Meanwhile, in ASC Marketing

In my seven days working in the marketing office at ASC I successfully:

• Located a power cord for a monitor in a pile of various and sundry electronic items
• Updated ASC social media posts for 2 weeks
• Created Facebook Insights report for ASC's Facebook Page over three-month span
• Wrote press release re: dogs in Two Gents
• Created draft for one ASC e-newsletter
• Created working timeline of cultural depictions of King John throughout history
• Learned awesome things from awesome people.

The bottom line of what I learned, I'd say, is that a lot of marketing comes down to cleverness. If you can come up with clever things that people like, you're golden. Economy of words and eye-catching layout and formatting also figure into that somehow.

What I learned that people like on social media:

• Photos
• A very few well-chosen words and clever phrases
• Names and faces they know
• Photos
• Eye-catching layouts
• Did I mention photos?

Thanks, ASC Marketing team! You're all pretty swell.

Winding Down

I'm down to my last day in Staunton, Virginia before packing up and making the trek back to Marion, Indiana.

My internship at the American Shakespeare Center has been pretty epic, and I'm so glad I did it.

I was in the office all last week except for Friday--Christina (ASC Marketing Coordinator) wasn't going to be in the office, and so let me know that I didn't have to come in. The only project I had left unfinished was to write a press release about the dogs in the ASC's production of Two Gents. I had such good intentions to work on it on Friday, but alas, the best laid plans...

Thursday night I was invited to go see a production by a local theatre group of three short plays in an evening. The event as a whole was dubbed "Women Under the Influence,"--the first half was two short plays and the second half was the one-act play "Miss Julie" by August Strindberg that was great--I was completely drawn into the story and thought the actors made fascinating choices.

Saturday night I again helped out backstage with the dogs at a performance of Two Gents, hanging out with J.R. Ewing the hound dog. And learned that he's a tad stronger than Tulip was. I lost count of how many times he pulled me in a circle around the hallways backstage.

Monday morning in the office I finished up my press release about the dogs from Augusta Dog Adoptions that are starring in Two Gents. Then I updated ASC's Hoot Suite for the week and made a couple of quick requested edits to the press release.

Tuesday I got to work with Mailer Mailer--the system that ASC currently uses to send out their e-newsletters. Christina gave me three stories that were to be included in the next "E-Blast," logged me into the system, opened up a template for me to use, and then let me go to town with it. I finished that up near the end of the day. I also got to present my Facebook Insights report findings at a marketing meeting in the afternoon.

Trying to figure out how to post things that will attract attention, catch eyes, involve patrons, and ultimately (hopefully) sell tickets is an ever-evolving art, so it seems. After doing the insights report, I discovered that the things that people seem to respond to the most are photos, and they seem to respond well whenever ASC ties in pop culture references to their shows. The marketing office comes up with some pretty great and unique ideas that have been great fun to see. For example, I was here for the creation of this time lapse video (in which I make an appearance! near the end--with Tulip the dog!)

And this "Totally Looks Like" photo comparing ASC's John Harrell to Benedict Cumberbatch of the BBC Sherlock series. So, for a marketing venture they would like to capitalize on in the fall in conjunction with the opening of Shakespeare's King John at the ASC, Christina asked me yesterday afternoon to create a timeline with references to Prince/King John throughout history. I spent a pretty good chunk of time yesterday afternoon and today combing through IMDB and various and sundry other web pages to pull together bunches of links and photos into a successful, cohesive timeline of Prince/King John depictions throughout history. I was pretty pleased with what I came up with, and hope that it'll be everything they need it to be. Christina informed me that she's going to create a web page with the timeline that will go up in the fall.

Over the last week and a half or so, I've come to the conclusion that a good deal of marketing has quite a bit to do with being clever. And maybe, just maybe, some of the cleverness here in ASC marketing has rubbed off on me so that I can infect my theatre marketing job at my school with it.

I'm helping with the puppy dog backstage for Two Gents one more time tonight, then filling up my gas tank, packing up my car, and getting ready to hit the road for my nine and a half hour trek back to Indiana at some point tomorrow.

So, farewell, ASC--it's been real. Well. Actually it's been pretty spectacular. And hopefully, if I get my way, I'll be back someday.

Catching Up

It's been... eleven days?... since my last post. Oops.

So, let's play a little catch-up.

Sunday the 8th was the last day of Session 1 of ASCTC (ASC Theatre Camp - for high schoolers), and I went to their performance of Romeo and Juliet. (There were also two other performances that I didn't make it to.) I was quite impressed with the performance. The campers did excellently! I thoroughly enjoyed myself. (As much as one can thoroughly enjoy a tragedy about young lovers killing themselves.)

Preview performance of Two Gents that evening--I helped out with Tulip again. Dagnabbit that dog is a sweetheart.

Tuesday was technically off, but I decided to go in for about an hour and help out with the understudy rehearsal. The understudies have a walk-through to make sure they know the lines and blocking for their parts, and I sat with Kelley (stage manager) and was on book while she made sure everything looked and sounded right.

Short rehearsal Wednesday, then another preview of Two Gents in the evening--line notes/Tulip duty again! That dog has possibly been the best part of my internship.

Friday was off again, so I took it easy, and then that night was opening night for Two Gents! Technically my last day with artistic, before my move into marketing. Again, I hung out with Tulip and took line notes. (Tough, I know.)

Sunday around noon-ish, my parents arrived in town. They took Lee Ann and me to lunch, then we met up with my aunt and two cousins and we went to see Two Gents together. My aunt took us all out to Emilio's (lovely Italian restaurant on Beverley Street) where I proceeded to stuff my face with delectable lobster bisque and lobster-and-cheese-filled ravioli.

Monday was my first day in the office in the marketing department. Christina (Marketing Coordinator at ASC) didn't have much for me to do yet, so I helped Sarah with archiving. Not terribly exciting, perhaps, but fascinating. I cataloged myriad old programs from way back when the company was Shenandoah Shakespeare/Shenandoah Shakespeare Express, sorted through boxes upon folders upon envelopes of old photos, and rifled through letters, flyers, advertising, brochures, and literature of all kinds.

My parents left town Tuesday (yesterday) morning after treating me to a huge breakfast, and dropped me off for day two in the office. On day two, I was logged into and given control of ASC's Hoot Suite--essentially mission control for all of ASC's social media platforms. A somewhat ominous feeling. I used Hoot Suite to schedule tweets and Facebook posts announcing events for the rest of the week. They typically tweet and update Facebook simultaneously every hour at the bottom of the hour, and Hoot Suite allows you to schedule tweets and updates weeks, even months in advance.

