As if I don’t have enough literature books on my shelves - now I have to get hooked on audio versions of Shakespeare’s plays!

I’m sure there are going to be people who read this, particularly other teachers, and think, “Good heavens, how could she not have known about audio books of the plays?!?”  I’ve just never been one to enjoy audio books  In the past, when I would try to listen to audio books, especially on road trips, I would fall asleep…must be something from my childhood…being lulled to sleep by the words of a good book!  And because of the dangers of sleeping and driving, I pretty much gave up on audio books a long time ago.

Then I discovered Naxos Audiobooks and their selection of Shakespeare’s plays.  These aren’t just the plays being read aloud by someone - they are fully dramatized renditions of the plays, and I have found them to be exciting and fun to listen to!  So far I’ve collected these dramatizations of Henry V, Richard III, The Tempest, Macbeth, and King Lear, as well as Great Speeches and Soliloquies of William Shakespeare.  Right now I’m enjoying Kenneth Branagh as Richard III, along with other great actors like Michael Maloney, Geraldine McEwan, and Nicholas Farrell.

Another great find has been the SmartPass CDs of the plays.  I bought the CDs of Macbeth, and have thoroughly enjoyed the great analysis of each scene, as well as a fully dramatized version of the play!  I also have the one for Henry V, which I was able to download from audible.com.

The benefits to my classes are tremendous, particularly my new class, Shakespeare and the English Renaissance.  They are about to start reading Richard III, and my plan is to have them listen to parts of the dramatized version, in addition to watching scenes from the Ian McKellen film.  In addition, the SmartPass Macbeth, and the dramatized version of Macbeth from Naxos Audio, will help my summer cast really get a feel for the play, their roles, the action…everything that will help them to bring this amazing play to the stage for our audiences!

Interestingly, the other day I was looking for extra copies of Macbeth for our after school reading group that just got started on the play.  I was short two copies, so I went to this great used bookstore over in Pullman (8 miles from Moscow), Brused Books (yes, it really is spelled “brused”).  I managed to find exactly two copies of Macbeth, as well as two great textbooks on theatrical design and production.  In addition to these treasures, however, I found a set of tapes (cassette tapes…remember those?  I think the dinosaurs enjoyed them tremendously…me being one of said dinosaurs!) of the Renaissance Theatre Company’s production of Hamlet, starring Kenneth Branagh and several other actors from his film version of Henry V.  I kind of had the sensation of having died and gone to heaven…not only did I find the books I needed, but I also found books that are super cool, and an audio version of a play I didn’t have yet - with Branagh!  It was a very good day of shopping!

The above (left) picture is a tracing I did from the gorgeous book, Shakespeare Cats, by Susan Herbert.  I have done several of these tracings - blown up from their original size to posters on an overhead projector - and LOVE getting to color these fun pictures!  I guess I really am a kid at heart - and who wouldn’t love Macduff the Cat in some cool Scottish garb and armor!?

Last year, before deciding to do The Taming of the Shrew for our summer production, I had toyed with the idea of doing Macbeth instead.  Our first Shakespeare Festival had been so successful, particularly those scenes from the Scottish play that my British Literature class enacted.  I had a large class that year, so I divided them in to 4 groups, and they did the Murder of Banquo (3.3), the Ghost of Banquo at the Feast (3.4), the Witches concocting their brew with “Double, double, toil and trouble” (4.1) and the news that Lady Macbeth is dead and that Birnam Wood has come to Dunsinane (4.5).  I was especially impressed with this class’ ability to get in to the heads of these characters, considering the short amount of time they were given for this project, and how well they brought all of these great scenes to life in our first attempt at drama.  The success and enthusiasm generated from that first Shakespeare Festival led to the creation of the Highland Players, and many of the kids were eager to try their hands at Macbeth because of what they had seen and experienced during the festival.

