Has anyone except me not been touched by the curse this time around?
The Curse
The last time I did this play, I was pretty much the only one to emerge unscathed by the curse -- given Lady Macbeth's broken leg and Macduff's broken thumb.
The play is cursed...or not?
So...I have a physics midterm on Wednesday, and I just discovered that I left my textbooks at home. When I opened my bag, where the books should have been, I found a cat skull. Go figure. Ok, joking about the last part but sadly not about the first. There's going to be a pissed off Duncan/Macduff for this week of rehearsals....
Pembroke Field House???
How'd we get hooked up with THAT location? I didn't even know Pembroke Field had a house. I love how when I lived on Pembroke for two years, all my rehearsals were down this way (Andrews to PW in the middle of the night...that walk was killer), and now that I live right next to the space, rehearsal's down half of Providence away.
Does the SOTG board conspire against me when I'm not around? It's ok, you can tell me. It's an anti-Nick extravaganza.
Sadistic witches and stuff
YO.
yep, overdue.
So I meant to post this after our last rehearsal (which was a pretty long time ago..) but then typing with a broken keyboard is incredibly difficult... (so fyi, my keyboard is messed up cuz i spilled OJ on it.. and it's all because of the technological curse)
Anyhow, being on the cast of Macbeth has given me the irreplaceable opportunity of uncovering the sadistic side of myself i never knew...
to set up some context, the rehearsal activity entailed 4 witches circling around one individual and repeating lines from the play (and altering the way we say the lines) as the individual in the middle expands and contracts his/her limbs. What I got from it was something like the witches outside casting spells that pulled the person apart and the contractions were attempts to escape the witches' sorcery..
So just a word to all the folks out there--
if you ever wondered how much fun it is to circle around an individual and torment him/her, well, let me tell you.. it's pretty fun.
oh, and if you're curious what exactly this "sadism" looks like, here ya go:
it's kinda like the creepier, more evil version of Nelson from the Simpsons...
(Ha ha! you're shriveling in pain..)
yep, overdue.
So I meant to post this after our last rehearsal (which was a pretty long time ago..) but then typing with a broken keyboard is incredibly difficult... (so fyi, my keyboard is messed up cuz i spilled OJ on it.. and it's all because of the technological curse)
Anyhow, being on the cast of Macbeth has given me the irreplaceable opportunity of uncovering the sadistic side of myself i never knew...
to set up some context, the rehearsal activity entailed 4 witches circling around one individual and repeating lines from the play (and altering the way we say the lines) as the individual in the middle expands and contracts his/her limbs. What I got from it was something like the witches outside casting spells that pulled the person apart and the contractions were attempts to escape the witches' sorcery..
So just a word to all the folks out there--
if you ever wondered how much fun it is to circle around an individual and torment him/her, well, let me tell you.. it's pretty fun.
oh, and if you're curious what exactly this "sadism" looks like, here ya go:
it's kinda like the creepier, more evil version of Nelson from the Simpsons...
(Ha ha! you're shriveling in pain..)
"and his son and his son and his sooo-on"
If any of you were curious about the Shakespeare Retold version of Macbeth, if only to see three garbagemen as the witches, here's a clip:
The witches don't arrive until around 7:45 (sorry I couldn't find a more specific clip), so you might want to skip to there. Or watch some unnecessary footage of James McAvoy in no shirt and leather pants, Malcolm with a girly hairdo, the cutting open of a pig's head, and Macbeth kissing Banquo (which, while very amusing, I never could understand).
And you definitely can't get it from this clip, but McAvoy does eventually make for a convincing Macbeth. It's actually kind of scary. So there.
The witches don't arrive until around 7:45 (sorry I couldn't find a more specific clip), so you might want to skip to there. Or watch some unnecessary footage of James McAvoy in no shirt and leather pants, Malcolm with a girly hairdo, the cutting open of a pig's head, and Macbeth kissing Banquo (which, while very amusing, I never could understand).
And you definitely can't get it from this clip, but McAvoy does eventually make for a convincing Macbeth. It's actually kind of scary. So there.
Official Image Post
Maximus's wife and children, just like those of Macduff, were unjustly murdered. I hope to reach the pictured level of badassery.
Official Spring Break Post
Life at the homestead has been pretty relaxing. The five main elements of my stay have been my quantum physics book, reading the script, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, eating, sleeping, and a book on libertarianism.
Oh yeah, I wrote this sweet riff on guitar yesterday.
I'm happy with the role assignments. This gives me my chance to reclaim my role in 6th grade as the heroic slayer of Macbeth, hopefully with a thrilling fight sequence. Or, more accurately, my role as a witch as Macduff.
Albums I have listened to so far this break:
"Amnesiac" - Radiohead
"The Red Album" - Baroness
"The Always Open Mouth" - Fear Before The Of Flames
"Law" - Cougar
"Kezia" - Protest The Hero
"Leviathan" - Mastodon
"Panopticon" - Isis
"Music Has The Right To Children" - Boards Of Canada
"A Celebration Of Guilt" - Arsis
"Void" - Intronaut
"Sol Eye Sea I" - Irepress
"Panopticon" - Isis
I had a dream it was Pain Day at Brown. Everyone was beating on a guy who crashed his bicycle after careening down the steps of a larger Barus & Holley 166. I only mention it because Mat joined in on the beatdown.
Oh yeah, I wrote this sweet riff on guitar yesterday.
I'm happy with the role assignments. This gives me my chance to reclaim my role in 6th grade as the heroic slayer of Macbeth, hopefully with a thrilling fight sequence. Or, more accurately, my role as a witch as Macduff.