Then, I was given access as an administrator to ASC's Facebook page so that I could start on a Facebook Insights report. When you are an administrator on a Facebook Page, Facebook gives you access to gobs of statistics about what's happening on your Page. Demographics of people who like your page, keeping track of new likes over the lifetime of the Page or over a specific period of time you can specify, which posts received the most likes, how many total people your posts are reaching virally, etc. Christina told me that they haven't created very many insight reports, and so gave me freedom in how I wanted to create it. All the numbers overwhelmed me--SO MANY NUMBERS. And it took me a while to figure out how to crunch them effectively and insightfully, and then how best to report them. I worked on it for the entire second half of the day on Tuesday, then the entire second half of the day today, and finally got it (I think) done.

This morning, I got to sit in on the first dress rehearsal for the new touring troupe's rendition of Love's Labour's Lost. I had never seen, read, nor even read a synopsis of Love's Labour's, so I came in totally blind. And greatly enjoyed myself! I laughed all the way through it, and was generally captivated (as usual, here at ASC) by the storytelling.

In the office again tomorrow and Friday. Saturday night is another performance of Two Gents that I signed up to help with the puppy dog for (this week's canine star is a sweet hound dog named J.R. Ewing).

In the meantime, Lee Ann and I are house-sitting for our internship supervisor, Sarah, and her husband, and taking care of their puppy dog Alle (short for Alleghany - who I also met on my first day in Staunton).

(Is it just me, or does my life sound like it revolves around dogs?)

Visitors and Puppy Dogs

After 85 hours without it, the power came back on last Tuesday morning at about 9:45 a.m. I didn't know until I went back to my room at 2:00 p.m. to figure out what I was going to do for lunch--the AC was on and the fridge was running and I was more excited than I'm pretty sure I've ever been in my life about air conditioning and a running fridge.

On Wednesday, my next-door neighbor and fellow intern, Lee Ann, and I had a cook-IN and had hot dogs, lemonade and baked beans. There was Two Gents rehearsal at 6:00, but it was only a speed-through and they got done pretty early. (There was no dog readily available, so one of ASC's star actors--James Keegan--decided to stand in for the day. It was so hilarious that if he played the dog on a regular basis, I would probably purchase tickets to see the show multiple times, just to see him play the dog.) Then, that night, a couple of the actors, the assistant stage manager Abby, Lee Ann and I decided to go to Gypsy Hill Park to see the Staunton fireworks. I would say it was a very successful Fourth of July.

Thursday we were down in the rehearsal room and they did some rehearsal and a full run of the show from 10:00 to 2:00.

Note: the Two Gents "Coming Soon" poster

Friday was the first dress rehearsal for Two Gents at 2:00 p.m. and Dr. Fiebig and his son Jeremy also visited! Sarah (my internship coordinator and Director of Education at the ASC) and I ate lunch with them at the Taste of India buffet, then we meandered back to the theatre so that I could be on hand for the show. My duties consisted of a little dog handling and line notes. The dogs they have to play the role of Crab in the show come from the Augusta Dog Adoption agency, and they hope to have each of the dogs (a different one each week) adopted.

Tulip, aka Crab 

The first dog's name is Tulip--she's a mix of some pit bull, some lab, and maybe some other things. She's a lovely steel gray color with gorgeous yellow eyes and she's a total sweetheart.

I've volunteered to be dog handler for several of the shows before I leave. Basically the responsibilities include helping the dog get accustomed to the space, getting the dog "in costume" (tying a rope around their collars--trying to avoid anachronisms as much as possible here), and making sure the dog is comfortable. Also, in the show, there's a bit where Lance (the character who owns the dog Crab) comes out and has sacrificially taken a beating so that the dog wouldn't be beaten, and we're hoping that by putting stage blood made of peanut butter, karo syrup, and red food coloring on the actor's face, the dog might, in a performance or two, lick the actor's face and make the whole scene that much cuter and funnier. So I was trying to see if Tulip would catch on and figure it out. She did figure it out with me, but I guess it didn't work so well on stage. What the dog will and won't do on stage will always kind of be a crap shoot. Fortunately, the actor playing the role of Lance is very talented and can spin pretty much anything the dog does into a funny bit. Tulip is female of course and therefore, true to the ASC's practices, cross-gender cast!

Taking line notes in the kitchen

It was great to see Dr. Fiebig, if only briefly. They stayed and watched the first half of Two Gents, but left at intermission, as they had a long drive to make that afternoon/evening.

This coming week will be Pay What You Will previews, and opening night for Two Gents will be this Friday night, July 13th. My parents will be in town that next Sunday the 15th to see the matinee of Two Gents, and then that next Monday, the 16th, since Two Gents will be open, I will make my transition into the marketing office for a week and a half of learning about the daunting task (art?) of professional theatre marketing.

Still power-less

Going on hour 63 without electricity at the PEG dorm at Mary Baldwin College. Fortunately, I'm not alone--all the high school campers, the camp counselors, a couple of other interns, and a costume designer are all experiencing the same thing.

Lee Ann and I locale-hopped most of the weekend, from one coffee shop to the next, charging phones, laptops, using the internet, and just hanging out in general. Lots of people are in the same boat in Staunton--all the coffee shops have been crowded since Saturday morning after the storm. So, you know, at least shops in Staunton are getting lots of extra business!

I managed to salvage some of my groceries and put them in the fridge and freezer at the theatre. Fortunately, they were all more than willing to share some of their fridge space with an intern in need.

It's pretty hot--forecast says it'll be in the 90s this week, and it's not much fun to wake up sweating every morning (the fourth floor is by far the hottest place in the dorm), but I keep reminding myself that things could be worse. It could be hotter, and, when I can spend most of the day in other places that do have air conditioning, things aren't so bad. Plus, no elevator and four flights of stairs mean I'm actually getting some exercise (I haven't been running--the hills in Staunton are far too intimidating for this Midwesterner), and I have a reason to be thankful that my dorm room has a hard tiled floor instead of carpet.

To escape the heat on my day off I'm thinking I'm going to catch a matinee of Brave which I've been wanting to see.

I helped out with Merchant again Saturday night (after spending most of the day in Mugshots), then spent most of yesterday (Sunday) in both Cranberry's and Mugshots, then had Two Gents rehearsal from 6:00 to 10:00 last night. After rehearsal, I went out for my first taste of gelato at the famed Split Banana with the assistant stage manager and one of the actors.

They worked Act V last night in rehearsal and also worked on music. I helped the assistant stage manager finish cleaning out the rehearsal room and we cleaned up the kitchen a little bit--we figured we'd leave things looking nice for the new touring troupe, who will be inhabiting the theatre in our absence as they start their rehearsal process today. They're doing productions of Twelfth Night, Love's Labour's Lost, and The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster. I'm hoping I get to catch a couple of their Ren Runs--Twelfth Night and Love's Labours will both Ren Run before I leave.