The only thing that made me hesitate last year was that our group was still so new to all of this.  We had gotten our feet wet with a fun comedy - and teenagers love comedy!  What if switching to a tragedy was too much for them, or caused them to lose interest in Shakespeare (always my fear!)?  So I decided to stick with another comedy - The Taming of the Shrew - and I am really glad I did!   Not that I don’t think they could have handled it - at this point, I am confident that my Highland Players can handle anything I throw at them!  But as with Much Ado, I knew who would be perfect in the lead roles, as well as the smaller roles - and had I waited to do Shrew another year, I would have missed out on my Katharina, who was AMAZING!  She graduated last May, and isn’t sure if she will be staying in the area, so I am glad that I got her when I did!

Something similar is happening now with Macbeth.  Although I am keeping an open mind with regards to casting,  I still already have a picture in my head of who would be good in certain roles.  And most especially, since this is going to be a stretch for this young troupe, who will be able to handle the various themes that go along with doing Macbeth.  I have a horror of any of my plays becoming “campy” or unprofessional…I almost wrote “silly,” but sometimes silly is okay, particularly with comedies.  I never want my troupe to be less than professional, though, and I think Macbeth will definitely stretch their acting abilities.  It will be a good stretch, but will be a lot of work, and I want to make sure my cast is mature enough to handle it, so that the finished product can be something they are very proud of.

I am eager to do auditions, and my costume designer is VERY eager to start sewing costumes, so I suspect I will schedule them in early March.  Even though play rehearsals won’t start until school is finished, I am definitely chomping at the bit to get started on another production!

The Chain Gang, you ask?  What on earth is she doing with those poor Shakespeare students now???  Actually, this is the name my costume designer came up with for the group of kids who have volunteered to learn how to make chain mail for our upcoming summer production of Macbeth!

When I chose Macbeth for our summer 2009 Shakespeare in the Park production, my one hesitation was the simple fact that I knew I needed armor of some kind - my casts are always eager for the plays to “look like Shakespeare’s times,” or the time period in which they are set, so Macbeth simply had to look medieval and Scottish.  But good grief, even though I have the world’s greatest costume designer/seamstress (no, that is not an exaggeration, trust me!), how on earth could I expect her to make all of the stuff we would need for this production with 20+ roles?

Ashley began work last semester, figuring out how best to construct costume armor, and the easiest, least expensive way to give the costumes that medieval look I want is with chain mail.  Initially she worked with heavier links, but we realized early on that it would be much too heavy and unwieldy for our actors to have to deal with, especially with our outdoor performances in August!  She then tried PVC pipe, very small in diameter, cut in to links, and although the weight was much better, it would end up being more expensive this way (not only is PVC pipe hard on the saw blades Ashley was using, causing her to have to replace several with just the small amount she cut, but we would also have to spray paint the mail to make it look authentic - mail made from these links of PVC pipe actually look like wood).  And plastic pipe just doesn’t have that cool “jingly” sound that real chain mail makes!

Ever resourceful and willing to research, Ashley looked on the Internet for a lighter-weight metal and found pre-cut aluminum links, less expensive than the PVC pipe she initially tried.  So she began linking those little links and already has almost an entire shirt of mail complete…and it is so light-weight, it’s ridiculous!  It will be comfortable and easy to get on and off for whoever is wearing these shirts, so our actors will be eternally grateful to Ashley come 90+ degree days!

Ashley is also going to try her hand at making some leather armor, just to have something that perhaps sets one or two of the characters apart from the others.  But the cool thing about using chain mail is that her Chain Gang can sit and make piece after piece after piece of mail, never actually forming it in to a hauberk (shirt) or a coif for under a helmet.  Ashley can later take the pieces and link them together, forming whatever she wants to make from them - even attaching them to the bottom of the leather armor if she wants, to give the armor a different look.

As we get some actual shirts or coifs finished, I will post them and give you an update as to our Chain Gang’s progress.  I’d also like to direct you all to my new website - www.palousehighlandplayers.org - where you can see what all is happening with my Highland Players, including a Spotlight of the Month on Ashley, my first permanent company member - Resident Costume Designer.

(Okay, so the above picture really has nothing to do with maquettes, but I had to share it anyway.  One of my classes did a scene from Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus for our Festival, so I ordered devil horns for the student who played Mephistophilis…he returned them to me when he was finished…and attached them to poor Mr. Shakespeare!)

