This week we read through the script that we finalized earlier in the week and giving out parts. It is turning out to be really easy with the old folks. They are all very excited about the play and all have really helpful ideas. When we read through the play for the second time, a few of the old folks started putting inflection on the lines and really acting out certain parts. I was given a much bigger role than I thought I would be given, but after reading through it a few times I am sure it will go well. For the next week we are going to begin with spacing on stage. Our scene is going to be tough because we have a play within a play and have to have two groups of actors on stage at once. We have a few ideas as to how we will make it work and I am sure our actors will be really helpful like they have been so far.

During our work day on Tuesday our group started to discuss costumes and props needed for Act 5.  Then during our rehearsal on Wednesday night we proposed our ideas to the group.  We had some great conversations about props with out Osher folks, including what exactly a horned moon is (evidently it is a crescent moon for anyone that is curious).  We came to the conclusion that the nobles, who are observing the play within the play,  should be dressed in business attire while the mechanicals should be in jeans and or coveralls (which we learned are called dungarees in Britain).  We went though the scene and started doing a bit of blocking to make sure the scene held together even with the cuts.  A few adjustments were made the stage directions, and a few lines were reassigned to different characters. It was a successful rehearsal and we look forward to continuing to block and work though our script next week.

This is a tad late and I am still trying to get the hang of the timing with the blogs. Last week marked the first time that we met as a group. Unfortunately, the group was not set in stone. When we arrived, we rallied the group from the three different schools. The room that we believed to be ours was either taken or not available to us. Yet after finally getting a room and the group,  we started sharing basic information. The diversity of individuals brought a little disruption as the students all have somewhat different backgrounds. Overall, the students seemed interested and intrigued about how to best be apart of the group. People shared what they thought they knew about Shakespeare and we relayed a small amount of knowledge about the play and the history behind it. Due to a lack of time, we were not able to truly delve into the script and parts. However, we did get a pretty good idea of personalities which may help with characters. As we get deeper into the semester, I believe that we will get to know the students even better and be able to reach them all. One student in particular seems to be a little bit shy about acting. She spoke out and was a little inconsiderate. I still think she may be an important part of the act. Hopefully she will be able to accept what we are trying to do. I do feel more comfortable now than I did when I started. I believe by the end of the program I will not have any apprehensions at all.