Albums I have listened to so far this break:
"Amnesiac" - Radiohead
"The Red Album" - Baroness
"The Always Open Mouth" - Fear Before The Of Flames
"Law" - Cougar
"Kezia" - Protest The Hero
"Leviathan" - Mastodon
"Panopticon" - Isis
"Music Has The Right To Children" - Boards Of Canada
"A Celebration Of Guilt" - Arsis
"Void" - Intronaut
"Sol Eye Sea I" - Irepress
"Panopticon" - Isis
I had a dream it was Pain Day at Brown. Everyone was beating on a guy who crashed his bicycle after careening down the steps of a larger Barus & Holley 166. I only mention it because Mat joined in on the beatdown.
Mat Without the Second T
Mat, I was wrong saying Mat McBriar was Scandinavian. In fact, I was off by most of the world. He's from Australia. They must put something in the water down there in Australia because they can uniformly kick ass with their kicking foots. Is the solitary T thing a family name, or do you just like being a shade different? HAVE to be so unique, don't you???
No one see the movie Duplicity that's in theaters right now. It stars the two red hot movie stars from that youtube scene I posted the other day (Clive and Julia), yet someone forgot to tell them they were supposed to be sexually electric together this time around. I don't go to Clive Owen/Julia Roberts movies to see them be coy, alright!! I want some sex, for the love of God!
I'm also sick and tired of hearing about LeAnn Rimes (whoever the hell she is) cheating on her damn husband. It's on every station and every magazine, and I hear about it every hour!! Can someone tell me who this woman is and why her illicit sex is something that warrants national attention? Even my mom (a fucking fifty-five year old lawyer) couldn't stop talking about it. Sick consumer culture we live in.
Spring break is weak. It's actually dull enough that I'm noticing as I type this that "break" and "weak" look the same but are pronounced differently. That pisses me off. Yesterday, Aubs and I spent like twenty minutes lamenting how the spelling of the word "one" makes no sense. What a bogus language; Shakespeare should have picked a more intelligible tongue.
Haha. Yeah, fuck spring break. All things being equal, I'd rather be in Providence.
Yayy, I have an identity now.
Thanks Arik for posting the who's who. Now I can start memorizing. After I finish my physics homework *bursts into tears...*
Ensemble Acting at its Finest
I felt the urge to post this when I saw it on youtube for two reasons. Because it reminds me of the lady macbeth/macbeth dynamic somewhat, in the way they threaten each other and push each other away. Second, because the movie this is from, CLOSER (based on a play), is one of the best examples of ensemble acting in recent years. We should watch a movie like it together, come to think of it, to observe great actors playing off of each other.
Ok, Natalie Portman is not a great actor, but she fits her role in the movie fine. Meanwhile, she's not in this scene -- it's Julia Roberts and Clive Owen going straight at each other with sexual threats and taunts. NOTE ** the language is extremely, unbelievably vulgar. It all serves a purpose, but if the words "whore," "fuck," "bitch," "cum" and "suck" aren't your cup of tea, don't watch the scene. I'm sure there's even worse words I'm not recalling...
Witch Fun
I remembered the other day that last semester when the chorus did Dido and Aeneas, I looked up some of the witch's scenes on youtube and found this gem:
For those of you who don't know the opera, the sorceress explains her plan to destroy Dido and Aeneas's love and then her witches do a dance and two have a duet. But this...is a "technopera" and so instead of a little orchestra bit we have modern dance and crazy lights and costumes. Sometimes the way they move is interesting...but a lot of the time it's just hilarious. I thought you all might be amused by witchy interpretations from a different show. If you have time, look at the Sorceress sing(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4k5E_Nwj6c&feature=channel_page), which is also funny because they're trying desperately to mix techno backgrounds with classical singing.
There comes a point in all productions when I start thinking up ridiculous hair and makeup for my character. It's inevitable. And then a couple days later I realise how weird the ideas are. So the other day I was watching Elizabeth (for the umpteenth time) and playing far too much Rock Band with my sisters, and so I started thinking about pure white makeup with a lot of emphasis on the eyes and a large mass of dreadlocks. Don't worry, Arik, you won't have to talk me out of it, I'm fully aware how silly it sounds now. But I am curious- do you have any ideas concerning costumes and the like, yet? (I know there was a mention of silver spandex for witches at the very beginning)
For those of you who don't know the opera, the sorceress explains her plan to destroy Dido and Aeneas's love and then her witches do a dance and two have a duet. But this...is a "technopera" and so instead of a little orchestra bit we have modern dance and crazy lights and costumes. Sometimes the way they move is interesting...but a lot of the time it's just hilarious. I thought you all might be amused by witchy interpretations from a different show. If you have time, look at the Sorceress sing(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4k5E_Nwj6c&feature=channel_page), which is also funny because they're trying desperately to mix techno backgrounds with classical singing.
There comes a point in all productions when I start thinking up ridiculous hair and makeup for my character. It's inevitable. And then a couple days later I realise how weird the ideas are. So the other day I was watching Elizabeth (for the umpteenth time) and playing far too much Rock Band with my sisters, and so I started thinking about pure white makeup with a lot of emphasis on the eyes and a large mass of dreadlocks. Don't worry, Arik, you won't have to talk me out of it, I'm fully aware how silly it sounds now. But I am curious- do you have any ideas concerning costumes and the like, yet? (I know there was a mention of silver spandex for witches at the very beginning)
Apartment
I see all the cast members are really knocking down the doors of this blog with their posts. I can see how important this show and this ensemble is to some of us. Maybe we need snappier headlines...