Now that Shakespeare Festival is over, I can start working on a couple of different projects.  One is the script for our summer production of Macbeth…I am SO excited for that one!  But before I get ahead of myself, I need to pull myself away from the Macbeth Fight Choreography video I watched this morning (it’s SO cool!) and think about my Theatre Arts class’ next big project - maquettes!

According to Wikipedia, “maquette” is the French word for “scale model,” and that is precisely what a maquette is.  It is simply “a small scale model (of an) unfinished architectural work or a sculpture.”  They can be made for any kind of building, landscape, or artistic work, just to give an idea as to what a finished project should look like.  My plan for my Theatre Arts class is to have each of them choose a play, then build their own maquette for it, which means we will end up with 7 different maquettes (I’m planning to build one, too!).  When I explained this to my class, they said, “So we’re making dioramas?”  I said no, you are making very precise, very elaborate maquettes, and they won’t be made inside of shoeboxes!

The project for my Theatre Arts class will include the following steps and guidelines:

• They must read a minimum of 3 plays before deciding which one they want to use for this project.  Even if they’re sold, 100% on one script, I still want them to read two more, to give them an idea as to what all is out there in the world of plays.
•  Their framework must be solid, not flimsy.  I will be recommending wood or heavy cardboard - something that can withstand paint, furnishings, etc.
• They will be designing the set for the play - If the play has multiple set changes, they do not have to do all of the different backdrops or interiors - they can choose one to focus on.  If there is special flooring, they need to cover the floor of their maquette (or paint/color it) to replicate that.
• They will be designing costumes for the play - If they want to make actual costumes for small models they can; otherwise, they can have illustrations with fabric swatches.  As seen in the picture below, they can also draw the actors in costume, on stiff cardboard or poster board.
• They will be choosing lighting for their scene(s) - They will have a small model of a stage light and access to gels in order to show us how their scene would be lit.
• They will be choosing some kind of sound - whether it’s music to introduce the scene or sound effects, they must have at least one sound effect for their scene.
• They will have to furnish their set and have hand props (if possible) - If they cannot make or purchase tiny hand props, they can have a poster board explaining what the scene would require.

The maquettes I have seen (not up close and in person, but on episodes of Slings and Arrows - I love that show!) are large wooden boxes, with one side missing on the front so that you can see inside of it.  These have to be large enough that they can actually get your hands in there and maneuver models, as well as decorate/paint the stage and set however they want.  I’m anticipating that these will be large - a minimum of 2′x2′x2′, but that is just a guess.  My students pay lab fees to take this class, so we will be using that money to buy materials for them - I don’t want them having to spend additional money on these projects.  This will also be a good exercise in budgeting, which every director has to be concerned about!

I’m very excited to see what they come up with.  I’ve ordered dozens of scripts for them to read through, and a couple of them have found scripts to read on their own.  One of my students wants to make a maquette for a play from Ancient Greece, so he has been reading plays by Euripides and Menander.  I hope that this will turn out to be not just a good Theatre Arts project, but also a great experience in reading scripts!  In addition, they will be presenting their maquettes and explaining them, demonstrating lighting and sound and any scene changes they decide to do, so they will have practice with giving presentations.  I’ll post pictures later this spring when they’re all complete!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maquette

Our 3^rd annual Shakespeare Festival went very well…and I believe I have completely recovered from the experience!  It was a very busy, slightly stressful day for all involved, but by the end of the day, 20 students had done a fabulous job on their lines and scenes – and I think they all felt a sense of accomplishment!