The resident troupe is planning to do a full run of Two Gents on Wednesday evening this week (they have a 6:00-10:00 rehearsal after a matinee of Lion that day), so that will be fun to see, and then this Friday is their first dress rehearsal at 2:00 p.m., which Dr. Fiebig and his son Jeremy are planning to be in town to see! I'm looking forward to their visit.

In other news, if you asked me if I had ever successfully memorized a thirty-two-page monologue, I would tell you that yes, in fact, I have. I am essentially off book for My Name is Rachel Corrie, a one-woman show and my senior project, which I will be performing in the fall and the spring this year. It was a long and fairly difficult process--I started memorizing some in March, but really got down to business in May and June. I'm looking forward to getting it on its feet off book.

Next I need to get cracking on lines for Much Ado About Nothing--our homecoming show this fall in which I was cast as Beatrice. We're to come in this fall with lines completely memorized, and I've successfully finished memorizing the lines in the first two scenes I'm in, but still have six or seven scenes to go.

So! I'm keeping busy, trying to keep cool, and would definitely describe this as a memorable experience.

The Tempest!

These last couple of days have certainly been eventful.

Last evening (Friday), I went over to the Playhouse to help out with Merchant, as I've been doing for the past couple of weeks. I'm technically only contracted to work on Two Gents, but I like to take whatever opportunities I can to be at the Playhouse and be helpful. So I help out the assistant stage manager, Abby, and do things like take line notes, sweep floors, help clean out the rehearsal room, clean the stairwells, steam comforters, wash cups, and help prep the stage occasionally.

So, last night, Abby and I were cleaning out Tyson (the rehearsal room), and all of a sudden, the power flickered and then went completely out. Box office staff were running back and forth, and Abby asked if I would go and stand backstage and call her if anybody needed anything. The actors were about three quarters of the way through Merchant, so they paused the show and one of the actors announced, "Please stay in your seats, we'll keep you informed and let you know what the plan is." Then, the lights came back on. Everything seemed fine, and the actors picked up exactly where they left off and kept going. I went back downstairs, and we resumed the cleaning of Tyson, and then the power went out AGAIN. Not for quite as long this time, because by the time we got out the door and partway down the hallway, the lights were back on again. The power went out and came back on probably six or seven times over the course of the evening. Each time, the actors would just pause the show and then resume again where they left off when the lights came back on.

I went up to the front of the Playhouse because one of the box office staffers had come downstairs saying something about crazy wind and a big storm. So one of the actors and I ventured upstairs and peered out the windows to see that some of the trees were basically bent sideways and things were blowing around in the street. The box office staff talked about stopping the show and sending people home at one point, but then decided that since it was so bad outside, they might as well have people stay at the Playhouse and they might as well see a show while they were there. So the show went on.

I went back downstairs, and after the power went out a couple more times I ventured back up to see if the wind had gotten any better or worse. As I headed to the window, the box office staff, who were all standing in one of the open doorways at the back of the Playhouse, called me over, saying that the windows had been rattling not too long before and they were afraid they were going to break. They told me to head back downstairs for now and to let people downstairs know to stay down there unless absolutely necessary (minus the actors, who obviously had entrances to make on the stage).

The show ended and the lights had stayed on for a bit, but they made an announcement that the winds were dangerous and that they didn't recommend venturing out into it, and that everyone was welcome to stay for as long as they needed to. The offer was extended to the staff and the actors as well, but most of us live very close to the Playhouse. After a few minutes, I decided to risk the walk up the hill to my dorm.

It wasn't bad. Pretty windy and a little rainy, and it was almost completely dark as all the street lights and traffic lights around the college were out. I got to the dorm, and discovered Lee Ann sitting in the first floor lobby. The power and air conditioning were out, but there were some emergency lights on in the building. We chilled in the lobby for a while, then she and I and Tory (a costume designer for the theatre who is also on the fourth floor with us), decided to head upstairs. The auxiliary power meant that the lights in the hall were on, but the lights in our rooms and the bathroom wouldn't work, and the outlets in the rooms had a very small amount of power. The mini-fridge in my room had started leaking and there was a big fun puddle of water all over my floor and under my bed, so I cleaned that up, opened the window in my room the whopping five inches it will open, and hunkered down for a rather warm night's sleep.

When I woke up this morning, there was still no power, and it was very warm. After I took a cool shower, Lee Ann and I decided to head over to Coffee on the Corner to see if they had power. They had power, but no AC, and their wifi was down. So, next, we wandered over to the Playhouse, which had power and AC, but no wifi. Then we wandered down a couple of blocks to another cafe called Mugshots, which, thankfully, has power, AC, and wifi. So we're chilling here for now (pun intended), charging everything electronic and taking advantage of the free interwebs.

Tonight I'm planning to help out with Merchant again. Two Gents rehearsal tomorrow night from 6:00 to 10:00, and then day off on Monday. Wondering when they'll be able to get the power back up and running, and cringing at the thought that my groceries in the fridge are spoiling as I type.

This Week

Living completely alone on the fourth floor of a dorm is an experience, I'll give you that. But it is nice not to live there entirely alone anymore.

A week and a half ago, the high school Shakespeare campers moved in. They moved into floors two and three, so I've heard them and seen them around, passed them on the main floor, and ridden the elevator with them a few times. I met a few of the counselors too, and it was nice to know I wasn't the only human being in that enormous building at night.

Then, Saturday, another intern named Leanne moved in next door to me. I didn't meet her till Sunday morning. She's just as much (or perhaps more) of a Shakespeare addict than I am, is going to be a senior at Drew University, and is interning in the Education department. We have a lot of things in common, not the least of which being a love of all things theatre and Shakespeare.

Monday night there was a meet and greet barbecue with the adults participating the "No Kidding Shakespeare Camp"--a Shakespeare camp for adults only--at Ralph Cohen's house (one of the co-founders of the ASC and the director of Two Gents). I wasn't originally going to go because I figured I would be the awkward intern the whole time, but Leanne talked me into going, so I did. It was actually a good time, and I got to meet some new people, talk with several of the campers, and have a really great conversation with Tracie (one of the actors, who plays Portia in Merchant, Alais in Lion, and Julia in Two Gents).

This week: still rehearsals, with performances of Merchant and Lion some of the evenings. It's really fascinating to watch the rehearsal process, and watch the director shape the actors' performances. I still don't feel incredibly helpful most of the time, but I do what I can. Next I'll probably share some of my thoughts and observations on the staging of Two Gents thus far.

My thoughts on The Merchant of Venice at the ASC

I'm not sure how legal this technically is, but I've decided to post Artistic Director Jim Warren's director's notes for The Merchant of Venice in a separate post. If you're interested in reading the director's notes before reading my personal thoughts, you can read them here.