Alright, try this on for size. As a number of you know, I live in an apartment with my lovely girlfriend Aubrey over yonder in the PW vicinity. It's a nice large place that's real good for having people over (everyone seems to want to meet at our place since we moved in...), and the two of us were thinking why not have the cast come over to hang out some day -- like a Saturday or something when we're not drained from rehearsal.
We're on the second floor of a most-shittily insulated building, so I think loud music/dance party type of thing would not be welcomed by my downstairs neighbors. To say nothing about the fact that I hate those kinds of parties anyway, and even more when they're at my place so I can't leave when I want. If, however, people want to meet in a slightly quieter and more relaxed capacity (I don't use "chill" as an adjective on general principle, but you get the idea), then I think it'd be a cool place to go.
Of course, since Aubrey's not in the cast, this wouldn't be cast exclusive, but, as close to you all as I do feel, I'm not prepared to excommunicate my lady for you...
Not that any of us ever comment on posts, but what do people think of this idea?
'Allo!
Oh...oh, hello. I didn't see you there. *puts down book in grandfatherly fashion and looks at the cast*.
I'm Kevin, the fight choreographer. I hope you're all having a lovely break. I wanted to let you know that I've now confirmed we're going to be working with fencing sabers for our weapons. Now, if you are familiar with these weapons, you might think to yourself "But Macbeth is about brutality! Strength! Vicious combat! Such flimsy weapons of the Renaissance Dandy could never do!"
...*This is where you either say "Yes! I was thinking that!" or "I was not familiar with them! But tell me more!". I'll give you a minute to do so*
Well, you would be correct. I'm spending part of break coming up with an unusual bastardization of traditional rapier technique that will make the fighting far more Macbeth-like. So be prepared for something a little weird. From when I talked to Arik, it sounds like we're going to start weapons training the moment we get back from break, which I'm most looking forward to!
So anyway, *shuffles feet awkwardly* that's me. If you have any ideas about fight scenes, or have things you want to communicate about your character through the battle, let me know. Also, if you have any questions about safety, technique, what we'll be doing, or how to break a man's neck in one smooth motion, I can also answer all of those.
I'm Kevin, the fight choreographer. I hope you're all having a lovely break. I wanted to let you know that I've now confirmed we're going to be working with fencing sabers for our weapons. Now, if you are familiar with these weapons, you might think to yourself "But Macbeth is about brutality! Strength! Vicious combat! Such flimsy weapons of the Renaissance Dandy could never do!"
...*This is where you either say "Yes! I was thinking that!" or "I was not familiar with them! But tell me more!". I'll give you a minute to do so*
Well, you would be correct. I'm spending part of break coming up with an unusual bastardization of traditional rapier technique that will make the fighting far more Macbeth-like. So be prepared for something a little weird. From when I talked to Arik, it sounds like we're going to start weapons training the moment we get back from break, which I'm most looking forward to!
So anyway, *shuffles feet awkwardly* that's me. If you have any ideas about fight scenes, or have things you want to communicate about your character through the battle, let me know. Also, if you have any questions about safety, technique, what we'll be doing, or how to break a man's neck in one smooth motion, I can also answer all of those.
Grotesque Misspelling of "Dramaturg"
...which is, in itself, a shortening of an altogether silly word anyway. However, at the evidence of the right toolbar, Emily is now a "dramatrug," which sounds like a theater school dropout's sailboat's name.
March 20 -- 7:07 AM
Rising early to study for a sadistically scheduled midterm. Rehearsal last night was happening; maybe we shouldn't tell the witches that we gave them one day off a week so we could laugh at them mercilessly and mock their very existences. Oops, just told them.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are very twisted psychological cases, and I don't know how well I'm gonna sleep while I have to live with this character. Good thing I'm not a method actor. If you'd cast Daniel Day-Lewis, there'd be dead bodies turning up all over the place so he could "understand what it's like to have killed someone."
-Nick
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are very twisted psychological cases, and I don't know how well I'm gonna sleep while I have to live with this character. Good thing I'm not a method actor. If you'd cast Daniel Day-Lewis, there'd be dead bodies turning up all over the place so he could "understand what it's like to have killed someone."
-Nick
Mat's Posts/Late-night Rants 3/20
March 20th, 2:38 AM
W00t. Officially the day I go home. Just wanted to say I hope everyone has a great spring break! And good luck learning the lines which we don't know about yet...*cough*Arik*cough*
W00t. Officially the day I go home. Just wanted to say I hope everyone has a great spring break! And good luck learning the lines which we don't know about yet...*cough*Arik*cough*
Emily 3/20
March 20, 2009
Because I can't get enough of fun images, here is another. This is a depiction of the Whirlwind Lovers from Dante's Inferno. The artist is William Blake (that crazy motherfucker with paintbrush). The scene shows the Second Circle of Hell, where all the lustful lovers swirl in an endless tempest. Blake depicts the windful souls gusting through ethereal streams. It's beautiful, and once again touches upon that connection that we're beginning to establish in our work. Their bodies spin together, wrapped about each other in endless movement. I always thought they got off fairly easy. Though in an neverending spiral, the lovers remain united in their punishment.
And pity, like naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubim, horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind...
(Act II Scene VII)
Anon!