What was especially nice for me was that I used the Shakespeare Festival as one of our major projects for our Theatre Arts class.  With 6 students in the class, I was able to assign one person to each of the scenes being performed by other classes to serve as stage managers/assistant directors, in addition to have a couple of them run sound and lights.  So, for example, one of the girls in Theatre Arts volunteered to work with our British Literature’s scene from Hamlet (Ophelia’s madness, Act 4, scene 5).  It was then her job to meet with that class to determine which props and stage furniture they needed (and who would go about getting those items); discuss how they wanted their scene to be lit; and what sound effects they needed, if any.  For that particular scene, they chose two wooden chairs for Claudius’ and Gertrude’s thrones as stage furniture; a sword and belt for Laertes; a basket of flowers for Ophelia; and crowns for the king and queen.  Their lighting was very simple – indoor, slightly dark to represent Ophelia’s darkness (madness), as well as the threat to the throne by Laertes – and I found a sound effect of a large medieval battle to use when Laertes comes charging in, threatening the king.  The neat thing about Shakespeare Fest at our school is that we go for simplicity in staging, making this the perfect opportunity for Theatre Arts students to get their feet wet as assistant directors.

Later on, the stage managers did a bit of actual directing, learning all about coaching their peers in drama.  It was fascinating to watch, and especially wonderful to see some of these kids grow out of their shyness and become more assertive with their directing.  Some learned that they really prefer working tech – backstage managing, sound and lights, etc., while some learned that they really enjoy directing.  Others like it all – the entire gamut of theatrical experience, including acting!

As far as costumes go, every year we have shirts made with some kind of logo, usually designed by one of the students.  This year we got sweatshirts as the venue we use is rather chilly, and the kids thought the sweatshirts were pretty neat.  Also, because we are a uniform school, it is a very special treat for the students to get to wear jeans and sweatshirts on Shakespeare Fest day!

So each of my Theatre Arts students was able to work with a group on their scene, with the exception of one of my students who opted to do the “To be or not to be” soliloquy from Hamlet.  He learned it initially for our first class project in the fall, and when Shakespeare Festival rolled around, I asked him if he would “speak the speech” again.  He hesitantly agreed, and I am sure glad he did!  I’ve watched him do scenes for Shakespeare Festival since he was in 7^th grade (he is in 9^th grade now), as well as worked with him on our summer Shakespearean plays.  He has always liked getting up there and doing it, but until this past summer, it’s never appeared that he was really into it – like he could own the parts and make them come to life.  Not that he was a bad actor – he was just very young and still kind of insecure.  For Shakespeare Fest, every time he rehearsed this very difficult soliloquy, he messed something up…sometimes big mess-ups (forgetting several lines), sometimes small ones (forgetting when he’s supposed to sit down or leaving the stage before his last line was completely done), but he never nailed it when I watched him practice.  The day before the Festival, I told him to go back and watch that scene from Branagh’s Hamlet, just to help cement the words a bit better, and maybe to give him some more insight in to what’s going on in Hamlet’s head (he had already watched the Gibson scene).  Festival day he goes up there…and nails it, 100%!  He showed a depth of character – an understanding of Hamlet – that I had never seen before from him.  Afterward I had to go up and introduce the next scene, but I was choking up so bad, I had to stop for a second and try to explain to the audience why it had moved me so much.  I was flabbergasted…once more, though, it’s the miracle of the stage!

If there are any teachers out there wondering if it’s worthwhile to start some kind Shakespeare Festival, even just within their individual classes - YES, I can’t emphasize enough how worth it this project is!  Kids overcome their fear of Shakespeare’s language, their fear of the stage…they get an opportunity to work with their peers on a project…Yes, give it a try - You’ll love it!

(By the way, the adorable little boy in red, front row on the left, is my son, Iain…he recited “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy,” from Hamlet, Act 1, scene 5 - I could have just burst with pride!)!

As I tried to figure out what exactly I would be teaching this year in our class, I finally realized that the true course any drama class should take is toward hands-on projects.  I ordered book after book, searching for “the” curriculum that would help me teach this class, when it finally occurred to me that there really isn’t “the” curriculum.  For every drama teacher there are scores of different philosophies and ideas about how and what to teach in theatre arts, and it’s up to the teacher to figure out what works for his/her class.  The one constant, however, in those books is that teaching drama by reading about it, talking about it, lecturing about it…zzzzzzzzzzzz…oh, sorry, I put myself to sleep just thinking about it!  Imagine theatre arts students, signing up for a class they think is going to help them learn about drama, only to find that every class consists of a teacher talking about something…zzzz…okay, I’ve got to quit thinking about that!

