I am bummed that the weather inhibited us from going through with the performance today. I was really excited to see the other acts and how the production was going to come together. I know that, as a class, everyone worked extremely hard on this project. Even though we did not get to see it fully through, it was exciting to go through the experience of directing an act and learning more about how to put on a production.

Throughout the day, I stayed in contact with the OSHER participants and I made sure to email them and call everyone once I found out the production was cancelled. Everyone was a little sad that the weather turned out the way it did but they were understanding.

Today, I think we would have showed up with the OSHER participants at 3pm and gone through our act. We would have finalized any last minute blocking that needed fixing and made sure that everyone felt comfortable in the space and ready to preform! I believe that our group would have loved seeing the other acts and then would have been extremely excited to preform. During rehearsals, some participants were timid at times but I believe they would have really gotten into the performance and made it the best one yet! Ultimately, I think they all would have just had a great time today getting to see the performance as a whole and getting up on stage! I imagine there would have been lots of laughs and excitement. Overall, the JSP was a great experience and I was glad to have a chance to work with the OSHER participants.

It is with great sadness that I write this final blog post because I really do feel bad for our children and all the children that wanted to act this evening. I am disappointed that we will not be able to see all of the parts of the play come together. I am also sad that last night was our last volunteering session and we left the children so excited for tonight.

With that being said, I think tonight would have been a great experience. Based of off last night’s rehearsal, a few of our children were really acting out their lines. Our Macbeth and Banquo actually entered the scene pretending they were on horseback, without us even asking. I think it would have been adorable to see those two actors build off of each other and use their British accents to entertain us all. One thing that was a concern last night and would have been a minor problem today was that one of the children told us that our Lady Macbeth would not be returning to Higher Achievement. We were sad to hear that news, but I am sure that another young lady would’ve stepped up today. One thing that still needed a little work after last night’s performance, which we had hoped to improve today in the final production, was our transition between scenes. It was a bit difficult to get the children to pay attention to exactly when they should enter and exit the scene. I think with a little more practice and nerves this evening they would have nailed it.

It is sad to think about how we will not be seeing our little actors again. It makes me especially sad because it seems like they were finally starting to really appreciate the material and they were having fun! The first few practices were like pulling teeth to get the children to read lines, but last night, as I imagine tonight would have gone, children were laughing and acting out their lines. We were also laughing with them. It was nice to see the culmination of our hard work in our mini-dress rehearsal last night and I know that tonight would have been even more fulfilling. I am glad that I was able to have an impact on children who are at a vulnerable time in their lives. We were able to help them learn how to read Shakespeare! That is a huge feat for a 5th grader. Even though the show did not go on tonight, we still made a positive impact on these children’s lives and I am so thankful for that. Some children even asked if we were coming back next semester to be mentors and I think that says it all. I know we enjoyed teaching them and they enjoyed learning something that was entirely unfamiliar to them. This was a valuable experience and it was great to get to know children in the Richmond area and it was even better watching them grow throughout the semester.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful winter break!

This week was our last rehearsal which is disappointing because I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve spent working and getting to know our scholars. Splitting our script into smaller groups between Jessie, Bridget and I was the best decision we made. Not only did it allow us to get to know our scholars better, but it significantly increased productivity. This week’s rehearsal went really well and I’m proud of all the hart work they have put in these past few weeks.

We began rehearsal by splitting into our smaller groups and running a few times. My group was very enthusiastic as they had practiced at home and higher achievement. At the beginning of the run through, my students playing Malcom and Duncan told me they would not be at the performance. My porters quickly stepped up into these roles, eager for more lines come the performance Friday. Donovan, who was originally cast as Duncan, decided that he was not going to participate in rehearsal. Tatianna, who was cast as Malcolm gladly continued to participate as a porter. She has been one of my best scholars- she is always excited to be at rehearsal and very focussed. Our run through after re-casting still went well- my new Malcom and Duncan stepped up to the plate!

Next, Bridget, Jessie and I decided to do a big run through with transitions between groups. We also made sure to time it as we were a bit nervous of how long it would take. It went well and I was glad I got to see Bridget and Jessie’s groups. They did a great job! It was just about 16 minutes, which I was surprised by for never having practiced the transitions. We then broke back into our smaller groups to discuss what could have been better. My group decided they would speak louder and put more emotion into what they were saying. They also mentioned that they were proud of their fellow scholars in other groups and that they did a great job. This was very heartwarming to see.

With the little time we had left at the end of rehearsal, we decided to do another run through as a big group. This was our best run through yet! They students not on stage waiting and those not participating listened and stayed quiet. Those on stage spoke loudly and transitions were smooth. Many of the scholars began acting their lines and not just reading from their scripts. It also was just about 15 minutes. In talking to my group after the run through, they were very relieved when I reminded them that they would have their scripts on stage with them Friday. They are very excited to perform and I am looking forward to it.

