CHAPTER 30

Session Twenty: The Final Session

In this session: • Performance • Summary • Actor comments about the workshop

Coach: Thanks to our guests for stopping by to hear our Shakespeare. There’s been some hard work, and much of it has really paid off. Let’s begin.

I introduce each monologue as the actor comes forward. The audience is very appreciative of the work and responds enthusiastically. All monologues are recorded so that the actors can hear their final product. The growth since the first session is amazing. After the guests have departed, we try to sum up.

Coach: Now that you can make the language work, I encourage all of you to find some good scene workshops, environments where you can really concentrate on character development and character relationships. We were able to do a little of that, but it wasn’t the intent of this workshop. Our job was to bring the language under control and make it clear. Depending on where you live, and will live, I hope you can find a character-study workshop. Doing that, while not forgetting how to discover the language, is the next step in your evolution as a Shakespearean actor.

When you hear about a professional production of one of these plays, go see it. I’ve often driven a thousand miles to see a good production, and have rarely regretted it. I go to the Shakespeare festivals in the United States and in Canada, and to the shows in New York and London. I don’t ever seem to get too much of it! Perhaps some of you will develop that same enthusiasm.

Comments or reactions? Perhaps each of you would tell us one thing the workshop meant to you, or something you got out of it that might help you in your career. Would you do that?

Speak for yourselves; my wit is at an end.

LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST, V, ii

Alicia: One of the things I learned that is easily transferable to other aspects of acting is the kick-the-box activity. Also, keeping breath support throughout the line is so important to all acting, yet it is amazing how many actors don’t do it. I also thought that Shakespeare had subtext, but Shakespeare doesn’t have subtext because the lines tell you what the character is feeling. Adding a subtext that conflicts with what the lines are saying is distracting.

Amber: By developing a better feeling for scansion, I learned how to elide words and which words to stress in both verse and prose. I also have specific areas of growth to work on, long after this workshop is over.

Bridgett: I made lots of discoveries that will help me in my acting career, like supporting ends of lines and kicking the box to help me with falling inflections. I learned a lot about myself. Conquering my mental block of “Oh, crap, it’s Shakespeare” really made me realize my strengths and weaknesses as an actor. I know that if I want to do Shakespeare, I have a long way to go. But at least I know where to start.

Emily: Many of the exercises used for Shakespeare’s text can be used in contemporary texts as well, and really aid in both understanding the playwright’s intent as well as creating believability for both actor and director. I have and will continue to make use of these exercises and skills, particularly breathing and kicking the box. While they are helpful for the actor, I found all of these skills and exercises especially helpful as a director.

Bride: Aside from the skills, really putting myself in the world of Shakespeare—knowing the meaning of the language and what life was like at the time—helps me feel connected to the character. I understand and love Shakespeare. Like you, I hate bad Shakespeare. It makes me want to set fire to the stage!

Alex: Discovering the tricks of Shakespeare made me realize I didn’t need to push and “try too hard” to be real. Once I realized I could act Shakespeare realistically, it gave me more confidence with realistic contemporary works as well.

Maggie: Learning the skills it takes to understand and perform Shakespeare made me realize what you must do for any script. Whether it is contemporary or heightened language, the skills I learned for Shakespeare finally showed me how important each step is for any script and character. Now I am able to take a script and confidently break it down. When I look at my character’s dialogue, I now find important words that help me understand the character. Phrasing, playing important words, and remembering to kick the box makes every thought and action of the character necessary. Instead of picking up a script and trying to immediately “act,” I now fully analyze and take all the steps needed. Doing this will eventually create the character on its own. It isn’t until you have broken down the script and the words of your character that you can begin to make your own choices to bring that character to life.

Jerrod: After taking a Shakespeare workshop, one thing that really helped me was the application of these skills to modern plays. Working on modern scripts will be a lot easier for me now.

Coach: Thanks for your comments, and for being such good sports for my recording of the workshop. And so we end it. And there will be no mouthing of words, I pray you.

Here is the end of the charge.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, III, iii