good although I will say that since I'm still on script for this scene it's not anywhere near close to done yet and it was fairly awkward when running it, me as Lysander is pretty flat in this scene despite getting a bit better in the other scenes with him.

An issue we came across is how little time we'd have to get changed for the finale. I pointed out that I would have no time since there's only one or two lines between Theseus' last line and Bottoms line. In fact it was so little time that we had to cut my last line and give it to Sparks and Gaffer just to give me a few more seconds. I'm not sure how this could go but we'll have to wait until the dress run to see about that since when trying the dress on for the first time it was not exactly quick. We've also had to extend the moment where bottom wakes up just so we get as long as possible while still keeping a sense of flow to the scenes and their transitions. I will say this will probably be difficult but hopefully will pay off if well timed on our parts.

We were given the same note of criticism as yesterday and I'm still not sure whether it's referring to me or not since I am doing OK with learning my lines but I'm personally not satisfied fully with my performance yet, I think I've got some good ideas but just haven't executed them well yet.






Thursday, 13/10/16:


Today we did two complete runs of the play. I thought I should try out a few different things with my various characters just to if something works better, add some variety or to find something that fits the two styles better. The first change was that I felt a need to try out a different voice for Flute. It's been a fairly deep voice for a while so I changed it to a voice I can only describe as Michael Caine on helium since I've changed the accent to a sort of cockney one and have given it a much higher pitch. I thought this may fit more with the comedic style of it since we're meant to be bumbling fools for the most part and we've already got someone who exudes confidence (Bottom) so I felt it would make more sense. When I first did the voice it got a laugh so for now I think I'm gonna keep it, I may try out a more but I'll give this one another try.

Since I've taken away the deep voice from Flute, I've partially given it to Theseus by giving his voice a slightly lower tone although not too much. I'm doing this to denote his status with an air of simplicity. As of now I'm not too sure if anyone has noticed and I didn't get the chance to do it too much because the thoughts came to me half way through the sherbet run although the brief reactions from some and my personal thoughts seem to think this is a better direction to go with. Also It does help a lot to distinguish the roles so if i go with these voices all three of the character will sound fairly different, I just need to make them seem visually different besides their costumes now.

One thing that wasn't noticed at all was an addition I made to the scene where Lysander says, "To honour Helena and to be her knight". I ride off on a fake horse in a comedic fashion, it was already pretty good since I'm embodying a real sense of confidence and pride but I added something which is a face I make just as I say the line. It's face that implies wanting and shows my ambition and how much faith I have in myself. I do a sort or awkward pout during it and if I could compare it it would be like the face that the actor Kenneth Connor pulls in the "Carry On" films since it's a face that denotes passion when ever he pulls it and I feel that it would be appropriate since it doesn't really symbolise lust, rather eagerness (Which Lysander certainly has) and is funny combined with the moment where I mime riding off on a horse.

Today I was certainly trying to play up my acting especially as Lysander which has been fairly bland in my opinion. As before I've read his lines thinking that there's a lot of passion in everything thing he says, especially to do with love. The moment when I say to Hermia about who I'm in Love with and I'm on one knee, I threw my arm out and projected it more just to add more energy to it so seemed more over the top. I still think I could go a little further and I was still unfortunately reading my script which I feel did weaken the moment a little. But other than that I feel it's picking up and coming together more. The energy is almost there I just need a little more. A focus soon should be on making that moment sound sound better since it sounds a little awkward and I have a feeling that when he says the line "Who more engilds the night than all you fiery oes and eyes of light." he's trying to make that sound beautiful in an attempt to possibly charm Helena. This means that he might intentionally say this line in a very slow and and be extra articulate with a real degree of passion in each word. So I tried it like that and I think it's quite an improvement.

One issue we have that we definitely need to sort out was the final transition from the play to the dance. It's pretty bad. For sherbet I have to get across the stage as everyone is getting into place and since we haven't fully blocked a transition yet it's pretty messy. The scene before and the scene after are fine but they just don't flow together yet. It's not really an issue for liquorice since I'm already off stage and can just come on from the other side although due to the run through stopping and starting I'm not sure of the timing but the issue of a mess of people trying to get into place can be resolved we just need to go over the transition properly. The dance itself for now is fine but getting to it does need some work. I'm trying to play out to the audience and get them involved and not just dance like they aren't there I feel that would take away from the sense of fun that the play is supposed to have. It's also the best way to end it in my opinion, with a reassuring ending that directly involves them joining the action by clapping along so we need to encourage them and if we don't acknowledge or look like we care about them they won't care as much as they should.