Dr. Bezio at the end of class Wednesday said multiple students have handed in their permission slips, which finally got to them. This has me somewhat relieved as I was nervous that little to no students would come. Hopefully many of our students come and perform as they have all worked really hard. I can’t wait until the performance!

We had our last practice last night! We took the kids down to the art room after they had some cookies and hot chocolate. We set the room up so chairs surrounded a stage area, so we could run through it completely and give them a better sense for what the actual performance will be like.

We were missing a couple kids, including our Lady Macbeth, but the students stepped up to fill the roles. One girl who had told us she didn’t want a role and then complained the entire time that she didn’t have any lines got to participate last night, and she seemed much happier to be participating. If I were to do the project again, I would try to give everyone at least one line because once we actually started practicing, the kids liked to be involved even if they only had a line or two.

Our group did so well running through the entire thing. They didn’t need much prompting, and some of them were acting things out. Our Macbeth and Banquo are so funny because they both try to talk in British accents and try to be active instead of just standing and reading from the screen. When they entered the scene once, they acted like they were riding on horses without our telling them to. I’ve been so impressed with them throughout this whole time, and I’m excited to see them perform tonight!

At the beginning of the practice, we had promised the kids candy if they were quiet in the audience, and they were so attentive and quiet the entire time. Hopefully they feel prepared for tonight. I’m excited to see how it goes.

This week’s practice was one of the worst we’ve had to date. At a time when we need all the time we can get, desperately preparing for the final performance, Timone did not arrive to unlock the chapel until 12:40, leaving us with only 20 minutes to practice. I wish I could have stayed, like Timone offered, but I had to run to Chemistry lab. This timeslot has always been bad for us, causing us to arrive 10 minutes late. We have been surviving on 50 minutes practices every week and it has been OK. But a 20 minute practice is barely time to do anything.

We learned that Christina, our most enthusiastic actor who plays the roles of Lady MacBeth and Lady MacDuff,  is having “behavioral problems.” She was unable to attend this practice and may be unable to attend tomorrow’s performance.

We learned that Deandre, our MacBeth, may be being pulled from the performance by his mother for God knows what reason. This week, he made incredible progress in putting emotion and character into his lines. His skill as an actor doubled in these scarce 20 minutes. I hope that we have him tomorrow.

I worry about props. I worry about casting. I worry that in the end, its going to be Jimmy sitting at MacBeth’s place at the table, Grant and Luke as the witches, and myself as Lady MacBeth. I will be happier when all of this is over.

That being said, if everyone shows up, I am going to be ecstatic. Worst case scenario is not truly horrible and I am excited to see our actors perform. I hope that they will have the chance to enjoy this performance.

This whole project has been less of an emotional roller-coaster and more of a gradual slide into resigned stress. I am not going to forget this one.

This week’s lesson made me very concerned. The practice began with only Nicole and Christina in the chapel. Our final performance being staged by the four of us and Professor Bezio is beginning to look more and more likely.

All of these practices are just exaggerations of the practice before. In each practice, the actors show up a little bit later. In each practice, a group of actors leaves and an old group returns. When we finally finish re-re-re-recasting, we begin to practice and read over lines. This part of the practice is always welcome. Each time we read over the lines, the actors are better able to perform. It seems that we are making truly meaningful progress.

I just wish that we had more time.

We did a mini dress rehearsal today with our kids and it went very smoothly. In the beginning we sat them all down in the “audience” section that we made in the classroom and explained to them that we needed them all to pay attention and be quiet while their fellow actors were acting. We then took the actors behind a whiteboard prior to each scene they were in so it could seem like they were entering onto the “stage”. We also enticed those who were not acting in those particular scenes to be a quiet part of the audience and if they were they would receive candy at the end of rehearsal. This enticement really worked. Our children were quiet and respectful. Some even expressed how they would like more lines and more parts tomorrow if some of their classmates do not show up!

I think overall it was a great last rehearsal. We used props and many of our students seemed excited about the show tomorrow. Even girls who we had trouble with in the past seemed excited because these girls had said how they didn’t want to go or how they thought it was a waste of time, but tonight they were asking for more lines and making sure that they were good to go for tomorrow night. Many students said how their family members were going to come and that their teachers were coming as well. I think we are going to have a good group tomorrow with a great audience. I am excited to see how it turns out!

Break a leg everyone!

I think this week was one of our stronger weeks thus far.  First of all, this was the first time that we were able to have a (fairly) smooth run-through of our entire scene.  Certain students, namely Kristina and Tristan (who unfortunately will no longer be attending), come with a ton of enthusiasm every single week.  I’ve learned that these students are essential not only because it of the direct benefit of having students that are passionate in the material, but they also provide an example for other students.  For example, when the class gets off track, I can make a somewhat off-hand comment praising Kristina for her dedication and focus, which seems to bring the competitive spirits of other students out.