Now, for my thoughts:

Thinking through The Merchant of Venice has been a process. My contact with Merchant prior to arriving here, as I think I may have said, was primarily literary. I had read the play multiple times, studied it, even written a paper on it--comparing it to Shakespeare's contemporary Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta. But, somehow, regardless of all that contact, I had never been moved by the script. Is that some sort of moral shortcoming on my part? I'm not sure.

I'd rather like to think that it's just another example illustrating the difference between reading a script and seeing a play staged. Because the play moved me. I even know each of the actors in the play on a first name basis, but I was so pulled into the world of the play that, in the trial scene, when Antonio took off the crucifix he was wearing and placed it around Shylock's neck, saying that one of the conditions on which he would spare his life was that Shylock become a Christian, I literally sucked in air as if I'd been hit in the stomach. Then, when Gratiano spit heartlessly on the prayer shawl that had only just been wrapped around Shylock's waist, I felt the prick of tears.

That's not to say that Shylock was portrayed as a saint, because he wasn't. He says and does some pretty nasty things too. As said in the director's notes, they wanted them all to be portrayed as just human--the good, the bad, and the ugly. Because Gratiano was hilarious. Portia was sweet. Everyone praises Antonio to the heavens as a wonderful man, and his letter to Bassanio seems to show him as a selfless, sacrificial human being (though I'm sure that's also been argued). And yet on another side, they all act like bullies and bigots.

The assistant stage manager, Abby, said (and I think I have to agree), you walk out of the play not knowing if you truly like a single one of the characters.

Talking through it with Leanne (the new education intern who now lives next door to me) last night, she said that she did like it, and it was one of the better Merchants she'd seen, but she didn't see that Portia's character had any kind of arc or change. She said she's always thought that the courtroom scene had to change Portia. Because here's a girl who's always had everything she ever wanted, who's lived in an idealistic world of privilege all her life. It's easy for her to say "The quality of mercy is not strained." But what she doesn't understand is that Shylock's world--where he has only ever been shown cruelty and hate and therefore has learned to show only cruelty and hate, a world where his justification for getting revenge is that it is human and that everyone, if wronged, will revenge--is vastly different from hers. So, to be confronted with that and to realize that the world is not the ideal place she thought it was should, theoretically, change her.

She said she also missed some of the gravity of the ring situation. In this production, they make light of it--make it funny. But she said she's always imagined that there is some true disappointment in Portia's realization that her husband just failed his first marital test.

I can see where she's coming from on both counts, but from what I've heard of the rehearsal process of the production, they didn't want to brush the romance under the rug, but neither did they want to highlight it, so perhaps this was the middle ground they settled on. The "button" on the show--tying everything up--was to be a feel-good, funny bit between the husbands and wives after the intensity of the trial scene.

I guess, coming away from the show, the thing I thought most about was Shylock's speech, as always.

Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?

The fact that Shakespeare gives this speech to Shylock is noteworthy. The characters of Gratiano, Solanio, Salarino, and Antonio will never think twice about their bigotry. In the world of the play, they will continue on in it, none the wiser. So is this what Shakespeare was saying? Presumably, to his Elizabethan Christian audience of the day, the play was a comedy. Everything turned out perfectly. The couples all get married and live happily ever after; the Jew's daughter escapes him, runs away with a Christian man, converts to Christianity and takes her father's wealth; the cruel and heartless Jew, who would have murdered a Christian hero, is lawfully stopped, forced to give up the fortune he has left, and forcefully converted to Christianity to save his soul. It is assumed that, to Shakespeare's audience, this would have been an outpouring of Christian mercy and a good day. The bigotry wouldn't have been bigotry at all but normalcy. So is there some sort of subtle comparison between the characters like Gratiano, Solanio, Salarino, Antonio, even Portia, and the members of the audience? The audience members would walk out of the theatre and continue on, none the wiser, unless the play, perhaps, somehow, managed to get people to think without appearing to actually have such an agenda. Could it be possible?

The following piece from the director's notes in the program made me think, however:

"Accepting the notion that racism and bigotry were simply 'how things were back then' is to assume a moral superiority for our modern world and to assume that Shakespeare was ignorant, floundering in an unenlightened age, rather than a playwright capable of creating a textured story with complicated and flawed characters."

Do we, then, generally assume a moral superiority, perhaps not over Shakespeare himself, but over Shakespeare's now nameless, faceless audience members--the general populace of the day? I don't know what it was like to live in England in the late 1500s, much less truly understand the attitudes toward Jews that would have existed then. Jews had been expelled from England in the 1200s and, in the world Shakespeare would have been living in, it's likely that he never even knew a Jewish person. So, as always, I'm speaking entirely in conjecture.

As I stated above, all of the characters seem, in some way, disconcerting. I guess, when it comes down to it, I saw the play for the first time as a very cynical commentary; not sympathetic or, perhaps, entirely fair to any one race, religion, or person, but as potentially mocking all of them.

I'm probably just an uneducated kid, from about as idealistic a world as Portia's, accidentally simplifying very complex and difficult things. But those are my thoughts.

"We Could Be Heroes" - director's notes for The Merchant of Venice

The following are the director's notes from the program for the American Shakespeare Center's summer 2012 production of The Merchant of Venice.


We Could Be Heroes

Shakespeare gives The Merchant of Venice all the elements of a traditional "comedy," but he also weaves in issues that are darker and more dramatic than the serious material in his earlier comedies. In Merchant, Shakespeare explores justice and mercy by reaching into his characters' souls and shining a light on the prejudice and fear he finds there. Four hundred years later, the bigotry and hatred he exposes seem every bit as volatile, as vibrant, as meaningful, and as unresolved as they were when he first created Shylock and Antonio's Venice.

Some productions of Merchant in our post-Holocaust world seek to apologize for a playwright presumed to be anti-Semitic; and directors often try to package the problematic issues the play raises with neat and tidy final answers. The two founders of the ASC (one a Christian, the other a Jew) believe the Shakespeare who wrote this play was not an anti-Semite, but a writer brilliantly exhibiting and dissecting anti-Semitism.
Shakespeare creates Christian “heroes” who spew some pretty ugly bigotry. The Jew-baiting is led by Antonio: “I am as like to call thee [dog] again, to spit on thee, to spurn thee too,” echoed by Salarino and Solanio: “...the dog Jew did utter in the streets ‘My daughter! O my ducats!” and championed in the courtroom by Gratiano: “O, be thou damned, inexcrable dog! ...for thy desires are wolvish, bloody, starved, and ravenous!”