Research Links: 

http://www.shmoop.com/midsummer-nights-dream/antagonist.html

A Midsummer Nights Dream Blog: Week 3

Tuesday, 4/10/16:


Today was unfortunately not very useful for me. We did get a fair few scenes blocked although I never got to actually try any of them out since they were either being done with the opposite cast or we ran out of time. Jack and Daniella went through the second scene with Lysander and Hermia. I did observe this while it was happening since they were doing the basic blocking but I couldn't really take it all in since the process was very slow for what is something very basic and I kept looking at my lines when it seemed like it wasn't moving along so I distracted myself unintentionally.

I am glad that I used this time to look over Theseus though and see what I can make of him continuing on from what I said about him last week. A thought that occurred to me today is whether or not that considering if he's offended or not is a little too much. I only say this because considering it's theatre for children does that mean thinking about that would be a little too complex and that I really should just root it in simplicity and present merely a confident leader. This did genuinely confuse me for a bit due to us combining two very different styles but during the session I came to the conclusion that I could probably just use the extra information and motives to add subtleties to the scene and my acting like I would in Shakespeare but then play them up a bit more for the children. An example I have is when Egea says "This man hath bewitched the bosom of my child". If I decide that he actually offended by this since it goes against his culture then I could act it out as I would normally first by having a slight expression of anger/surprise and once I'm used to it gradually up the energy in my face and make the expression a little more silly and over the the top. I feel that if I go with this then it's a good way top combine the two style and end up with a result which does them justice as well as just being plain entertaining.






Wednesday, 5/10/16:


Today there was unfortunately quite a few cast members missing which meant we couldn't really block much more material today. Although we were able to block my scene during the second act where I'm in the woods with Hermia. Although this scene had already technically been blocked with Jack A, it was my first chance to run through it properly. Overall it went OK but I seriously think that as of now I'm fairly bland as Lysander, I'm still having a tough time figuring him out. During this scene it was meant to be played with a lot of passion, surprise and even anger in some regards but since I'm using my script as well as some issues with timing and energy it's not coming across that well which is something I need to work on.

So to try and resolve this I'll have to research the verse forms and see if that helps me as well as just go over my lines to actually remember them. Once this is done hopefully the awkwardness of the moments will go away and I have to up my energy, say the lines with conviction like I mean it like I'm really in love with this girl and she's in love with me. I know I have to ham it up even without considering my dialogue pacing and structure but to be honest while I love the idea of doing that I think when I get in there I'm probably a little worried about doing it and going to far. Yes I said before that doing too much is better than too little but I just feel I'm subconsciously putting a limit on myself which is something I really shouldn't be doing.

Jack A and Daniella blocked some more sappy romantic moments such as blowing kisses to each other and they have as I've said done the basic blocking for the scene. I do feel it's a little awkward when watching it back and that it could do with a bit of tweaking but with practice and maybe hamming it up more like suggested then I think it could be good. When I spoke about finding the comedic potential I think this is more what I was talking about, it's not really with in his speech, it's in his actions which needs to come from me. As of now I don't have any ideas that I could add since I was mainly trying to get a hang of the basic blocking which I still think could do with a bit of work.






Thursday, 6/10/16:

Today since I didn't really get a chance to do much new I thought I'd research further into the use of verse in Shakespeare in preparation for when I have to apply it.

Something I found that I either forgot about or just didn't get told in the lesson is that the use of verse depends on what kind of character is saying it and what kind of theme or situation is being discussed.