Although my previous post hinted at the possibility of our class producing Dracula as its final project, I came to realize that that would be stretching us too much for our first year.  With a class of 7 students, it would be necessary to rely on people not taking Theatre Arts, and in a tiny school like ours, I figured it would just end up being too much pressure overall.  So instead our class will have two major projects next semester that will hopefully give them a well-rounded feel for theatre.

The first is our annual Shakespeare Festival.  Every year, my English classes that read Shakespearean plays put together scenes to act out for family and friends.  In past years, I’ve had to have the actors set up their own scenes, props, etc., which is additional pressure on them when they should be able to focus on their roles.  What a perfect opportunity I have this year to alleviate that stress by having Theatre Arts work as backstage managers!  My TA students will be in charge of setting up the stage, making sure all necessary materials are ready when we need them, ushering in guests, handing out playbills, running lights and sounds…anything technical that needs to be done, they’ll do it!  In addition, I wanted them to get the opportunity to work as stage managers on a production, so I have given each of my Theatre Arts students a scene and group of students to work with - for example, one young lady will be working with the 7th grade English class on their two scenes they chose from Macbeth.  She will meet with them to discuss what props they need, what lighting and sound effects they would like to have, any necessary makeup for their roles…She will be their stage manager, both prior to and during the performance.  She will be the one to set the stage for them, show them where their props are backstage, then cue lights and sound during their scenes.

This idea was met with some excitement and a bit of apprehension when I explained it to my class.  One gentleman was concerned that he would want to offer “suggestions” (actually, he would want to tell his group exactly how to do everything, rather than collaborating with them) and they wouldn’t listen to him.  I made sure, then, that he had a single person to work with - one student is doing the “Once more unto the breach” speech from Henry V, and as they are good friends, it should be a fun time for them.  In addition, my “Henry” can stand up to this particular student and make his own ideas and wishes known.  I just had to make sure that I was putting people together that had a shot at being successful together.  Not to say it all has to be a bed of roses - working through some conflict is good for everyone - but I still want it to be an overall positive learning experience for all involved.

In my next post I’ll discuss maquettes and the other big project for this year’s Theatre Arts class!

We are so fortunate to live in this area where two universities - the University of Idaho and Washington State University - are within 8 miles of each other.  Last year I was spoiled like crazy when I got to see Much Ado About Nothing at the Idaho Repertory Theatre, Titus Andronicus at the WSU theatre, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the UI theatre…then Twelfth Night this past summer, again at the IRT!  It was the year of Shakespeare for me, topped off by getting to direct Much Ado, then Shrew…and I can look forward to seeing Romeo and Juliet next summer at the IRT while I direct Macbeth…sigh…happy thoughts!

The fact that we have these two universities to draw from means that my Theatre Arts class can benefit from field trips and events that will help enrich their learning.  A couple of weeks ago we were able to meet with Dean Panttaja, artistic director of the Idaho Repertory Theatre and the guy that knows EVERYTHING about lighting and sound design at the UI Theatre and Film Department.  He took us on a tour of the campus’ two theatres - the Hartung and the Kiva - and explained the ins and outs of lighting and sound technology.  Because we are such a small school (we don’t even own our own building - we rent space in a church’s children’s wing) we don’t have any of this equipment for our own drama program, which means that we actually hire a local company to do lighting, sound, and filming of our plays each summer.  I knew, then, that when it came to actually teaching my class anything about sound and lights, I would need to rely on someone much more knowledgeable than myself, and fortunately, Dean was there for us!

Thanks to Dean and his expertise, words like gobo, can, and gel make sense to us…and we also at least have a passing understanding of PAR, ERSs, and Fresnels!  We also got to see the control boards for both sound and lights, and heard about the new technology coming to UI for the theatre department’s sound/light systems.  It was a great experience for all of us, and has led to us to branch out and start looking at our own lighting package, hopefully to purchase before our production of Dracula!  Dracula????  Yes, Dracula…our Theatre Arts class has chosen this play as our major project, to be produced and directed entirely by the class!  More information to follow in my next post!

