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
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