The entire lesson behind the test of the caskets (don’t judge a book by its cover, all that glisters is not gold) seems to be lost on Portia who hopes the black Prince of Morocco fails to win her because of his skin color: “if he had the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me.” When he chooses the wrong casket, Portia says: “A gentle riddance... may all of his complexion choose me so.”

Accepting the notion that racism and bigotry were simply “how things were back then” is to assume a moral superiority for our modern world and to assume that Shakespeare was ignorant, floundering in an unenlightened age, rather than a playwright capable of creating a textured story with complicated and flawed characters.

Some productions deal with the play’s ambiguity by cutting, softening, or ignoring the bigotry to tell a more palatable love story. More often, productions go to the other pole to minimize the romantic comedy and make the racial and religious nastiness the focal part of the story and turn Shylock into nothing but an abused victim, whitewashing Shylock’s character and ignoring the vicious things HE says and does: “I hate him for he is a Christian.” The horrors of the Holocaust have produced a residual Gentile guilt that causes some directors to want to make every Jewish character sympathetic in every situation. But Shakespeare gives us not political correctness in Merchant; Shylock can be extremely unsympathetic and most of the other characters are filled with both faults and virtues. Just like real people.

With this Merchant, we’re attempting to tell the love story without masking the spiritual and moral warts that blemish the “heroes.” We’re also choosing to tell Shylock’s story without watering down either his harshness or his humanity.

JIM WARREN

ASC Co-founder and Artistic Director

Week 2

This second week went pretty well.

I had the day off on Monday, so that was a little more down time and I did a little more exploring.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, rehearsal went from 12:00 to 4:00, then each night was a show.

Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole

On Tuesday evening, I got my chance to sit on the stage on one of the gallants' stools to watch The Lion in Winter by James Goldman. The script was published in 1966 or so, and didn't make it very long on Broadway, but was turned into a film with Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn, then a later version with Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close (both of which I'd like to watch). It was a fantastic experience! They're doing Lion this summer, then this fall they'll do it in conjunction with Shakespeare's King John, as it's something of a prequel to Shakespeare's play, and they'll have the same actors play Eleanor, John, and Philip in the two plays. So that's pretty cool. I loved the play--the script is pretty excellent. And, of course, it was excellently done.

Glenn Close and Patrick Stewart

Then, Wednesday evening, I got to watch The Merchant of Venice. I had never actually seen Merchant staged, so I was very much looking forward to seeing it. I of course had read and studied the script in multiple classes, and my opinion was basically that it was another one of Shakespeare's great plays, and that was really as much as I thought about it. So I was not prepared for how it would affect me to see it. It was pretty difficult to watch. I teared up at the end of the trial scene. I guess I just didn't realize how truly horridly most of the characters in that play behave. Again--the differences between seeing something staged and reading a script. It was also fascinating to read the director's notes for the show in the program. One of the founders of the ASC is a Jew, and the other is a Christian, which they commented on in the notes. The notes themselves are pretty brilliant, and I may have to share some of them in a subsequent post.

So! I've seen a total of five shows here now. Not counting Two Gents, which I of course watch pieces of every day.

On Thursday and Friday, after rehearsals, I decided I would offer my help at the theatre for the evening performances just for something to do. Because the actors do quite a bit of their own work during the show and there's not really much tech work to do, I feel pretty extraneous most of the time, but I like to offer my help and do whatever there is to do. So, Thursday and Friday evenings I took line notes.

Last night (Friday night) was actually opening night for Merchant of Venice, and they had an opening night party afterwards, so I stuck around for that. There was a matinee of  Merchant this afternoon, but I decided to take the morning off. I think I'll head over tonight, though, and see if I can be of any help. Tonight is technically the opening night for Lion.

That's really it. Probably more on Merchant later.

An ASC Glossary: Words and Phrases to Know

After my first week at the ASC, there are some new words and phrases that I've learned. Or, if they're not entirely new, words that have come to mean something slightly new or different.

Ren Run
Short for "Renaissance Run." A ren run is the first run of a show that the actors put together on their own. They have no one director's input but put the show together themselves, hearkening back to the tradition of actors' renaissance.

Actors' Renaissance
In England in the 1500s, actors that were hired became a part of a troupe or repertory company and always had roles to play within the company. The actors not only acted, but came together and managed themselves as a company--they had little to no other staff. They would have many shows in their repertoire and had to be ready to perform virtually any piece at any time. The ASC operates using this model to some degree, though they do have artistic directors, stage managers, and other staff.

Paraphrasing
After the ren run, rehearsals start. The actors and director work through scene by scene. They start with table work for the scene, and the first thing they do is paraphrasing. Each actor has, on his or her own time, gone through all their lines and paraphrased them. Usually, they've used a thesaurus and traded out important nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Proper nouns, some pronouns, and prepositions are usually allowed to remain, as well as some other words in certain cases. This is such an important piece of the rehearsal process that the guidelines for paraphrasing are included in the actors' contracts. After reading through the scene with each actor's paraphrases, they go back and read through the scene focusing on scansion.

Scansion
Scansion refers to the process of analyzing the meter of verse. If you've gone through high school English, you probably know that much of Shakespeare's plays are written in blank verse, and, more specifically, in iambic pentameter. This means there are usually ten syllables with alternating stress on every other syllable (five iambs--an iamb consisting of one unstressed and one stressed syllable). For example:

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?

It can be divided up into ten syllables -

But / soft, / what / light / through / yon- / der / win- / dow / breaks?

And every other syllable is stressed -

But / SOFT, / what / LIGHT / through / YON- / der / WIN- / dow / BREAKS?

So, divided into iambs, it would look like this -

But SOFT, / what LIGHT / through YON- / der WIN- / dow BREAKS?

This line is regular, and has a strong ending. A line like Hamlet's--

To BE, / or NOT / to BE: / that IS / the QUEST- / ion:

is still referred to as regular, even though it has eleven syllables, but we say it has a weak ending. There are also several different kinds of irregularities, and I won't go into detail, but they're called caesuras, trochees, spondees, anapests, dactyls, and there's another called a pyrrhus.

Not ALL of the play is written in verse. The noble characters most often speak in verse, while fools, clowns, and other peasant characters often speak in prose. Whether a character speaks in prose or in verse is a big clue about what Shakespeare intended when writing the character. Also, the way the meter reads (the scansion) gives clues about ways to portray the characters. Sometimes, if the line has irregularities or is short, it's a hint about something about the character. From the Encyclopedia Britannica: "The purpose of scansion is to enhance the reader's sensitivity to the ways in which rhythmic elements in a poem convey meaning. Deviations in a poem's metrical pattern are often significant to its meaning." I have a lot still to learn about scansion, and verse in general, but that's what I can say for now.