As far as I can tell they can depend on the status of the character meaning that the Athenians in the play such as Lysander or Theseus would be written in blank/rhyming verse and characters like the mechanicals would speak in prose since the former are high ranking citizens of a generally sophisticated culture where as the others are low level amateur performers and they are not exactly good at what they do so they certainly have a much lower status than the others. Going through my script briefly this seems to be the case because both Theseus and Lysanders lines seem to either have 10 or 11 syllables and the Flute lines seem to have no structure and seem almost natural although still in Elizabethan English with the exception of the moments where he is playing Thisbe which goes to a combination of Rhyming verse and Prose since each sentence has either less or more syllables than typical rhyming verse does. As I've said I will go through my script and mark it soon. The main difference I feel this may bring across if executed well is that it will bring out the personalities/characteristics and status more since someone who speaks in a more controlled, structured and overall more fluid manner seems more sophisticated and intellectual so subconsciously implying their status by itself. Of course that's just one element and I'm incorporating that into the acting so the characters are different from one-another.






Research links: 

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/k/king-henry-iv-part-1/critical-essays/shakespeares-use-of-verse-and-prose

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/dramatwelfthnight/twelfthnight_language/revision/1/

http://www.shmoop.com/midsummer-nights-dream/writing-style.html

http://www.shmoop.com/midsummer-nights-dream/characterization.html

A Midsummer Nights Dream Blog: Week 2

Tuesday, 20/9/16:


Today we did not do any blocking of the production but instead spoke about the language of the play although more this time about the structure and names of verses. This is so we can get a better understanding of how to say certain verses since some of them rhyme and some don't so they have a different rhythm to them and have different ways of being said. Some of the verses also use punctuation differently so when it seems as though a sentence should stop it actually keeps going and flows.

Types of verse:

Blank verse - This is where a series of lines are structured like a poem but does not rhyme so it still has a sense of flow to it. It usually has five sets of Iambs which is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one. This means one is more emphasised than the other but in a natural fashion. Five of those means you have an Iambic pentameter which is generally 10 syllables long. An example is "Four happy days bring in another moon". Although I have seen some that have 9 such as "Hermia. Hermia sleep thou there" and some that have 11 such as "I had no judgement when love in her I swore"

Rhyming verse - This is similar to blank verse but along with the structured nature of using Iambic pentameters it can use rhyming couplets which is two lines that rhyme but with no line between them such as "Transparent Helena, nature shows art that through thy humour lets me see thy heart". If they have a line in between them then it is not a couplet.

Prose - This is basically unstructured and normal/common language. It doesn't rhyme or follow the iambic pentameter at all.

We were told in class but admittedly I was quite lost so when I got home I looked it up and I understand it more now. That is the best I understand them for now although I will have to do some further research to clarify them for when I have to apply them to my script. I will note them so I get a better sense of their rhythm and pace so I can keep them flowing well. This is something I'll definitely work on as I memorise my lines since I think focusing on that now will probably be unnecessary and complicate things at the start since I'll have more than just the line itself of my mind making it easier to forget.

A website mentioned today was called "No Fear Shakespeare" which has direct translations of all (Or certainly most) of his plays from Shakespearean English into modern English. I will be using this to translate my lines since I feel it will provide more context of what I'm saying and it will further hint at the right types of inflections, vocal mannerisms and tones to speak it in since the structures are fairly different so the meanings of the sentence seem a little vague to me right now although that is just me.

Wednesday, 21/9/16:


Today we blocked the intro and the first scene or so with both casts. This managed to give me a chance to try out both Theseus and Lysander for the first time and see what I could do. It was quite interesting and today really made it clear that this is a challenge ahead of me since I've got three characters that need to be different and all in keeping with the styles which from today's session I know I'm not exactly near mastering yet.

I asked for feedback after the rehearsal about my First go at Lysander. They said it came across as quite camp and I'm not sure that's what I was going for really although from memory it didn't seem like I was overplaying anything. It may have been to do with voice rather than physicality if I had to guess since it was higher than I'd intended so it gave the wrong impression. They said he should be more of a wimp but I don't really see that. I still see a hopeless romantic that mostly exudes passion. I don't know if I see much potential for comedy with him yet. I say that because he was funny in the globe version but this script is heavily cut so any moments from that may be gone although I think I'll find humorous elements to add to him along the way. I know they're there I just have to find them.

