Bard Radio 001 episode with special guest Angie Higgins (Click Here)

Please enjoy the first Shady Shakespeare Podcast. We've dubbed our creation Bard Radio and we hope you enjoy it. If you have any comments on what you'd like to hear, please feel free to leave a comment.

Show Highlights:

• Introduction
• What is Bard Radio
• What is Shady Shakespeare
• Commercial
• Theatre news
• Guest interview with Angie Higgins
• Sign off
  

The "Ups" and "Downs" of Technical Direction

In theatre, the combined endeavors of all the artists work to create a separate world outside of reality. It is a many-faceted project that involves the actors, directors, technical operators and designers. The designers strive to create the world, the technicians build the world, the operators keep the world going and the actors bring the world to life. I will be focusing on the Set Design and Construction aspect of the procedure as it relates to the Shady Shakespeare season.

The Ups:

1. Design process. Months before auditions happen, all the designers meet with the directors of the show to discuss treatment, themes, moods and precise set needs. From the initial meetings, the designers go to their drawing boards and return weeks later, with the rough drawings of what they felt accommodated the directors vision. At this point, the directors, blinded by the artistic creativity of the designers, usually say, "ooooo" and "ahhhhhh". Then reality sets in, and the changes begin. Many things can influence changes to the initial design. Functionality, mood and thematic issues and of course, budget all play a part. The next few meetings consist of hammering out these possibilities until the designs are finalized by the directors.

2. The build process. Shady has two different types of set builds. There is the superstructure, which is the two story framework, and the artistic set, which sits on the framework and creates the world the actors bring to life. Usually, both are built independently of each other. The superstructure is basically the same each year and so each piece is saved from year to year, stored and numbered. Around the middle of July, the actors and technicians are called to help erect the superstructure. It involves long, hot, dirty days of sweaty toiling....I love it! The actors are each assigned one day of set build. It not only gives many new actors a taste of what goes into set construction, but it also builds camaraderie and a proud, earnest feeling that you have helped create the world you live in. Plus, it couldn't be done without them, so lunch is provided. The superstructure serves not only as a structure to hang art on, but also forms the dressing rooms, backstage areas, lighting trusses, and costume and prop storage.

3. After the superstructure goes up, the designers / TD's (technical directors), begin to place their artistic pieces. Some of them are borrowed/rented from other theatres, some pieces are rebuilt before hand, and others (because of the stage not being level) are built on site. This is when the actors really begin to see the transformation, like watching a Caterpillar change into a butterfly...just on a much larger scale.

4. Right before opening, any touch up painting is done, and any detail work is added. The audience area is cleaned and set up. The sound and lighting operators are taught their cues, concessions are brought in, and the show opens.

The Downs:

1. Change over - Since Shady Shakespeare does two shows in Repertory fashion, and each show has its own identity and virtually its own set. Once a weekend (starting on the 3rd weekend), a predesignated crew of actors change the set from one show to the other. The set is painstakingly designed to do this. And much thought goes into how each piece will be stored and moved. The change over teams are fast, efficient, dedicated and extremely fun to work with, and once a week we change our worlds.

2. Strike is the term we use for deconstructing the set. Basically tearing everything down. Where as the "Ups" process takes months to plan and weeks to build, the "Down" process happens all in one week. And the set comes down in two days. The superstructure is packed away for another year (like an artificial christmas tree...but again, much larger). and everything else is either tossed or sent to storage. It is a joyful and sad time. It is the end of another show, it is the closure, the point when we know it is all over and time to move on to the next project. Some of the people with whom we have spent the last 4 months we will not see again, if ever, or for a long time. We become a family who love and laugh together, and the set coming down is the symbol of that all ending. Even if we are cast again in a different show, this momment has ended, this small piece of history is gone. The actors are once again called to work one of these days. As before, they are long, hot days of sweaty toiling, so lunch is provided.

In closing. I have never worked as hard as I have when building a set, literal blood and tears, go into each one. It is a long process that never seems to end...then all the sudden, as if you tossed a jigsaw puzzle into the air and all the pieces fell to earth in their exact right location, everything seems to come together, as improbable as it seems. This year both of Shady's shows deal with magic, but the magic in the plays, cannot compare to the real magic we create while building the sets and creating a world to play in.