Following the Highland Players’ third successful production, we decided to offer a Theatre Arts class at our school.  Several kids expressed interest in not only honing their acting skills during the school year, but also learning about the various technical and backstage facets of a theatrical production.  So the Montrose Academy Theatre Arts class was born!

I have 7 students, 9th-12th grades, in the class.  A few of them enjoy acting and have been in our recent productions of Much Ado, And Then There Were None, and The Taming of the Shrew.  But what I’m especially excited about are the kids who wouldn’t step foot on a stage to spout lines, even if you paid them a million dollars…they are signed up to learn about costuming and makeup, lighting and sound design, and set design and carpentry.

Our first project was a unit on theatre history - learning about the various cultures that have had drama of some kind, what they did for costumes and sets (if anything), and especially what their theatres looked like.  Of my seven students, three decided to build models of theatres for their project - one did a Greek theatre out of styrofoam, one made a Japanese kabuki theatre from Legos, and one is still working on his scale replica of the Globe from balsa wood and other realistic materials…I can’t wait to see that one as this particular student is a stickler for details and precision when he creates anything, so I know it’s going to be amazing!  Two students opted to design costumes for different time periods - the above picture demonstrates what the Egyptians would have worn in their dramatic presentations, and I had another girl design costumes on a poster for a 19th-century production of The Pirates of Penzance.  One student created a web poster advertising a website on theatre history (below), and finally, my seventh student learned the entire “To be or not to be” soliloquy from Hamlet.  They were all given a list of projects they could choose from, so they could pick something that worked with their interests, whether it be costume design, set building, or even acting.

I think we’re off to a good start this year.  In my next post, I’ll talk about the field trip we went on to learn about lighting and sound design, and also let you all know what kind of projects our Theatre Arts class plans to tackle this year!

Before we started Shrew rehearsals, I decided that I wanted to reward myself once the production was finished with a trip to see some professional Shakespeare. Neither my husband nor I were up to another trip to Ashland (way too far to drive, tight budget = no air fare this year, etc.), so I decided to see what the Idaho Shakespeare Festival in Boise was offering. Lo and behold, they were putting on Macbeth, one of my favorite plays and one that I had in the back of my mind as a possible contender for next year’s Highland Players’ production. I asked my mom and brother (both of whom live in Boise) if they wanted to go, reserved the tickets, and planned to see Macbeth on August 15th with my family!

Then my mom sent me an article from the Boise paper, The Idaho Statesman, describing the opening of the 2008 season at the ISF. I read it eagerly, looking for information about my beloved Scottish play that I was so looking forward to seeing…and saw that it was described as being distinctly Asian with costumes, sets, drums, etc. What????? The Scottish play is going to be Oriental?

Yes, I know that Akira Kurosawa did Throne of Blood, so it’s not like Macbeth has never been set in the Far East. But that doesn’t mean it’s how I, personally, like my Shakespeare. I LOVE seeing European costumes, whether they be the actual time periods of the play (early Middle Ages for Macbeth, for example) or simply Elizabethan in feel and look, and with Macbeth, I was really hoping to see lots of plaid, European swords and armor, and hear some bagpipes. And being of Scottish descent – I’ve attended numerous Highland Festivals and Robert Burns Dinners, and even traveled to Scotland with my mom seven years ago - I was sad that the ISF’s Macbeth wasn’t going to be what I wanted it to be.

So August 15th rolled around and we got ready to go see what I hoped wouldn’t be a total disappointment. Oh my goodness…it was so far from being a total disappointment, I’m not sure if I can adequately explain just how amazing it all was! Even my mom (who was more disappointed than I was that it wasn’t going to be the “Scottish” Play) could not believe how wonderful it was. And my brother, who doesn’t really care for Shakespeare but came along anyway to spend time with us (prepared with his iPod and a book to read, just in case) was completely engrossed in the story and absolutely loved it!

