“My stomach hurts, I’ve been laughing too hard!”
March 18
After checking in, we spent time brainstorming a new name for our upcoming summer project. In the past, we referred to our summer work as Inside/Out, but since that’s also the title of a Pixar movie, we decided it was time for a fresh name. Some great suggestions were thrown out: “SIPISO” (pronounced “Sippy-so”), standing for Shakespeare in Prison Inside and Out, and “Shakespeare Beyond the Gate.” Ultimately, we settled on Shakespeare and Beyond—a title that reflects our goals to expand both artistically and personally through this work.
Moving forward, we turned our focus to selecting next season’s play. Ensemble members suggested several options:
Hamlet
Antony and Cleopatra
The Comedy of Errors
Julius Caesar
A Winter’s Tale
Romeo and Juliet
There was interest in both comedy and tragedy, but A Winter’s Tale stood out because of its blend of serious themes and comic relief, and its storyline of reconciliation—a meaningful theme for many of our participants who are involved in 12-step recovery programs.
After the discussion, we got on our feet with a warm-up called Crazy 8’s. One ensemble member asked to work on one of Benedick’s monologues from Much Ado About Nothing using a “drop-in” technique, a method where facilitators feed the lines to the actor and the ensemble member repeats them. She was energized by the exercise and excited to practice it again.
The group continued working on Beatrice and Benedick’s scene from Act 4, Scene 1. We explored Benedick’s decision to challenge Claudio and how Beatrice’s exit could be staged to raise the emotional stakes. We also rehearsed the comedic Dogberry scene, helping one ensemble member break down her line as the Sexton and find more dynamic stage movement. We wrapped up the evening with a game of Dr. Know-It-All—a group improv game that builds teamwork and quick thinking.
March 20
We started the session and distributed a handout summarizing several plays we’re considering for next season. Facilitator Fisher-Grant emphasized that these were brief summaries and couldn’t capture the full complexity of Shakespeare’s works.
The ensemble discussed their favorites, including strong support for Romeo and Juliet, A Winter’s Tale, and Hamlet. One ensemble member raised an important point about play length: how much would we have to cut from a longer script, and would it compromise the play’s integrity? Another member playfully begged for us to pick “Silly Hamlet”—a nickname the group uses for the idea of doing a creatively playful or exaggerated production of Hamlet. Ultimately, we agreed to wait until next week to make a final decision so that everyone would have time to review the options and participate fully in the vote.
Afterward, we shifted into rehearsal, focusing on Act V, Scene IV of Much Ado About Nothing, which we hadn’t fully blocked yet. Tejada (one of our facilitators) jumped in to read Friar Francis. Others filled in for Hero and the Messenger. The ensemble was in a playful, silly mood, grabbing prop flowers to use as veils and exaggerating their characters' actions for comedic effect. One ensemble member's loud and animated delivery of the line "Another Hero?!" brought the house down with laughter and applause.
While the group was clearly having fun, we also worked through some more challenging moments. For example, during Hero's final monologue, an ensemble member initially felt unsure, saying, “That felt weird. Was that weird?” But after running the scene a few more times, the group regained their confidence and kept experimenting with their characters.
After a full run of the scene without stopping, the group’s energy was still high but starting to scatter. Some ensemble members discussed potential script cuts, while others helped each other fine-tune their final monologues. Recognizing that the ensemble still had a lot of “silly” energy to burn off, we decided to play a game of Hitchhiker - Hitchhiker is an improv game where players create scenes with increasingly bizarre or funny characters joining a car ride. It’s a favorite for building ensemble trust and letting go of self-consciousness.
The game was a hit. Highlights included improvised scenes about a pregnancy, some funny accents, and lots of laughter that left ensemble members clutching their stomachs. It was wonderful to see the group taking creative risks and just enjoying being together.
We played Hitchhiker right up until 7:55 p.m., when we gathered the circle and closed the night with gratitude and joy.