Homoeroticism
This has become a very important word for the season of shows I happen to be working on at ASC. The actors and director have commented several times that a couple of the shows have a significant amount of "man love" going on. Two Gents is one of those shows, as Valentine, in the end, immediately forgives his best friend without a second thought. (His best friend who, not a moment before, was about to rape his girlfriend.) So, the word of choice is "homoeroticism." They don't gloss over it, but they also don't purposely highlight it in the way they stage the shows. They just play it like it is.


Vaudeville
I'm discovering that it's essential to be familiar with Vaudeville in order to be an actor here. The clowns' parts especially are laced with Vaudevillian comedy techniques.

Prithee
I already mentioned this in a previous post, but instead of calling "Line!" when actors can't remember their lines, they call "Prithee?" which of course sounds a little bit more Shakespearean.

Pay What You Will
The first previews and opening nights here at the ASC are what they call "Pay What You Will"--donation-only performances.

Gallants' Stools
In Shakespeare's day, patrons of the theatre could pay extra to actually sit ON the stage while the performance was going on. The advantages were, of course, that you were up close and personal with the action of the play, and, secondarily, since you were rich, you had fabulous clothes to show off and if you sat up on the stage, everybody could see you and your fabulous fashion. Similarly, here, there are stools on the stage that patrons can sit on during performances--gallants' stools--though at the ASC they don't cost any more than any other seat, you just have to request them. I haven't gotten a chance to sit on stage yet, but it would be cool to before I leave.

Sirrah
This word is not pronounced "serr-ah." It's "seer-ah."

Milan
I've always heard this one pronounced Mil-AHN, with the emphasis on the last syllable. Here, it's MILL-un, with the emphasis on the first syllable.

iPads
EVERYONE HERE HAS THEM. Seriously, every single person.


I may have subsequent posts adding on to my glossary as I learn new words and phrases, but that's it for now.

Week one: complete.

The first week of my internship with the American Shakespeare Center concluded this afternoon as soon as rehearsal let out.

My week has looked like this:

Monday was the prep for the "ren run" (I told you wrong before--it's called a "ren" run, short for renaissance). I think I may have also said that Monday was the ren run, but actually Monday was just the prep for the ren run. Monday was the day they had all to themselves with no director yet--they kind of pieced the play together and worked out what they were going to do. 

Tuesday was the real ren run--they run the entire show with the only rehearsal being whatever they worked on the day before in prep. The director watches their initial work, and then has a starting place from which to work with the actors from there on out. (Let me just pause and say how impressive this was to watch. The actors had never worked on Two Gents together till Monday. On Tuesday, they ran the entire show. And, had most people paid to see this first "rough" ren run, they wouldn't have asked for their money back. It was entertaining, almost completely fluid and cohesive, and downright hilarious.)

Tuesday, as I think I said, call was noon and the ren run went from 1:00 till about 3:00ish. The assistant stage manager asked if I wanted to help out with the production of Merchant that night. I'm technically only contracted to work on Two Gents, but I figured, hey. It's not like I'm doing much else with my life. So I crewed the production of Merchant Tuesday night--carrying some props and taking line notes.

Wednesday, Thursday, and today were full-day rehearsals. We've worked through, scene by scene, first doing table work--paraphrasing and scansion--then putting the scene on its feet and working through it a few times. (I'll probably save an entire future post to talk about the paraphrasing and scansion work that they do.)

There are two different companies here at the Blackfriars right now. They have two troupes: their resident troupe and their touring troupe. The touring troupe is just ending their tour and closing in residence here in Staunton--they've been playing all over the United States for almost a year. This weekend, the touring company is closing their productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream (which is what I saw Saturday night just after arriving--loved it, excellently done), The Winter's Tale (which I saw last night--well done, but perhaps not my favorite Shakespeare), and 'Tis Pity She's a Whore by John Ford (which I have a comp ticket to see the final performance of tomorrow night and which I've heard is very good). 

Their resident troupe (the one I'm working with), is currently in rehearsals for three of the five shows that they will eventually be running simultaneously: The Merchant of Venice, The Lion in Winter (by James Goldman--the only non-Shakespeare piece on their list), The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Cymbeline, and King John. I, of course, am technically only working on Two Gents. But I will get a chance to see the same actors I work with every day do Merchant and The Lion in Winter before I leave. I need hardly point it out, but yes--they eventually will be running all these shows simultaneously, meaning that all the lines and characters for all five shows will be in their heads. (Don't forget--they also double! Some actors play multiple characters within one show.) Often they'll do a matinee performance of one show at 2:00, then turn around and do an evening performance of a completely different show, then do a completely different show the next night, and so on. It probably just shows how inexperienced I am and how much I have to learn that running five shows at once is a new concept to me. They stagger the openings, of course. They started on Merchant first, and now have that one solidly under their belts. The production I crewed Tuesday night was actually their first preview of Merchant. Once they'd started Merchant, they started working on Lion. Now that they have that one pretty well under their belts and their first preview will be next Tuesday night, they've started Two Gents. 

The days are long, for me (if assistant stage managers get antsy sitting through 4-hour college production rehearsals every night, imagine sitting through 8-hour day-long rehearsals). The actors come and go when they're called, and also have live pre-show and intermission music to prepare and rehearse. Rehearsals start at 10:00 a.m. and run till 7:00 p.m. typically, with a lunch break from 2:00 to 3:00. Now that they're about to open a couple of their shows, rehearsals will run from 12:30 till 4:30 on show nights, giving them time to prep before house opens at 7:00. Sundays through Fridays are rehearsal days, Saturdays are show days, and Mondays are the day off. 

That's really all I can think of for now. It's been a bit of a long week. When I'm not at the playhouse, I'm eating, sleeping, or memorizing my own lines for the shows I'll be in this fall. But it's good, and I'm learning a lot.

Oh! And today I splurged and bought myself the ASC hoodie, which says "We do it with the lights on." 

Day 1

The first day, though intimidating, went well.

I had the comfort of knowing that a couple of the actors in Two Gents are almost as new to the ASC as I am. (Though I was perhaps the newest newbie there yesterday). Yesterday they had a "Ren run." In their style of actors' renaissance theatre, the actors have the first day all to themselves. As in most professional theatres, actors come in with lines already memorized. Then, on the first day, they have the day to sort themselves out and start getting all of it up on its feet to some degree, piece by piece.

It was a long day--they started at 10:00 and ran through till 7:00, stopping only a couple of times, with a break for lunch.

I was mostly on hand for line calls (the actors split up into groups at times, running different pieces in different places, and the Stage Manager and ASM can only be in so many different places at once).