R. Michael Price

Technical Theatre Intern

Lines, Lines, Lines

It’s the key ingredient to most theatre performances. Audiences love them; actors adore saying them, but most hate the process of memorizing. And with the complex language of Shakespeare, you have to know what you’re saying before you memorize it, which makes it a doubly difficult task. No pressure, you’re an actor right?

Some actors learn their lines through repetition. By saying the line repeatedly, they start to adhere to your mind. You can relate this to seeing your favorite movie a dozen times. After a while, you start saying the lines with your favorite character.

Others use recording devices to assist in the memorization. The way this is done is by recording all your lines on tape then playing them back. Once you have your lines down then you record the lines just before yours (called pick-up lines) and play those back. The trick to this is the stop-and-start. Hit play to hear the pick-up line and then press stop. Say your line and then hit play again. Rinse and repeat until you’ve got it down cold.

Finally you have the kinesthetic method. With this method, you learn you lines after you’ve been given your blocking. Then you use the action to help you remember the line. For those who are unfamiliar with the term blocking, I’ll explain - blocking is a stage direction give by a director to the actor. An example would be: “Timmy on your line I want you to come downstage and say it right here. Then I need you to head upstairs and say your next line.”

All three of these methods work equally well so it boils down to personal preference. “Since I’ve got my lines memorized that should be enough right?” Think again, it’s one thing to memorize Shakespeare and repeat it on stage; it’s an entirely different thing to know exactly what you’re saying and why you’re saying it. Everyone’s heard of Hamlet’s speech “To be, or not to be…” but how many really know what he’s saying and why? Ah… you see, acting is harder than it looks.

Now mix that with rehearsals three hours a night and five days a week, a Saturday fight or dance call (4 hours), a 40 hour work week, then find time to memorize your lines and you too can be an actor. “What, are you crazy?” you might ask, and the answer is yes. But with anything you love to do, you make time. And there are a lot of us that share the same passion.

Till next time…

“Bend your knees, Louise!”

(the following blog was written by the lovely Janine, who will be playing the goddess Hina in our Polynesian-themed Tempest)

We began our Polynesian dance rehearsals last week at Shady Shakespeare. We worked on the opening number at our first rehearsal. I don’t want to give too much away, but audiences will be in for a real treat as this number is guaranteed to transport them instantly to our Polynesian island. Our dances have been wonderfully choreographed by Norman Munoz. Norman has been dancing for many years – not only can he move his hips better than any dancer I’ve ever seen, he is also a font of knowledge on the Polynesian culture. Our ‘corps de hula’ is composed of some of Shady’s hardest working performers. Our opening number is based on the Maori tradition and features a storm (duh, it is The TEMPEST!), live music and chanting. Maori dance is militaristic in nature and often the dancers do not smile. We also choreograph our goddess wedding speeches. Polynesian culture and dance are steeped in story-telling and our movements help us to recount our stories. We constantly perform all of our dance steps with our knees deeply bent. (Needless to say, after our first rehearsal, my quads are in unbearable agony and climbing steps the following day is like scaling Mount Everest.)

Day two – We review our opening dance number. Did I mention that my thighs hurt? We choreograph the wedding dance. This dance is more lyrical and flirty than our first dance, but again we perform most of our moves with the knees deeply bent. People often think of moving hips when they think of Polynesian dance. What they don’t realize is that in order to get those hips a-moving, you must bend your knees. So yes, our knees are a-bending and our hips will definitely be a-moving. One unique aspect of this wedding dance is that we are also playing rocks for our accompaniment. We hold a set of river rocks in each hand and click them together like finger cymbals. This is quite a difficult task to maneuver while you are dancing, especially when your hands are upside down over your head, and I am sure that someone will drop a rock on their head one of these days. I hope it’s not me…

Day three – We review our first two dances and wedding speeches. We learn our finale number. This number is quite fun and I am sure that the audience will be thoroughly impressed. Norman is hoping to have the goddesses dance with fire as this dance will be performed after the sun has set. This dance tells the story of a one-masted ship. Norman explains that many Polynesian songs have double-meanings, much like Shakespeare. We also begin to learn the chant which will accompany our dance (boy do they use a lot of vowels!).

