Well, my 2008 cast for The Taming of the Shrew has been chosen and announced.  I knew I couldn’t wait until after spring break was over to announce the parts, so I made sure I had it finalized last Thursday in order to announce it Friday morning.  Was everyone happy?  No.  Am I content?  Yes.  Does that mean it was easy to deal with disappointment?  No.  Do I still feel like I made the best decisions?  Yes.  So there you go.

Goodness, don’t I sound grumpy?  Yes.  Okay, I’ll quit writing in one-word sentences! Before I announced who got what, I explained to the school just how difficult it is to create a cast.  It’s not that choosing the right person for the right role is especially difficult, although there are times that it can be a little tough.  For me, it’s the fact that I know someone (and probably more than one someone) will be disappointed.  When five boys put down “Grumio” as the role they want, and seven girls write “Katharina,” odds are someone isn’t going to be happy - four boys and six girls, to be exact!  So I reminded them that I had to make the best decisions I could for the good of the production, and that I was sorry in advance for anyone who was disappointed.

I also explained to them that in order to alleviate some of the disappointment, I was adding the Induction back into our production.  Many of them looked at me with blank stares, which I had anticipated, so I gave a short run-down as to what I was talking about.  The Taming of the Shrew was written with an introduction, which tells the story of a drunken tinker, Christopher Sly, who is tricked into believing he has been asleep for 15 years and that he is really a wealthy nobleman.  This creates a framework for the rest of the story - Christopher Sly is actually watching a performance of The Taming of the Shrew while he enjoys his newfound wealth!

The problem with this framework is that most copies of Shrew only include the Induction at the very beginning, prior to the start of the action of Shrew itself.  So it appears that the frame is incomplete - that we meet Christopher Sly & Co., but never hear from them again after Act II!  But I was fortunate to have been told about the Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition (2005 - ISBN 0199267170), which contains further pieces of the frame story, possibly from other versions of Shrew in existence at the time.  This wonderful book provided me with an additional part of the story, making the “shrew-taming” a play-within-a-play, and allowing me to give every person who auditioned a part in our production!  In addition, our production will be different from many versions of Shrew as quite often, the framework is left out altogether.

So, how did the kids react to the roles they received?  For the most part (in fact, I’d say 99%), everyone was fine with the roles they received (or they were quiet about their grumping).  One person was terribly upset that he/she did not receive a bigger role.  And I felt bad for that one person…but in looking at the cast I created last week, I know in my gut that it’s a strong cast.  Even including people that would have been cut had I not added the Induction, I know that this has the potential to be another amazing production from this fledgling theatre troupe.  I explained this to the disappointed person and gave him/her the choice of quitting or staying…but if he/she stayed with the troupe, there would be no more complaining from here on out.  The person opted to stay, and even called me later that evening to apologize for his/her reaction.  I was proud of this person as I know it was tough…and I also know that this person will be VERY well suited for a big role in a future production of Macbeth!  Me, typecast???  NEVER!

What an amazing week!  What an amazing bunch of auditions!  Forgive me if I gush, but this really has been an incredible week, full of surprises and some super auditions (a few not-so-great, but not many!!)!

I really had no clue what to expect because, as I mentioned in a previous post, I gave the interested people audition pieces from the play to learn.  I think what surprised me the most is that the people I expected to do really well were the ones who clearly didn’t practice or spend much time on the pieces beforehand, while the people who I thought would blow it off were the ones who had clearly spent some time preparing.  This is one of the things I love about working with teenagers - They will surprise you at every turn.  One day is never quite like a previous day, and even though they may drive you up the wall, there is never a dull moment!

One girl in particular gave a very surprising audition…a VERY good audition if you know her background.  When I started the Shakespeare Festival last year, this young lady was in tears over the entire experience.  If I tried to get her to face the audience, she cried.  If I tried to get her to speak loud enough to be heard, she cried.  It was really a traumatic experience for her (and for me!), even though it was one scene and I think she only had three lines.  It was absolutely miserable…until the day of the Festival.  On the day of the Festival, she did not cry…she spoke loud enough to be heard…and when it was all over with, she said, “That was fun.  I think I might like to try out for the summer play!”  I think my jaw was stuck to the floor for several moments after that.  I was so pleased she enjoyed it and did well, but I never would have dreamed it would have turned out that way for her.

Well, she came in to her audition, looking nervous but not terrified, and she and her friend read the dialogue between Bianca and Katharina in Act II, scene i.  First she read as Bianca, and did very well - she sounded fearful of Katharina and put a lot of emotion into the audition.  Then I had the girls switch and she read as Katharina.  It wasn’t as good, but then I didn’t expect it to be great…this girl is NOT a shrew, but rather a very quiet young lady, and acting like Katharina would have been a HUGE stretch for her.  I was just so proud that she clearly practiced and worked on this audition piece in advance, and that she overcame that initial fear to the point that she wants to continue acting in our school plays.

So far I’ve seen twelve female auditions and eight male auditions, with three more boys coming in today.  These numbers are exciting for me because it means I’ve finally gotten the boys to want to do Shakespeare (last year’s auditions were overwhelmingly girls), and with 23 people I will have no problem filling my cast of 19.  In fact, I’ve decided to add the Induction back into The Taming of the Shrew, which is rarely done from what I’ve been told. (I will explain that in my next post!)  By doing this, I will ensure that everyone who auditioned gets a part, even if it has fewer than five lines.  I know I probably sound like a wuss, not wanting to cut anyone, but my goal right now is not just to create a solid drama program at our school.  It is also to convince these students that they have gifts to offer, and that drama can be fun for everyone.  Some of them may be in the play this summer and realize that they really don’t care for performing…but they sure thought helping with set design was fun!  And building their self-confidence makes all of the work worthwhile!