I did manage to look like I knew what I was talking about at one point! Partway through Two Gents, the Duke calls Valentine "overweening." Somebody, playing around, said "overweening rogue" (though that's not the phrase from Two Gents), and someone else asked where "overweening rogue" came from. While a couple of people immediately turned to their iPhones, I tentatively ventured, "Twelfth Night, isn't it?"
A couple people looked up and nodded--"Yeah, that's a good guess--maybe you're right. Who says it though?"
"Toby Belch I think," I ventured again, a little bolder this time.
"To Malvolio? Right?" somebody asked.
"Of Malvolio, I think," I said. "I think it's when they're hiding in the garden--when he finds the letter."
Within a few moments, I was vindicated by someone with an iPhone--Sir Toby Belch does indeed call Malvolio an "overweening rogue" while hiding behind the shrubs in the garden. I got a couple of approving grins and nods, so I'm hoping that's a good sign.

A couple of observations from a day spent with actors and Shakespeareans:

Usually, in the first few days off book, if an actor is struggling with a line, they just call "Line!" Here, however, it's "Prithee?" Which just made me happy.

Dress code seems pretty lax. I wore a sundress for my first day--I figured it was safe. I wouldn't seem overdressed or underdressed either way, as it was somewhere in the middle. Which turned out to be good. If I had worn slacks and heels like at my first day at Minnetrista last summer, I would have felt overdressed. It seems dress code is much more theatre rehearsal-like. Which would, you know, seem to make sense. I'm thinking jeans will be entirely acceptable.

I'm going to love the schedule. It's a true theatre schedule. Because of the ren run yesterday, they started fairly early. Starting today, however, call time is NOON. (I got here at 11:00 for a tour of the Playhouse, though--which I'm sure I will enjoy, even though, after yesterday, I now already have a working familiarity with the ins and outs of the playhouse.)

It was very much a "jump in, volunteer, if you're not needed just try to stay out of the way" sort of atmosphere. I did my best.

The actors are fun. Expressive. Hilarious. Hams--every last one of them. And, overall, much more personable than I was expecting, to tell the truth. Things will no doubt get easier as I get to know people a little better.

That's really all my thoughts on  the first day. It will be fun to see what the final product of Two Gents looks like.

(On a personal note, I really, really would like to get paid to act before I die.)

Last night, I was invited over to Sarah's for some snacks and a movie. She, her husband, and a couple of friends were getting together to watch the movie "Anonymous," obtained from Red Box (in order, I was assured, that the makers of the film would get as little money from us as possible). I can't tell you how fun it was to watch that movie with a room of Shakespeareans. It was rather difficult to follow (for someone who's only had one official Shakespeare class and, so far, read only one biography, which happened to be one of the most controversial in the published world). But it was worth it to watch just for their reactions. By the end, we were thinking back through and trying to compile the innumerable and painful historical innaccuracies.

All-around, an excellent first day.

A Reflection on "The Two Gentlemen of Verona"

After having read the play I'll be on crew for, and read a couple of different reviews and discussions of it (I wish I had access to more), my thoughts:

Two Gents is thought by some to be, perhaps, Shakespeare's first play. This is, as far as I can tell, conjectured mostly because of the text's "immaturity"--assuming that the Shakespeare who gave us the immortalized Hamlet, King Lear, and Othello could surely not always have been a playwriting prodigy; that his writing had to have had an "awkward teenager" phase and that he had to grow into the genius we now ascribe to him.

Some, however, have placed it after As You Like It and The Taming of the Shrew, and for a long time it was thought that the Henry VI trilogy was his first work, so there is, truly, no telling.

The plot is a smattering of things found in some of his other plays and a little bit pulled from contemporary literature he may have been acquainted with. One of the female characters dresses as a boy, bringing to mind Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and The Merchant of Venice. Valentine plans to climb up to Silvia's window with a cord ladder, which makes an appearance in Romeo and Juliet. Rings are used as a plot device, as in Merchant. The characters find refuge or terror the woods, as in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The "fools" shame the "wise," as in virtually every one of the plays attributed to Shakespeare. Silvia's father is bent on giving his daughter to the man of his choosing, regardless of her feelings for him, which, it could be argued, is a common plot theme in itself, but this is also seen again in Romeo and Juliet.

The underlying theme of the play is the tension between friendship and romantic love, which was a popular topic in drama and literature, as well as the ridiculousness of lovers. High school drama over which friend stabbed who in the back for his or her significant other is nothing new, by any means. Shakespeare, it seems, may show signs of beginning his trademark of broaching subjects from an entirely new angle and synthesizing or adapting already well-known views. But, unlike other plays, some argue that he blunders at the end of the Two Gents.

The almost-rape scene at the very end of the play has proved problematic for many other curious Shakespeare students besides myself. When Silvia still refuses Proteus even though he saved her from the outlaws, Proteus says that he will forcefully get what he wants from her. Right at that moment, Valentine intervenes and indignantly denounces Proteus. Proteus instantaneously repents (already problematic for some). Valentine then instantaneously forgives him (now even more problematic--perhaps Shakespeare just wanted to wrap things up?), and in his forgiveness, seemingly offers Silvia as a gift to Proteus, who almost raped her only a moment before (the most problematic piece of the puzzle).

So what in the world was Shakespeare thinking when he wrote this? Is this simply misogyny? If so, he certainly gave the female characters in Two Gents the nobler characters--Silvia's unwavering faithfulness and Julia's independence, adventurous nature, and steadfastness make them much more admirable than either of their selfish, deceitful male counterparts. Is this Shakespeare deciding against "ruffling feathers"? It was commonly held that male friendship was more valuable than male-female romance because the latter was perceived more as lust than anything else--sort of an Elizabethan "bros before hos" attitude. In the rest of the play, Shakespeare seems to play with the idea that romantic love, when true, has value, or perhaps with the even more innovative idea that friendship and romance are interdependent, only to seemingly defer, in this scene, back to the commonly perceived ideal that male friendship should be preserved at any cost, even at the expense of Silvia's feelings and dignity. Are we misinterpreting the ending? What does Valentine's line "All that was mine in Silvia I give thee" really mean? Is Valentine really offering Silvia to her almost-rapist as a reconciliation gift? Or does Valentine just mean that he himself will love Proteus as much as he ever loved Silvia? Another theory is that Valentine is indeed offering Silvia to Proteus, but in a purely farcical manner.

So which is it?

I have no idea. But it's certain that the staging of this scene will make all the difference and give it meaning, so I will be extremely interested to see how the ASC decides to portray it.