Me and Rhys Improvised a little moment where when we both come on to the stage we're sort of bickering and nudging each other. Since Demetrius and I are rivals fighting for the same girls love it seemed to fit very well and show the petty hate between them and I think it instantly establishes the relationship between them. It fits the tone and makes it more silly and suitable for children rather than anything to do with genuinely despising each other. I think we could work on it, possibly make it more noticeable or play it up and make it funnier since this play is a comedy.

My first try at Theseus was OK overall. The first attempt was quite bland and didn't really convey much and it was pointed out to me that for the sherbet cast I would be the first to be speaking Shakespearean so I need to make a good first impression. Also it was said that Theseus is a man who would be a bit full of himself and embrace the fact he is about to marry a queen. So I tried the opening speech "Now fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace" I did with a slightly more laid back tone and physicality but upped the volume of my voice and it was much better. I think I'll still experiment with ways of playing him and even try to develop this one further.

We did rehearse the ending dance again today. All of us are really starting to get the hang of it now although the main improvement that I've noticed is to do with some people's energy and happy appearance. Since we're focusing less on remembering the moves and more on the actual interactions and expressions it's got a more jolly and entertaining look to it. Something I'm doing during moments of the dance is acknowledging the audience and playing out to them, I'm acting like I'm looking at them (Which I will be during the real performance) and singing at them and sort of encouraging them to join in or clap along. I think if most people go with this then it will be all the more fun for the audience especially the children which after all are our main target audience.

Something we were told today was that our acting has to be "Hammy" which means over the top or exaggerated so it being natural isn't really a priority. This was something I was worried about a little since I didn't know whether to do it or not but apparently it's far better for this style to do too much than to do too little. I know now that I shouldn't really have to take any form of naturalism into account which is something I have to black out when tackling another style.






Thursday, 22/9/16:


Today we made some progress and blocked a few additional scenes. We picked up from yesterday where we'd got to the end of Theseus and Egeas rejection of the marriage scene. There were a few scenes blocked but only one involving me which was my first chance to try out flute the mechanical.

At first we just walked in normally with no sense of energy or comradery, it was a fairly dull entry for such humorous characters. We tried it again but this time coming in and bumping into each other and then have reactions to it as well as some of the dialogue being said. For example we may pull a slight face at something such as when Bottom says "Let me play Thisbe too" and he starts overacting me and James improvised a little reaction as if to say "Oh god here we go again!" I think as with most of the play we can add to it and make it bigger and funnier but we didn't get much chance to today.

When it came to me trying Flute's dialogue I did it as a slightly heightened version of myself  just to start off although everyone else seemed to go a bit further than that so I think I looked out of place or just seemed a bit lack luster in comparison. I will say that after that brief session I can see the potential in these scenes to be really funny even though we've only blocked there first scene.

We did run through the previously blocked scenes again and I didn't really come to any conclusions unfortunately, I was just quite confused still about how to act in the scene as Lysander. I know what his lines mean but something about the way I'm performing it doesn't feel right yet. I like what I'm doing with Theseus though I must admit, it still needs work but is a good start. I feel that I'm getting across a hint of an authoritative presence and even a sense of dignity, he's certainly one character that I don't see being funny, over the top at points probably but not really funny.

I was thinking about what is going through Theseus's head when Egea comes to him with the news of his daughters defiance. I was wondering if he personally is offended by it in someway as if goes against his customs therefore he has no real issue in putting forward the ultimatum to Hermia. On the other hand it may be just a tradition that he feels he must uphold even if it's not right. From doing a bit of research it seems to suggest both to a degree. In ancient Athens it was the father's duty to choose who the daughter would marry whether it be for money, power, connections or genuine love. So it seemed to be a firm tradition that most would want to uphold since it does have benefits to the family the majority of the time. This makes me think that Theseus has been brought up believing this is tradition and how it should be. There have been examples of this throughout history such as people being brought up with prejudices against races, sexual orientations and other things that we view as wrong now. The fact that this (arranged marriage) still happens in the world and rarely does the woman get a say so it would be understandable to assume a man would defend/uphold an aspect of his culture. So I think my idea of Theseus is leaning more towards a man that isn't offended but feels a duty to protect his culture and defend what he thinks is the way it should be, it just happens at the end he is swayed and that's part of his character arc. This may develop in the future but that's how it is for now.