Ha, ditto on the knee bruises Mat. Sorry I had to slip out early last night everyone! I thought that was a great rehearsal- especially that last piece we all did together. It suddenly dawned on me that the opening scene is probably going to be fantastically creepy. As for games, I've been a big fan of sound and motion, and think that using words instead of sounds worked out really well (Emma's whispering was stellar, by the way, and really did a good job of showing that getting progressively more quiet can be as striking as getting progressively louder). Vampire and Big Booty ...or should I say, MacDuffy... are always a blast. Once I get coordinated enough I'd like to bust out Mat's crazy dance moves in the middle of it. Hope everyone has a fabulous break wherever you're headed!
Emily 3/19
March 19, 2009
The Temptation of St. Anthony By Salvador DaliRecently, I've been thinking a lot about demons. Not in a satanic ritual kind of way, mind you. Yet they keep on popping up everywhere it seems. In my early modern history class, we've been discussing the fine line between the natural and supernatural in the mind of an sixteenth century person. In between these two points lies the idea of preternatural, that which stretches the boundaries of natural law. This includes angels, demons, and yes indeed, witches. These individuals twist and manipulate the elements, throwing the natural order off-balance without necessarily defying it. They remain part of the natural world. According to Thomas Aquinas and various other philosophers, God alone can break nature's laws. Therefore witches and demons can not perform miracles but rather produce "wonders" using their intelligence and power to create something extraordinary.
I've also been looking at images of The Temptation of St. Anthony. St. Anthony is a third century hermit, who lived as an ascetic in the Egyptian desert. While hiding in a cave, a pack of demons came to plague him with images of sin and torment. This temptation has been represented in art throughout history. The demons' mockery of Anthony reminds me a lot of the dynamic we've been creating between the witches and the Macbeth clan, a whirlwind of creatures twisting around these poor mortals. Here are some more pictures, in addition to the one by Salvador Dali at the beginning. Click the image to enlarge.
L: Martin Schongauer, 1470's R: H. Bosch, 1505
Olivia post 3/19
MARCH 19-
I finally have time to sit down and type the lines I memorised:
Scene 5-
"Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full of the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way"
"Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here; and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty!"
"To beguile the time, look like the time; Bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under't"
Scene 6- (I only have two)
"All our service in every point twice done, and then done double, were poor and single business to contend against those honours deep and broad wherewith your majesty loads our house: for those of old and the late dignities heap'd up to them, we rest your hermits"
"Your servants ever have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in compt, to make their audit at your highness' pleasure, still to return your own"
Scene 7-
"Was the hope drunk wherein you dress'd yourself?"
"I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plunk'd my nipple from his boneless gums, and dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this!"
"But screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not fail"
I finally have time to sit down and type the lines I memorised:
Scene 5-
"Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full of the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way"
"Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here; and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty!"
"To beguile the time, look like the time; Bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under't"
Scene 6- (I only have two)
"All our service in every point twice done, and then done double, were poor and single business to contend against those honours deep and broad wherewith your majesty loads our house: for those of old and the late dignities heap'd up to them, we rest your hermits"
"Your servants ever have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in compt, to make their audit at your highness' pleasure, still to return your own"
Scene 7-
"Was the hope drunk wherein you dress'd yourself?"
"I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plunk'd my nipple from his boneless gums, and dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this!"
"But screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not fail"
March 18th, 2009
Congrats to the Witches today, who had an amazing rehearsal. We started out with a game of Macduffy (Today's words: spot, knocking, paddock, anon, insane) and then went into impulse dancing. We partnered up, working with points of contacts for a while, and then moved on to discuss important characters in the play, with particular attention to Act 5. It was generally agreed that the important characters were Duncan, Banquo, Macduff, Lady Macduff and her son, Malcolm, and Ross. Those not as important were Hecate, Lennox, Donalbain, and the Siwards. In order to fully categorize the characters, we have to know what our agenda is for the play, so think about that.
We then started work on lines from each of the scenes in the play (though we skipped some), composing dances and often incorporating a line from the text: They went:
* Act I, Scene 1: Blood--Death, Cleansing, Reward -- "Hail, brave friend"
* Act I, Scene 2: Darkness--Discovery, Confidence, Gift -- "To betray's in deepest consequence"
* Act I, Scene 4: "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face"--Delivery, Concealment, Bounty -- "There if I grow/The harvest is your own."
* Act II, Scene 1/3: Sleep--Doubt, Persuasion, Bravery, Fuck It! (antonym for hesitation), Murder -- Jen used the word urine, Mat used the words "a friend", Harry used the word bosom, Emma used the word horror, Quyen used the word building
* Act III, Scene 4: The Serpent--Struggle, Resurrection, Conviction --no text was used, but it was done to the song "Only the Good Die Young" -- Harry was the serpent, Quyen was a mouse, Emma was a tiger, and Mat was a rhinoceros
We did the creature exercise, using text for sounds. It started with pairs, as is typical of the game. It was then built into threes, with people rotating, and finally climaxed in all five witches performing at the same time, which was incredible to watch. Everyone got really into it, and that could be what the beginning of the show looks like.
For Act IV, Scene 1, we worked with the line "Be bloody, bold, and resolute", with one person standing in the center and the other three around them. The three people said the line, and the person in the middle reacted to them, pulling apart and contracting. This led to my favorite line of the night, when Arik said "And we just killed Harry without physical violence, which is cool." For Act IV, Scene 2, the witches performed another composition, with Emma as a mother and the text "Poor bird", Mat as a son with the text "Who must hang them?", Harry as a silent murderer, and Quyen as evil with the text "Know not what we fear".