To begin with, the acting was amazing…simply amazing. Both Macbeth (Dougfred Miller) and Lady Macbeth (Laura Perrotta) were haunting, frightening, and their chemistry together was something to see! After being such a hateful, ambitious horror in the beginning, Lady Macbeth brought tears to my eyes in her sleepwalking scene at the end of the play – the depth of her emotion and portrayal of regret was stunning. And it wasn’t just the leads that made this show a success – every single actor and actress in the play was phenomenal! Lady Macduff and her son have such brief parts, but they proved that there are NO small parts – and neither of them were small actors! I cried when they were murdered – it was such a powerful, painfully sad scene, and so well done by all involved. And the witches…I wish I could spend several pages just describing the witches. Their costumes (costume designer Star Moxley did an amazing job with the entire cast) and makeup were frightening without being gory, and the director actually put them into more scenes, thus demonstrating their control over and manipulation of Macbeth. Their silent contribution to the banquet scene with the ghost of Banquo was incredible to behold!

Director Charles Fee knew just what he was doing when he set the Scottish play in feudal Japan. I am so glad I had the chance to see this production, and I am looking forward to seeing what the Idaho Shakespeare Festival will offer next summer! I’m sure it will be a great way to relax following my own directorial attempt at the Scottish Play!

How can it be over? After wishing for more time so the actors could be truly ready…after 10 weeks of heaven and hell (I believe in theatre the two typically go hand in hand)…I have to say goodbye to Shrew and this wonderful, madcap project that has consumed me for several months of my life. To be honest with you, I’m getting choked up just thinking about it!

The performances were wonderful…simply wonderful! As I sat in the audience, I wondered again how it is possible for these students to learn so much in one short summer. How on earth did Petruchio really learn over 500 lines…and not just memorize them, but learn to say them like they were truly from his own brain and heart, rather than just a cold recitation? How on earth did my Katharinas (yes, I had two as I chose an understudy for my original Kate, just in case the Kate I cast had to move with her family before the play was over - it didn’t happen, but I still gave my understudy Kate the middle performance) take on this character, all of those lines, and make “Kate” come alive from within them? Particularly when you consider that with two Kates they actually only got about 1/2 the amount of rehearsal time each? Also consider the younger, more inexperienced actors and actresses. How did my Celia (one of Petruchio’s servants) manage to come out of her shy, quiet shell and turn into a reasonably loud, obnoxious servant, yelling at Grumio and hitting him with a feather duster? And most astonishingly, how did a cast that I originally feared would never mesh together come out as a family by closing night?

In the immortal words of Geoffrey Rush’s character from Shakespeare in Love, Philip Henslowe, “It’s a mystery.” I think there is something very mysterious and miraculous about directing Shakespeare, particularly for young people. Logic would dictate that there is no way imaginable that 26 young people, ages 10-18, and a dog, could produce a full-length Shakespearean play so professionally and so well. There are any number of potentially insurmountable odds against it - the youth and immaturity of the cast; the difficulty of the language; the sheer number of lines to be memorized in aforementioned difficult language…then consider that I did outdoor theatre in the park! During rehearsals we had dead trees being taken out of the ground by a tree removal service, right next to our stage (the chainsaws really forced the actors to work on their projection!). We had wind gusts up to 15 mph right before two performances started, only to die down in time for the play to start. It even started raining briefly about 15 minutes before opening night. Seriously…there is no reason to believe that any of this should have worked out as well as it did.

But it did, and we had three nights of blissful wonderment, watching this cast perform a play that they had “tamed” and made their own. I am so proud of them all, and I hope that I managed, somehow, to let them all know that they absolutely made my millennium…just like last year! Will I ever do this insanity again? Of course…I’m already planning and working on the script for next summer’s production of…drum roll, please…Macbeth! Closing night the cast presented me with flowers, and I had the opportunity to announce to everyone that I had chosen the Scottish play for next summer’s Shakespeare in the Park. Their reaction? Cheers and applause from both cast and audience! I think I have them hooked!

By the way, if any of you are interested in purchasing a DVD of our Shrew, please e-mail me at themogut@gmail.com. They will be $20 each and will benefit continued productions by the Highland Players. I also still have a couple of copies of our Much Ado from 2007, if anyone is interested!