I also want to take the time to thank Timone, who in the last few weeks has been incredibly helpful.  Our greatest struggle throughout the semester has been maintaining the students’ interest in the material not only on a minute-to-minute basis, but also on a week-to-week basis.  It is really difficult to keep students in attendance every week and to convince them to come back after weeks that are not all that encouraging.  Timone has been instrumental in bringing these students without a natural enthusiasm for the material back to us.  This week, for example, Timone scolded a collection of about three students who have been coming to a few sessions here or there, missing them when it is convenient.  Timone was not upset with their lack of attendance, but with their lack of transparency, as they were not honest with Timone in their reasons for missing.  This conversation inspired those students to rejoin our rehearsals as one even apologized for their inconsistent attendance.  With these kids, trust is massive.  I have no authority over them and I am in no position to suggest how they should or should not spend their time.  Thankfully, they do trust Timone, and for this reasons he has played an instrumental part in rehearsals.

Finally, I just want to comment on how excited I am about the upcoming production.  Primarily, I am excited to see the manifestation of a steadily growing interest in the material throughout the semester.  It is a really rewarding process when you start teaching a class with no appreciation for the subject, only to find a few weeks later that their interest is growing, and that you may be the reason why.  I think that literature, particularly in play form, is being lost in our generation and to be honest, it makes me really sad some days.  I find a certain amount of solace in the fact that I was able to instill, even if in the most minute way, some love for literature back into the world.

This week was our final rehearsal!! It’s so crazy how quick this semester has gone by. Also, it is so amazing how close we have gotten with so many of our students. Monday’s were a day I looked so forward to because they always ended with Henderson, so it will be sad to have a bit of a different routine next semester.

This week, we were very productive with rehearsing. To start, we split up into our groups and went through our scenes a few times. My group successfully went through it 3 times. They were all critiquing each others performances to perfect the overall performance. However, two of my scholars had zero interest in taking part of the rehearsal. I told them they could give their lines to someone else, and that they can just sit, but cannot use their phones. They took that as an ultimatum and participated in rehearsals.

I wish we had time to use props with them, so that come Friday it would not be their first time in awe of them. However, it would have been incredibly unproductive to try to get them to use the props when we have not reviewed the script enough. So, not bringing them was definitely the call. Also, looking back, I do wish we had more time on the script, but do not think it would have been the best for these kids. They were sick and bored of reading it after they did it for two rehearsals. It was painful to try to get my scholars to reread it any more than they already had to. Unfortunately, that means they won’t emphasize certain parts of their speech or really “act,” but even if we had more time, given their personalities, I do not think many of my group would have gotten more creative regardless.

After some time, Jessie Carolina and I joined as a group. We went through our entire part and timed it to make sure we did not go over the 15 minute limit. It was really fun to watch the kids perform in front of each other. A few of them were verrrry nervous. We finished the first time through and we were just over 15 minutes. We evaluated what we could have done better and decided it was all about the transitions. So, we all went back to our groups and critiqued the way it went.

I gathered my group and they all go, “we were horrible!” I felt bad, because honestly they were. But that’s because they were starving. Three of them were complaining about how they just want food and want to stop because they did not feel well. I told them they were almost done and that they would be able to go home to eat. I then explained to them that they were the best group and they need to show it off to the other groups. I told them that the performance they just did made them look like they were the least prepared, yet half of them memorized their lines. The Macbeth in my part took over. She explained to them that she really wanted to act in this and that rolling around on stage and farting was embarrassing. I was so happy she was so passionate about the performance.

We tried again to run through the presentation as a group. They did SOOO much better. I actually ended up getting on stage with them this time so it prevented them from rolling around and goofing off. Jessie and Carolina’s groups were also great and some of the scholars were really into it! We finished in just about 15 minutes, so if we get a decent amount of kids that show up, we will be good to go!

After a week off for Thanksgiving, we met again. With the performance two weeks away, we needed to get the kids walking through the play without our prompting. We brought in the props for the witches, including their hats, cauldron and some eyeballs, snakes and bugs to throw into the cauldron.

Our kids seemed excited to get to run through the whole thing and actively pay attention to when they needed to go onstage. Still, we had to prompt them a lot because they would get distracted. Our kids also have a lot of problems turning the pages because they never seem to end up on the right page, so that can also be an issue as they try to follow along.

We got through the whole thing, and next week we’ll try to get them to go through it without any prompting at all. I’m excited to see how it all goes next week, and I hope we have most of our kids show up on the night of the performance.