The last thing we did was to create a (somewhat skewed) battle. For those who weren't there, it involved scarves used as deadly weapons, pushing chairs into a castle, and Harry hiding behind a desk. The rules might need to be refined, but it was a good time.
So this was the witches' last rehearsal before spring vacation, and it was a great way to finish. Tomorrow, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are called at 6:30. We will be meeting in TF Green 112, and will head over to swing at 9:00. Remember to bring the lines you memorized. See you then!
~Carolyn
----
Comments from Arik: Beautiful work today. We found a couple of really nice connections between people. Pictures will be up soon. I will also soon post a new working copy of the script.
We then started work on lines from each of the scenes in the play (though we skipped some), composing dances and often incorporating a line from the text: They went:
* Act I, Scene 1: Blood--Death, Cleansing, Reward -- "Hail, brave friend"
* Act I, Scene 2: Darkness--Discovery, Confidence, Gift -- "To betray's in deepest consequence"
* Act I, Scene 4: "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face"--Delivery, Concealment, Bounty -- "There if I grow/The harvest is your own."
* Act II, Scene 1/3: Sleep--Doubt, Persuasion, Bravery, Fuck It! (antonym for hesitation), Murder -- Jen used the word urine, Mat used the words "a friend", Harry used the word bosom, Emma used the word horror, Quyen used the word building
* Act III, Scene 4: The Serpent--Struggle, Resurrection, Conviction --no text was used, but it was done to the song "Only the Good Die Young" -- Harry was the serpent, Quyen was a mouse, Emma was a tiger, and Mat was a rhinoceros
We did the creature exercise, using text for sounds. It started with pairs, as is typical of the game. It was then built into threes, with people rotating, and finally climaxed in all five witches performing at the same time, which was incredible to watch. Everyone got really into it, and that could be what the beginning of the show looks like.
For Act IV, Scene 1, we worked with the line "Be bloody, bold, and resolute", with one person standing in the center and the other three around them. The three people said the line, and the person in the middle reacted to them, pulling apart and contracting. This led to my favorite line of the night, when Arik said "And we just killed Harry without physical violence, which is cool." For Act IV, Scene 2, the witches performed another composition, with Emma as a mother and the text "Poor bird", Mat as a son with the text "Who must hang them?", Harry as a silent murderer, and Quyen as evil with the text "Know not what we fear".
The last thing we did was to create a (somewhat skewed) battle. For those who weren't there, it involved scarves used as deadly weapons, pushing chairs into a castle, and Harry hiding behind a desk. The rules might need to be refined, but it was a good time.
So this was the witches' last rehearsal before spring vacation, and it was a great way to finish. Tomorrow, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are called at 6:30. We will be meeting in TF Green 112, and will head over to swing at 9:00. Remember to bring the lines you memorized. See you then!
~Carolyn
----
Comments from Arik: Beautiful work today. We found a couple of really nice connections between people. Pictures will be up soon. I will also soon post a new working copy of the script.
Harry's Posts
3/18/09
My lines for 3/17 were....
Scene II
pg. 3 DUNCAN: So well they words become thee as thy wounds.
pg. 4 ROSS: Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky and fan our people cold.
Scene III
pg. 8 BANQUO: Or have we eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner?
pg. 9 BANQUO: What, can the devil speak true?
Scene IV
pg. 12 MALCOLM: Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it.
pg. 12 DUNCAN: More is thy due than more than all can pay.
Scene VI
pg. 17 DUNCAN: The air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself unto our gentle senses.
pg. 18 DUNCAN: And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp him to his home before us.
Is that last "holp" actually supposed to be "help" in the script?
My lines for 3/17 were....
Scene II
pg. 3 DUNCAN: So well they words become thee as thy wounds.
pg. 4 ROSS: Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky and fan our people cold.
Scene III
pg. 8 BANQUO: Or have we eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner?
pg. 9 BANQUO: What, can the devil speak true?
Scene IV
pg. 12 MALCOLM: Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it.
pg. 12 DUNCAN: More is thy due than more than all can pay.
Scene VI
pg. 17 DUNCAN: The air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself unto our gentle senses.
pg. 18 DUNCAN: And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp him to his home before us.
Is that last "holp" actually supposed to be "help" in the script?
Mat's Posts/Late-night Rants
March 18th, 1:39 AM (Brazilian Time)
Yayyy...blogging. whooopie. Now everyone on the world-wide-interweb can know how much this lab report sucks. and my knees are still KILLING me from the farm bit in rehearsal yesterday.
Yayyy...blogging. whooopie. Now everyone on the world-wide-interweb can know how much this lab report sucks. and my knees are still KILLING me from the farm bit in rehearsal yesterday.
Games
Hey Cast! Please leave a comment with some of your favorite games/exercises that we've done. Please make note of if it was just fun, or if you found it useful in some way. How was it fun or useful?
Some things we've done:
Vampire
Sound and Motion (Creature/Monster) - also adding text
Big Booty (McDuffy)
Animal Environments (the Jungle/Kelp Forest, the Farm)
Three Chair Track (with the vocab of sit, walk, turn around, raise hand)
Impulse (letting the physical impulse guide you)
Energy Transfer (a point of energy guides you and then someone else takes it from you)
Three Steps
I made up the names to half of those... if you have alternate names, feel free to share those! I'm also sure I'm forgetting some.