This Weeks Research Links:



http://shakespeare.about.com/od/shakespeareslanguage/a/prose.htm

http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/marriageinancientathens.htm

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-iambic-pentameter.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/dramaothello/5drama_othello_langrev3.shtml

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/cliffsnotes/subjects/literature/what-is-blank-verse-and-how-does-shakespeare-use-it

A Midsummer Nights Dream Blog: Week 1

Tuesday, 13/9/16:


So today we started our work on our production of "A Mid-Summer Nights Dream" by William Shakespeare adapted for children. Before it was announced we would be doing this play I hadn't heard of it seeing as I'm not a fan of Shakespeare overall even though I do respect him and his plays and definitely acknowledge that there are some great aspects to them, I had a mixed feeling about doing this unit.

We went to see a production of the play at The Globe theatre in London and I was some what disappointed with what I saw. This was only because of the fact I was expecting a direct interpretation of the original script but there was a lot of modern elements thrown in such as "Dabbing" and throwing in a Beyonce song which just seemed very distracting and out of place for me. My main issue with the play is that it is too long and at times lost my interest especially with some of the distracting elements. Although the highlight of the play for me is definitely the cast, they were amazing and in my opinion did justice to the material given to them, they really held the play up for me and made me enjoy it overall despite a slight bit of disappointment. So that in itself did make me more keen for project. The character that I really wanted to play after seeing it was Theseus due to how stern or kind he could be in the play and he just seemed interesting to play although I'd probably have fun playing someone like Puck but I don't think that would suit me if I'm honest. Again my issue isn't that I disliked it, it just wasn't what I expected to see and in general it's not my cup of tea although with any style I take on I will treat it with respect especially considering it's historical and cultural significance.

Having seen the globe version and having a few mild issues with it I watched the version we would be doing which is done for children by the channel "Cbeebies". To be honest this version seemed to fix my problems with the version we saw at the globe since it condensed the 3 hour play to only fifty minutes and it removed the weird elements. Even though it added other elements in such as the characters "Cook" and "Line" it made perfect sense considering their audience was children and they need someone to explain the plot and add a bit more suitable humour. This made the plot flow better for me and since the tone seemed to be more fun especially with the elements added in which I think fit much better. Since this version is the one we're actually doing I was actually quite excited to perform the play in the style presented after seeing it especially since I've never done this before.

Before seeing either plays I had looked up the story line and characters of the play to provide some context to what was going on since I'm not the best at understanding Shakespeare plays. After that amount of limited info I had no idea who to play except with a slight interest in Theseus since he seemed to be an antagonist of sorts although only slightly. When I saw the Globe version I really wanted to play him due to the way the actor played him with such a degree of confidence, dignity and status but to be honest he was really the only one I had any interest in but after seeing this I actually wouldn't mind playing Shakespeare because of how kind and happy he is and it just seems so appealing to play. It seems as though he was genuinely fun and I want to try and do that but since I saw this after the audition process I doubt I'll get it.

My audition for Theseus could've gone better in my opinion. It was fairly bland even though I was trying to convey a sense of dignity or at the very least some confidence to suggest my position/status since that's usually quite important for Shakespearean characters that I've seen but I don't think it I did it too well. My script was falling apart on stage which was a little distracting and I don't think I had done my vocal warm up so the delivery was a bit flat and overall didn't feel like the character so I'm honestly not sure if I'll get him.

We also did a complete read though of our version of the script. It overall went well and surprisingly fast. It's now made me a little worried however since I realised I'm terrible at reading Shakespearean English. There was not a single line in the read through that I said properly, there was always stuttering, mixing up words or just not being able to read them. Of course the delivery was fairly wooden but that's not overly worrying since it's usual for a first read and I have little idea of what the words mean yet. Hopefully when we get cast and I practice I'll get much better at it.






Wednesday, 14/9/16:


Today's session was going to start with a continuation of the audition session from yesterday to hear some people sing to determine who could be Shakespeare or Puck and while I was up for it didn't end up happening which overall I don't mind since I'm not the strongest singer exactly.