It certainly seems that this final scene is the most problematic piece of the play for most critics of Two Gents. Personally, just reading the play, I had a hard time believing the plot when Proteus, who had only just left his beloved Julia with an ardent a promise of his faithfulness, interacts with Silvia ONCE and, despite everything, including his best friend's affection for her and the fact that her father objects to any match for her but Thurio, falls instantly and hopelessly in love with her and instantly out of love with Julia. This is the same problem I have with Romeo and Juliet: the "love at first sight" plot device that is so unbelievable, at least to most modern audiences. I suppose that, again, the staging could make all the difference. If it is staged in such a way that the audience is persuaded to willfully suspend their disbelief, it will work. But if the play charges on, as the text does, without regard for whether the plot is believable, the audience will not be so willing. Here, again, is proof that plays are meant to be played and not read. Good actors can convince an audience of a multitude of untruths.

Before I conclude, just a few words on Launce and Crab the dog. Unless I am mistaken (and I could very well be--I have yet to read all of Shakespeare's works), this is Shakespeare's only play featuring a dog. Some think that the inclusion of Launce (and, therein, Crab) was an afterthought, and that Speed was originally to be the only comic servant. But, apparently, the play has been staged in such a way that many have praised the role of the dog as the most winning in the play.

The inclusion of the roles also creates an irresistible foil of friendship--Launce reports that he sacrificially offered to take a beating in Crab's place for Crab's little social faux pas, contrasting with Valentine and Proteus' poor excuse for a friendship: Valentine and Proteus mock each other heartlessly, and Proteus proceeds to stab Valentine in the back.

The play does end on a happy note--all the loose ends (however sloppily) tied up and (haphazardly) tucked in. But, as a very wise playwright once told me, comedies are only comedies because they end before the tragedy can begin; the ending of every comedy is a lie on some level.

Oh hey, Virginia.

As of yet, I don't have access to wifi at the dorm where I'm staying. SO! I've taken to haunting the Starbucks (fortunately) not far from the college.

I wrote the following post last night (Saturday, 6/9/12) at around 10:30 p.m. -

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Home for the next six weeks

As of now, I have:

• Driven 528 miles
• Managed to melt every piece of chocolate I brought with me
• Navigated some of the most precarious, winding back roads known to man (they happen to be located in West Virginia)
• Almost hit a deer
• Found my way through much of West Virginia on my own without the help of my GPS, simultaneously realizing that maybe I should update it
• Met my internship coordinator, Sarah
• Also met her dog, Allie
• Moved into what will be home sweet home for the next six weeks
• Irreparably squished my loaf of bread
• Moved many very heavy objects by myself, thank you very much.
• Spilled all the little confetti dots out of my three-hole punch
• Cleaned ALL OF THEM up
• Seen tonight's performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the American Shakespeare Center Blackfriars Playhouse (which, I believe I can safely say, at this point, was the best Shakespearean theatre I've ever seen)

I'm very glad to be here, and I'm excited to have some time to explore Staunton some tomorrow. Sarah pointed out some different places, so I'll have to see what I can make of the day. I'll take some pictures if I think of it.

I need to get milk.

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I'm happy to report that I found Walmart and now have milk. And an otherwise stocked fridge.

Beverly Street

I walked up and down Beverly Street today, which is the main historic street downtown. There are lots of quaint little shops, cafes, pubs, and restaurants, and I imagine I'll spend some time there over the next several weeks.

Unfortunately, like any good small town, almost all the shops are closed all day on Sunday, including the corner cafe that has free wifi.

So, instead, I found Starbucks (and Walmart, like I mentioned) and am now somewhat familiar with Richmond Ave--roughly the equivalent of the bypass in Marion.

The dorm I'm staying in is called PEG--short for Program for the Exceptionally Gifted--on Frederick Street. It's the newest dorm on MBC's campus, and typically home to 12-16 year old girls--advanced students in a program with the college.

Frederick Street

I had the entire 4-floor dorm all to myself last night and this morning, but according to Sarah, some high school campers will move in on Monday or Tuesday.

Tomorrow morning, I'm meeting Sarah at the Playhouse at 9:45 to meet the cast and crew members of Two Gents before they have their first rehearsals tomorrow from 10:00 to 7:00. Then, Tuesday, I'll tour the Playhouse, and then be on hand for another rehearsal. She told me that a couple of the touring companies have also requested some intern help, so I may get to work on more than just Two Gents--we'll have to see what happens.

Blackfriars Playhouse

Midsummer last night was just absolutely fun. The Playhouse is terrific. I sat in the balcony, and leaned over the railing to watch the show. The actors doubled--most playing two roles. It was very audience-interactive, which made it all the more engaging, and the audience was enthralled. The actors had everyone (including me) eating out of their hands. They also provided live music in costume before the show and during intermission--they sang contemporary songs (that happened to fit the story of A Midsummer Night's Dream extremely well--including riotous performances of "Forget You" and "In the Jungle"). They also danced some, and just all-around entertained.

I'm excited to get started. I think it's going to be an excellent Shakespearean summer.

A Summer of Shakes

"I rather would entreat thy company
To see the wonders of the world abroad,

Than, living dully sluggardized at home,
Wear out thy youth with shapeless idleness."

Translation?

Get off your lazy tush, let's go explore the world and do something exciting with life.

This is a quote from the first line in William Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and it seemed very appropriate.

I'm doing an internship this summer with the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia! I'm extremely excited for this opportunity. I've had a fondness for Shakespeare since I first started reading plays for high school English classes, and combined with my love for the theatre, the ASC sounds like it's where I'm meant to be.

From what I understand, I will be working on the ASC's production of Two Gentlemen of Verona as Production Assistant/Dramaturg (meaning I'll work behind the scenes on whatever needs to be done). I will have those responsibilities for the rehearsal period for Two Gents, starting this coming Monday, June 11 until just after their production opens. Two Gents opens at their theatre on July 8, and I'll be working on crew till July 13. Then, I'll be sticking around town for just a few more days, till July 25, because I've been invited to work with their marketing department. When I talked to my internship supervisor on the phone, she said that she'd reviewed my resume, saw that I work as the Publicity Coordinator for the IWU Theatre, and asked if I'd like to spend some time working with the marketing department. Of course, I took her up on it.

I've also been told I'll get to do a little dog handling. Unfortunately I have yet to read Two Gents, but from what I've heard it has a pretty excellent role for a dog, and so I get to help out with the canine stars. Kind of excited about that!

I leave for Virginia early Saturday morning, making the nine and a half hour drive from Marion to Staunton. I'll be staying in college housing at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, which has a partnership with the ASC, so getting there on Saturday night will give me a day to settle in a bit before starting the internship Monday morning.

I'm so excited for this, and I'm fully prepared to have an excellent adventure.

I'll (hopefully) update this blog (semi-)regularly with all the shenanigans I get into as I begin the transformation into a full-blown Shakespearean.

So, here's to Shakespeare, Two Gents, dog-handling, Virginia, and shenanigans!