The big week is here! This is our week before spring break, but for all of those thespians at our school, wandering the halls muttering Shrew lines under their breath, it’s not so much excitement for the upcoming vacation…although I’m sure they’re going to be relieved when this week is over!  No, these dedicated actors and actresses are anxiously awaiting noon on Tuesday, March 4th, when they finally get to audition for The Taming of the Shrew!

As I began writing this blog, a student came down to tell me that one of our seniors really wants to be Petruchio.  Now, this is the same student who has wanted Petruchio all year long, so I think I held my breath to see what his reaction was going to be to this news.  I have to admit, too, that I’ve pictured him as Petruchio as he has been the one to take additional acting classes and work really hard on learning more and more about Shakespeare.  But he is a sophomore, and one thing that was determined when we first started this acting troupe is that older students should have first opportunity at the lead roles IF they are equal in ability to a younger student.  So, how did this 16-year-old react, despite having talked and talked and talked all year about Petruchio?

“I’m fine with whatever decision you make.  He’s a senior and this is his last chance to be a lead.  So I’m good…but is there another funny role I could try for?”

I cannot even express how proud I am of him.  This hasn’t been a fleeting desire of his, and yet he recognizes that we have to do what’s best for the play and what’s best for everyone in the school who wants to be involved. This is the team-spirit shining through that I’ve tried to promote within our Highland Players!

So as I watch and listen to the 15-20 students that are trying out tomorrow, I hope I can be as open-minded as my student was today.  It is a major temptation to pre-cast (typecast?) certain people in certain roles.  Last year I knew after one audition who I wanted to be Hero…but I still had several other girls to watch!  There are times when the perfect person seems to just jump right before your eyes, but my goal always has to be what’s best for the production and what’s best for the students so that we can continue to have a strong drama program for years to come.

My next post, probably toward the end of this week, will relay information about how auditions went, what surprises I experienced, and any other drama I can think to share with you all!  Thanks for reading!

Excitement is in the air at my school…many of our students have visited me already, asking for their audition pieces for The Taming of the Shrew. Inevitably the first question they ask is, “Does this have to be memorized?” It makes me smile because most of these students memorized anywhere from 50 to 200 lines last year for Much Ado, and these pieces are less than 20 lines. But I understand the worry…”What if I don’t get it memorized in time? What if I don’t get the part I REALLY want? What if, what if, what if?”

Many of these students remember that last year I did not have prepared audition pieces for them to learn in advance. Instead I had them come to the audition with something they wanted to perform. Some recited poems, a few did scenes from Much Ado and Romeo and Juliet, and I even got a monologue from A Knight’s Tale! It was a great way to see the individual personalities shining through, and it definitely gave a certain amount of comfort to them as they could choose something they were confident with.

This year, though, I’m after something different. One of the most important things I learned last year was that the director and the actors have to approach Shakespeare first through the text; once they get the text figured out (not just meaning, but scansion of meter, rhyme, and all the other intricacies of Shakespeare’s words), then they can move onto feelings, motivations - the “method-acting” that modern actors are familiar with. Because of the importance of this technique, I want to see what my potential cast members are willing to learn prior to the audition.

I have five different pieces they can choose from. One is for a single male (Petruchio’s soliloquy at the end of 4.1); one for a single female (Katharina’s soliloquy at the end of the play); one for two females (Bianca and Katharina fighting at the beginning of Act II); one for two males (Gremio and Hortensio in 1.1); and one for a male and a female (Katharina and Grumio in 4.3). It’s good that the students can choose what they want to work on, and even who they want to audition with (there’s safety in numbers, you know!).

I honestly don’t know if I’m going to like this way of handling auditions better than last year’s. I suspect that it will be frustrating for some of the students, yet really exciting and fulfilling for others. I’m not looking for perfection in these auditions (and no, the pieces don’t have to be memorized). Rather, I’m hoping that I will see some real work having been put into these pieces - that some of my actors from last summer will remember what “enjambment” means and won’t stop to pause at the end of every line. I’m especially hoping to have some of these kids come into my classroom and say, “Can I borrow that Shakespearean dictionary you had us use last summer?” (I highly recommend this book, by the way - Shakespeare’s Words by David Crystal and Ben Crystal. I cannot do without my copy during rehearsals and my English classes for checking to see what words meant back then!)

I’ve already had a fabulous moment regarding the play that I have to share with you all. We have a student at our school who has always been a sworn “Shakespeare-hater.” If he wasn’t such a brilliant student and a sweet kid, I’d probably have been bothered by his attitude, but he really is a nice person. So we have always joked about his Bard-aversion. Well, this morning his younger brother (who was in our Much Ado last summer and can’t wait to be in Shrew) came into my classroom and said, “_______ read the entire play last night and he wants to be Grumio.” I gave him the look like, “Yeah…right!” He said, “No, really…he wants to be in the play.” I had not had nearly enough coffee yet to be able to wrap my head around this. First of all, that this guy would sit down and read a play by Shakespeare that wasn’t required for a class was enough to cause the earth to stop spinning momentarily on its axis…but then to find out that he actually wants to be in a play…BY SHAKESPEARE! In our small school, this was the “News of the Day”…our headmaster came down later, like a kid with some great gossip to tell, and said, “Did you hear the news?!?!” Yes, it was a very good day!