After three days of Polynesian dance rehearsals, all I can say is that my thighs hurt…a lot. But I am willing to endure some pain in order to dazzle our audience… And dazzled they will definitely be!

Let’s party till the tikis burn out!

On Saturday, June 9th, Shady had their annual fundraiser and the theme was the tropics. It was a great turn out with lots of Shady members and patrons. This year, there was also entertainment provided by Polynesian dancers and coconut bowling. Not that Polynesian dancers were coconut bowling but that they were dancing and we were bowling…just not at the same time.

For those of you that have gone, you know how much of a wonderful experience this is and how much it means to Shady Shakespeare. For those that haven’t, I’ll give you a brief run down.

Since this year’s theme was the tropics, everyone was given a lei when they entered. From there, you entered the banquet hall where the sound of island music called you forth. Once you reached the banquet, it was time to let loose and have a good time. There were bartenders making Mai Tais and blue Hawaiians, and the cooks were serving all the Hawaiian BBQ you could eat. After that, were the desserts and more drinks (drinks were free just in case you were wondering). During this time, you could buy raffle tickets for the great prizes offered or bid on one of the many the silent auction items.

About half way through the evening, the entertainment arrived. A local Polynesian dance troop came and performed for us. During their session, they also instructed us on a few island words and dances. The dances were very entertaining, and speaking from experience, much harder to do than they look.

Also, during the evening you could participate in other entertainment. We had coconut bowling for raffle tickets and you could also have your fortune read. Coconut bowling - another game that is much harder than it looks. Lucky for me, the reading of my fortune required no skill on my part.

Then the winners of the costume contest and the raffles were announced. In the case of the raffle, there is strength in numbers so I recommend that you buy a lot of tickets. Next were the winners of the silent auctions. There were a lot of great items on which you could bid, including a trip for 30 to a local vineyard. One of the items of which I was particularly fond turned into a bidding war between me and another Shady member. But much to my dismay, he put the last bid in during the final moments of the auction and won. Better luck next time I guess!

Once more unto the breach, dear friends…

Fight training begins again at Shady Shakespeare. Our fight master and choreographer is the incredibly gifted Larry Barrott and the weapon of choice is the broadsword. The broadsword is a heavy two-handed weapon used for slashing your opponent. If you saw last years show (Romeo & Juliet), then you experienced rapier-style sword fighting. Rapier is much faster than broadsword and flashier in its execution. The broadsword is all about brute force and stamina.

Let the inside scoop begin...

The three hour training session begins with warm-ups. During this time we stretch and prepare mentally for our training. Then the fight master instructs us on safety and how to handle the swords without injuring ourselves and others. Although the swords have been blunted, (sharp edges dulled) a four pound stick of metal can still pose a serious threat. From there we move to a brief history of the weapon and its primary use. I found it fascinating that the heavily armored knights of this period would literally pummel each other until a weakness in one’s armor was exposed. Next were the defensive (parry) stances with our sword. Then, the offensive attacks we could make with this weapon. Finally, we learned maneuvering and got to put it all together.

Once we were comfortable with the weapon we then moved into the choreography of the fight. This is where the real magic happens. Getting six combatants on stage swinging swords without killing each other is quite an accomplishment! I’m not going to give away any of the fight specifics, but I will say you will be impressed.

"Be not afraid of greatness..."

You are now reading Shady Shakespeare’s newest endeavor. Welcome to the Shady Shakespeare Blog! I’ll be your host and moderator and it will be my duty to keep those interested up to date on Shady events. In this blog, I will cover everything Shady - from Shady events to shows to news on actors, directors, and the like. Also, from time to time, I will also bring in other creative minds to write the blog. As with any blog, comments are always welcome but must be filtered for content.

And, as a follow up to this already great greatness... Shady now has a Tribe.net site. What is Tribe.net you might ask? It’s a community website where friends get together and share ideas, pictures and have discussions. With this new site, you will be able to keep track of all your favorite Shady actors, directors, costumers, set designers, and techies. You will also be able to read the forums and post comments as well. All of this is being done to keep you, our patrons, and family, up to date with the Shady experience.

Till the next blog…

J. Rutski signing off.