-Arik
Some things we've done:
Vampire
Sound and Motion (Creature/Monster) - also adding text
Big Booty (McDuffy)
Animal Environments (the Jungle/Kelp Forest, the Farm)
Three Chair Track (with the vocab of sit, walk, turn around, raise hand)
Impulse (letting the physical impulse guide you)
Energy Transfer (a point of energy guides you and then someone else takes it from you)
Three Steps
I made up the names to half of those... if you have alternate names, feel free to share those! I'm also sure I'm forgetting some.
-Arik
Moments
Hey Carolyn, can you post a list of those moments that are dispersed through the rehearsal reports? I'll that picture i took today... eventually...
Emily's Posts
March 17 2009
Hey everyone. Here some things I noticed in rehearsal today.-Nick/Olivia balboa with everyone else doubling up and dancing around-possible opening? banquet scene?
-competition developing between Nick and Mat in Big Booty- pretty
intense, guys; Mat needs to channel that shit into the play, and Nick thrives off of competition (don't pretend to deny it).
-McDuffy= Blood, Heath, Wounds, Drunk, Choke, Betray- I liked the
moment at the end when the pace was sped up by Nick.
-hilariously wonderful spoon party and mocking loveliness
Cool word combos I was playing with/ noticed:
-Cling together and choke
-doubtful swimmers
-choking the words
-cling to the art of wounds
-heath blood
Olivia's Posts
I was reading The Tain today for a class. It's the oldest piece of Irish literature. I actually see a few similarities between customs mentioned in the book and things in the play (for instance we talked in class about how there's a character Mac Roth (whose name is not too far away from our messenger, Ross) who announces the oncoming army in much the same language and in the same style as the Messenger announces the coming of Birnam Wood. But anyway, one of the main characters, Medb, is a powerful queen character married to Ailill. When a huge army comes to join their army, Medb says she doesn't want the new troop to come with them to help them fight the enemy, because the other troop would get all the glory. So then the couple have the following conversation:
"'Let them stay, then,' Ailill said.
'They can't stay,' Medb said. 'They would only come and seize our lands when we are gone.'
'Well, what are we going to do with them,' Ailill said, 'if they can neither stay nor come?'
'Kill them,' Medb said.
'That is a woman's thinking and no mistake!' Ailill said. 'A wicked thing to say.'
Oddly reminiscent of both "Bear men-children only" and "unsex me here" but in an extremely twisted-gender-roles-turned-on-their-head-way.
-March 15
"'Let them stay, then,' Ailill said.
'They can't stay,' Medb said. 'They would only come and seize our lands when we are gone.'
'Well, what are we going to do with them,' Ailill said, 'if they can neither stay nor come?'
'Kill them,' Medb said.
'That is a woman's thinking and no mistake!' Ailill said. 'A wicked thing to say.'
Oddly reminiscent of both "Bear men-children only" and "unsex me here" but in an extremely twisted-gender-roles-turned-on-their-head-way.
-March 15
Nick's Posts
March 17
March 17th, 2009
Just a heads up, someone left their script in List 110. I have it, and I can give it back to them, but for the next rehersal they should use the link to the script posted on the blog. You don't have to print it out, just study it. Everyone, remember to bring you scripts tomorrow. The Witches are called from 7 to 11. Remember to think about important characters to keep in the final production. We will be meeting in Barus and Holley 153.
Sorry I couldn't be here for the first part of the rehearsal. From what I understand, you guys continued playing the monster game, except with text added in. According to Arik, there was a *special moment* in thie middle, which he felt looked like the opening to the show. So good job. When I arrived, everyone was taking turns responding to impulses in their body while the others looked on. The important thing to remember from this exercise is to let one part of your body influence the rest, instead of just moving in isolation. The exercise was repeated to music, and then partners were added in. Eventually, the whole group joined in, which led to another *special moment*: the moving spoon/conga line. Arik tried to take a picture, but you guys moved on before he could get to it. He is planning on bringing a camera next time, but if anyone else wants to bring anything to document the rehearsals and post for the blog, feel free.
This exercise was followed by a roudy game of Macduffy. For those of you who weren't there, we started out playing Big Bootie but Shakespearified it: Instead of Big Bootie, you say "Macduffy", and instead of numbers, you choose a word from the text. In this case, the words were blood, heath, wounds, drunk, choke, and betray. Keep on thinking of words to use; they work best if they are one or two syllables. Finally, we ended with a game of word choice. The words chosen were prithee, hostess, betray, servants, heath, and wound.
Great job today everybody. Remember: only the Witches are called for tomorrow, in B&H 153. Bring your scripts. See you then!
~Carolyn
----
Comments from Arik: We also did some swing dancing surrounded by that Impulse thing. It was hot. We also let the witches manipulate the bodies of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This was post Mcduffy and pre word choice. Also, Hannah worked with Nick and Olivia using the "All For" exercise. They also talked about beats.
In other news: BACK YOU YOUR DATA! THE CURSE HAS MOVED TO TECHNOLOGY!!! Members of the cast and crew have recently had some computer issues. We have decided it is because of the curse. Best of luck to us all.
Sorry I couldn't be here for the first part of the rehearsal. From what I understand, you guys continued playing the monster game, except with text added in. According to Arik, there was a *special moment* in thie middle, which he felt looked like the opening to the show. So good job. When I arrived, everyone was taking turns responding to impulses in their body while the others looked on. The important thing to remember from this exercise is to let one part of your body influence the rest, instead of just moving in isolation. The exercise was repeated to music, and then partners were added in. Eventually, the whole group joined in, which led to another *special moment*: the moving spoon/conga line. Arik tried to take a picture, but you guys moved on before he could get to it. He is planning on bringing a camera next time, but if anyone else wants to bring anything to document the rehearsals and post for the blog, feel free.