Today's session was heavily focused on Shakespearean English. We were asked what flaws we have with Shakespeare in general and I was going to say the length and pacing of his plays since I do find them to be overly long but that's really my only issue with them. Most people said the language but I wouldn't say I have a problem with the language itself, it's just harder to understand nowadays and can sound vague in meaning if not expressed properly. When seeing Shakespearean English performed properly it's something that I can see as very rich and genuinely beautiful due to it's poetic nature. I do however have issues portraying the language properly and this session was to help us with it since the majority of us aren't too well versed in Shakespeare.

We went through a couple of exercises to help us get familiar with it. The first one was where we had to get into pairs and write up a 10 line conversation and then had to translate it into Shakespearean English with a sheet we were given. It started simple, we had to replace "You" with "Thou" and "Your" with "Thy" and so on. It was actually quite funny and interesting to try out. Something I noticed is that the contrast between the language types somehow made the average conversation seem more dignified in a sense or gave it an air or confidence.

The next exercise was to insult each other in the style. We were given sheets with some very old and very articulated insults or segments from conversations. This included phrases like "Away! Thou art poison to my blood." and "Beg that thou may have leave to hang thyself". We were then given a big sheet with rows and rows of insulting words and had to pick 3 to say sequentially. An example is "Infectious hell-hated codpiece". We had to pick them quickly and some did flow and fit better than others but it was quite amusing and I can see the potential if done correctly for some real drama or comedy depending on how you arrange it.

The language is obviously very different and the sentence structure is a little different which results in the lines being longer or at least that's what I feel. The main point of this exercise was to help us understand how to say these types of lines with the clarity of voice and emotion to properly convey them. I will say that this session definitely taught me the importance of the delivery and how it has to also convey the meaning of the sentence and not just the sentence itself as in the meaning behind it has to be made clear through emotion sop it makes the language clearer. That's true with any performance but due to poetic structure and the fact it's hard to understand it. You need to the right degree of anger and with the right emphasis on certain parts such as any "P" or "T" in the words to give them more impact. It gives more of a punch to the sentence so that even if the audience doesn't understand the language they still fully grasp the intent of it.







Thursday, 15/9/16:


Today we got our parts for both casts. We have two casts called "Liquorice" and "Sherbet" and between the 2 I have three parts. In Liquorice I was cast as Lysander and in Sherbet I was cast as Theseus and Flute the Mechanical. Overall I'm quite surprised but still very happy about the roles I've got because they're quite contrasting and I feel are quite interesting as well as seeming a challenge for me, especially Theseus. I'm really looking forward to looking into him since I've not played someone like him before.

I am a little concerned since as of now I have no idea how to play any of theses characters. I do have ideas for all of them but nothing concrete yet which is good since I'll have to try things out.

My idea for Lysander is that he is a sort of hopeless romantic along the lines of Romeo from "Romeo and Juliet" where more or less every line he says is said with utter passion or hatred like his feelings are exaggerated. I feel that would work due to the play being a comedy and (I need to confirm this) that Shakespeare productions often are heightened so it seems as though it would fit.

My idea for Theseus is that he is someone sees himself as very dignified and that he enjoys his power although not in a way that conveys petty greed. I want him to have confident presence, as of now I'm thinking of him having a tall authoritative posture. I'm not too sure yet of what kind of voice I'll do for him, I'm imagining something that either conveys power or a sense of humanity and not just a status/figure of authority so either a deep voice or a slightly heightened version of my own.

For now I have no idea how to play Flute other than that he has a lot of energy since he's with a group of wacky bumbling actors. Probably quite upbeat since he's with what I'm assuming are a group of friends doing a play. Just from the idea of doing a play for children with this character context to play him any other way seems wrong in my opinion, Even if I were to play a character that wasn't happy for example I would still need a good sense of energy in order to make that interesting to children. But flute does seem happy from what I can tell for now so like I said I will try something happy and fairly upbeat.

So my standpoint on everything as of now is that I need to experiment with ideas since I'm dealing with two combined styles that I'm not really at all familiar with which means this is probably gonna be fun, certainly interesting. I feel that I will have a good understanding of everything soon I just have to do some research into the play, both styles (Shakespeare and theatre for children) and obviously keep going over my script to get a better idea of the events of the story. I did understand the basic plot in videos and plot summaries but going over this script again I was confused so that will do me some good.