This exercise was followed by a roudy game of Macduffy. For those of you who weren't there, we started out playing Big Bootie but Shakespearified it: Instead of Big Bootie, you say "Macduffy", and instead of numbers, you choose a word from the text. In this case, the words were blood, heath, wounds, drunk, choke, and betray. Keep on thinking of words to use; they work best if they are one or two syllables. Finally, we ended with a game of word choice. The words chosen were prithee, hostess, betray, servants, heath, and wound.
Great job today everybody. Remember: only the Witches are called for tomorrow, in B&H 153. Bring your scripts. See you then!
~Carolyn
----
Comments from Arik: We also did some swing dancing surrounded by that Impulse thing. It was hot. We also let the witches manipulate the bodies of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This was post Mcduffy and pre word choice. Also, Hannah worked with Nick and Olivia using the "All For" exercise. They also talked about beats.
In other news: BACK YOU YOUR DATA! THE CURSE HAS MOVED TO TECHNOLOGY!!! Members of the cast and crew have recently had some computer issues. We have decided it is because of the curse. Best of luck to us all.
March 16th, 2009
Happy St. Patrick's Day! It is past midnight, so I can say that.
First off, a reminder that tomorrow's rehearsal will start at 8 in List 110. I can't come until later, and Hannah and Arik might be a little late as they have class right before, so when you get there just start warming up. Remember to bring the lines you memorized from the scenes in Act I. Witches, you are responsible for memorizing two lines from scenes 2, 3, 4, and 6. Macbeth, two lines from scenes 3-7, excluding 6. Lady Macbeth, three lines from scenes 5 to 7.
Today was another exciting day of movement and games. It was honestly amazing to watch. The first game was monster, followed by Three Steps In, Three Steps Out. Today we started working with our inner animals, which brings me to a special moment: Harry's snipping. (By the way, if you can think of a better name for these moments than just "special moments" feel free to suggest it to me). We then divided into groups to work on the Chair game, which involved another special moment: Mat's hand movement at the end of the sequence involving animals. We then worked on emphasizing different centers of the body, and followed that exercise by the one I have dubbed AAEZ: Animals in an Ambiguous Ecological Zone. I don't know if our "forest" really fit any realistic environmental description.
Then we moved on to the Barnyard scene. The first time, each person acted out a different animal, responding to text as it was read allowed. The second time was even cooler, involving a Nazi turtle and a pig-obsessed worm. Each person was assigned an animal and an objective and the scene that ensued was hilarious, and sometimes sad. Kudos to everyone. Special moment: Harry, as a porcupine, stabbing Jen with his spikes by purposefully falling on top of her. My favorite quote of the day came during the discussion, when Nick said, "It must be murder, being a suicidal earthworm."
We finished up the day with the Word Circle. The words used today were: screw, filthy, tyrant, murdering, man, secret, and tap. Hope those help.
Thanks so much for another great reherasal and see you tomorrow!
Carolyn
First off, a reminder that tomorrow's rehearsal will start at 8 in List 110. I can't come until later, and Hannah and Arik might be a little late as they have class right before, so when you get there just start warming up. Remember to bring the lines you memorized from the scenes in Act I. Witches, you are responsible for memorizing two lines from scenes 2, 3, 4, and 6. Macbeth, two lines from scenes 3-7, excluding 6. Lady Macbeth, three lines from scenes 5 to 7.
Today was another exciting day of movement and games. It was honestly amazing to watch. The first game was monster, followed by Three Steps In, Three Steps Out. Today we started working with our inner animals, which brings me to a special moment: Harry's snipping. (By the way, if you can think of a better name for these moments than just "special moments" feel free to suggest it to me). We then divided into groups to work on the Chair game, which involved another special moment: Mat's hand movement at the end of the sequence involving animals. We then worked on emphasizing different centers of the body, and followed that exercise by the one I have dubbed AAEZ: Animals in an Ambiguous Ecological Zone. I don't know if our "forest" really fit any realistic environmental description.
Then we moved on to the Barnyard scene. The first time, each person acted out a different animal, responding to text as it was read allowed. The second time was even cooler, involving a Nazi turtle and a pig-obsessed worm. Each person was assigned an animal and an objective and the scene that ensued was hilarious, and sometimes sad. Kudos to everyone. Special moment: Harry, as a porcupine, stabbing Jen with his spikes by purposefully falling on top of her. My favorite quote of the day came during the discussion, when Nick said, "It must be murder, being a suicidal earthworm."
We finished up the day with the Word Circle. The words used today were: screw, filthy, tyrant, murdering, man, secret, and tap. Hope those help.
Thanks so much for another great reherasal and see you tomorrow!
Carolyn
March 15th, 2009
So today we continued with movement exercises, starting with the now classic vampire game. We moved on to monster instincts, and then worked on the grid. Focusing on time and later space, we explored the line "I have given suck" and then worked with just the word "have". And then it was Hannah time! We practiced walking through space, focusing on the different areas of the body and how adjusting their position affected the way we walk. Then we moved on to a game called Word Choice. I wrote down the words people chose (taken from the text). So you can remember them, here they are:
Raven; Hurly burly; Beast; Prick; Conceal; Scorpion; Unsex; Treacherous; Rip; Monster; Tick; Thumb
Hope that helps jog some memory. Remember for the next rehearsal, we will meet in Wilson 106 and hopefully move on to a better location. Scripts are needed. And, obviously, I am now available by email as well as text. Have a good rest of the evening!
~Carolyn
Raven; Hurly burly; Beast; Prick; Conceal; Scorpion; Unsex; Treacherous; Rip; Monster; Tick; Thumb
Hope that helps jog some memory. Remember for the next rehearsal, we will meet in Wilson 106 and hopefully move on to a better location. Scripts are needed. And, obviously, I am now available by email as well as text. Have a good rest of the evening!
~Carolyn
March 13th, 2009
Awesome job at our first non-read through rehearsal! Sorry for those of you who couldn't be there, but hopefully we will see you tomorrow. THe next rehearsal is Sunday at 2 o'clock. We're meeting in the TF Green lobby, and you won't need your scripts.
What you do need to do for the next rehearsal, however, is find three lines of the text that you find particularly powerful and email me with the lines and page numbers. Also, find an image from the text and bring it in. We now also have the finalized rehearsal schedule, which, thanks to Arik, is posted on the blog, so you can check it out there.
Yesterday's rehearsal was pretty fun, if I do say so myself. We practiced in a room in TF Green, just getting acquainted with moving through space and reacting to each other. We played the Vampire Game (those of you who were in the second call back group should remember it), Monster, and did a Sound Symphony, as well as worked on the Grid with movement, space, and time. One thing to point out that we discussed yesterday is that if you ever feel a moment was particularly powerful, or an activity particularly useful, let me know so I can record it. This time it was Nick's crazy person laugh in the middle of Monster.
So have a nice Saturday, and find those lines in the text. I'll see you tomorrow, and, as always, you can email me, Hannah, or Arik with any questions.
Thanks,
Carolyn
----
Comments from Arik: Monster is also called "Sound and Motion" or at least according to John Emigh it is...
What you do need to do for the next rehearsal, however, is find three lines of the text that you find particularly powerful and email me with the lines and page numbers. Also, find an image from the text and bring it in. We now also have the finalized rehearsal schedule, which, thanks to Arik, is posted on the blog, so you can check it out there.
Yesterday's rehearsal was pretty fun, if I do say so myself. We practiced in a room in TF Green, just getting acquainted with moving through space and reacting to each other. We played the Vampire Game (those of you who were in the second call back group should remember it), Monster, and did a Sound Symphony, as well as worked on the Grid with movement, space, and time. One thing to point out that we discussed yesterday is that if you ever feel a moment was particularly powerful, or an activity particularly useful, let me know so I can record it. This time it was Nick's crazy person laugh in the middle of Monster.
So have a nice Saturday, and find those lines in the text. I'll see you tomorrow, and, as always, you can email me, Hannah, or Arik with any questions.
Thanks,
Carolyn
----
Comments from Arik: Monster is also called "Sound and Motion" or at least according to John Emigh it is...
March 12th, 2009
Nick, Oliva and I went to Swing and learned Balboa basic. We all have the basic step down. Just gotta work on making foot movements slower.
-Arik
-Arik
The Cast
Macbeth
Nick Schoenfeld
Lady Macbeth
Olivia Harding
Witches
Emma Brown
Jen Fallon
Harry Mickalide
Quyen Ngo
Mathew Reiss
Nick Schoenfeld
Lady Macbeth
Olivia Harding
Witches
Emma Brown
Jen Fallon
Harry Mickalide
Quyen Ngo
Mathew Reiss
March 11th, 2009
So, for this rehearsal, we handed out scripts, discussed the concept of the show and read through the first four acts, discussing possible interpretations of the characters along the way. Basically, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth exist in a dream world where they are manipulated by witches. For our rehearsal process, we're going to be using lots of different sources, not just the text (remember the smashed up/pushed over cake illustration). These sources can be posted on the super awesome blog that we have: http://sotgmacbeth.blogspot.com/! Feel free to find sources in movies, music, images, whatever!
Anyways, the rehearsal schedule is as follows (Note: if you listed a conflict, you are not called for the hours you wrote down):
Monday: Witches and Macbeth called, Lady Macbeth later on--ensemble work with the Witches; Hannah will work with Macbeth; when Olivia arrives at 8:30, Lady Macbeth can join him
Tuesday: All called--work together
Wednesday: Witches and Macbeth called--ensemble work with the Witches; Hannah will work with Macbeth
Thursday: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth called--will work for a few hours and go to Swing; witches are NOT called
Friday: All called--work together
Saturday: No rehearsal
Sunday: Witches and Macbeth called--ensemble work with the Witches; Hannah will work with Macbeth
Who is working with whom may change slightly depending on how the rehearsals go, but these are the days you will be called on.
~Carolyn
-----
Comments from Arik: http://www.sixviewpoints.com/Theory1.html
Anyways, the rehearsal schedule is as follows (Note: if you listed a conflict, you are not called for the hours you wrote down):
Monday: Witches and Macbeth called, Lady Macbeth later on--ensemble work with the Witches; Hannah will work with Macbeth; when Olivia arrives at 8:30, Lady Macbeth can join him
Tuesday: All called--work together
Wednesday: Witches and Macbeth called--ensemble work with the Witches; Hannah will work with Macbeth
Thursday: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth called--will work for a few hours and go to Swing; witches are NOT called
Friday: All called--work together
Saturday: No rehearsal
Sunday: Witches and Macbeth called--ensemble work with the Witches; Hannah will work with Macbeth
Who is working with whom may change slightly depending on how the rehearsals go, but these are the days you will be called on.
~Carolyn
-----
Comments from Arik: http://www.sixviewpoints.com/Theory1.html
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