Session Three: Week 3

Tuesday  

We welcomed some new participants today, all of whom were enthusiastic and eager to participate. One of them is a returning participant from the first session. She is very happy to be back, and I’m glad she has returned.

After warm ups, we did introductions and checked in with one another. Two of the newer participants said they already feel that we have established a level of trust in the group that makes them feel like they get an escape from prison while they are together. That being said, because we had brand new participants today, we decided to postpone our trust-building activities until they are a little more acclimated.

We began work on the prologue and first part of the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet. Those in the group who grasped the material more quickly were patient with those who needed more time and clarification. We talked a great deal about whether Gregory and Samson would actually do the things they talk about, or if they are just talking a big game, and how that will be up to the interpretation of the women who end up playing those parts.

The group really likes this first scene, and the plan is to work more with it at the next session.

Thursday

Sarah and I were a bit delayed getting through security and to the auditorium today, but when we walked in, the group was already warming up. This is a wonderful step for them – it shows clearly that they have already bonded and are feeling empowered. We continued the warm up and did a round of introductions, since this was Sarah’s first day and we had one new participant as well.

We played a couple of theatre games for focus and quick thinking, and then we moved on to improv. We played a game that we played last week, Freeze, and the women showed that they are improving already. One thing that we noted is that sometimes when one woman begins a scene, she isn’t clear about what is happening in that scene, the relationship between the actors, etc. We talked about why getting that kind of information out as quickly as possible is important, not just in improv but also in a scripted performance, should something go awry. We are going to do an exercise called Three Line Scenes at the next meeting to work on this skill.

We read through Act I Scene I again, discussed it briefly, and then put it on its feet to play with it. The first time through was a bit rough, but it gave the women lots of insight into the scene – where they should stand, entrances to use, physical commitment to a character, etc. The second time worked much better because, having done it once, they understood it better. They had more ideas for improvement after this as well.

This is a much better approach than if I were to direct them through the scene because it encourages them to take ownership of the material through their own experience, to learn by “making mistakes” and realize that that is okay, and to work more as a team to develop the scene. They did a great job, and I can’t wait to see where they take it from here.

Session Three: Week 2

Tuesday:  

We began today with some rousing warm ups, including a fun game to build energy and commitment. To my delight, this group jumped in with far more gusto than either of the previous groups. I believe this is due to the example provided by the returning members of the group, who are so enthusiastic and committed. We played another game after that and, again, it went far better more quickly than it usually does.

We moved on to an improv game that one of the new participants had played before. She jumped right in at the end of my explanation, and the group just took it from there. They showed a lot of imagination and willingness to be very silly, which is the first step toward letting themselves be as emotionally vulnerable as one needs to be to fully commit to some of the characters in a play like Romeo and Juliet. I made sure they knew that their improvisation doesn’t HAVE to be funny, but that it’s great that they’re so willing to put themselves out there. We also discussed excellent comic actors who are gifted dramatic actors as well.

Toward the end of the session, the women decided that they wanted to read through the 20 minute Romeo and Juliet again. It was very fun this second time, but some of the women expressed that they are itching to know what some of the scenes look like in their original, tragic form. One of the returning participants recalled the monologue from Richard III we worked on about a year ago (Anne: Set down, set down your honorable load…), began reciting the piece (accompanied by another veteran) and then wanted to know why we weren’t staging that play. I explained again that the majority vote was in favor of a play with some uplifting or comedic elements, and that anything “funny” in Richard III is very darkly so. Most of the new participants then expressed that they would have no problem working on a darker piece, but that they are happy to work on the one we’ve already chosen this session.

Thursday:

After warm ups today, we revisted the improv game that we learned last Thursday. The women are already showing improvement at this game, thinking more quickly on their feet and finding very creative ways to play. We had a lot of fun with it.

I asked them what they wanted to do next, and they decided to work on the “What a piece of work is a man…” monologue from Hamlet. We read it as a group, from punctuation to punctuation, and then a few women volunteered to share what they had gotten from it. Gathering together all of the ideas they expressed, we got the gist of the piece right off the bat. We then went through it again, breaking it down phrase by phrase to get more detailed meaning.

Several women then volunteered to “read the piece with feeling.” The first to read went through it twice, slowing down the second time and saying that she was starting to “feel it” more. The next to read showed that she already grasps the musicality of the language – it was a very expressive reading; she took her time and expressed a firm understanding of the piece in the way she lingered over certain words. The group was very impressed and excited.

I then introduced the concept that, in acting, the most important thing to remember is the character’s objective or goal in a scene – everything flows from that. I asked them what they thought Hamlet’s objective might be in this piece, and they arrived at him asking for help. The next four women to read the piece, all tried to focus on that with varying success. The language is very challenging for some, obviously, but we all reassured them that, with practice, they will master it.

One of the women then stated that, while she’s having fun, she really wants to get to know everyone better. I asked the group if they’d like to do some exercises specifically for team building, since we’ve already broken the ice, and they said yes. I am hoping that this approach – following their lead, easing them into these activities that make us more vulnerable to one another, instead of starting off with those exercises – will pay off in the end, since they’ve already built a foundation of trust without our overtly going after it.

Session Three: Week 1

Tuesday

Today was the first day back after a summer break. I was accompanied by two of Shakespeare in Prison’s new co-facilitators: Matthew and Molly. I am deeply grateful to all four of these folks (the other two being Dominique and Sarah) and very excited to share this session’s journey with them. They come from diverse backgrounds but all share a love of learning, social justice, and, of course, Shakespeare. A page on this site with bios of all of the facilitators is in the works, and all of the others will share their thoughts on the blog when they are so moved.

The returning participants were energetic and eager to get going, and their energy was infectious, both to the new participants and the facilitators. This came through even as the “veterans” helped me to explain the goals, guidelines and potential pitfalls of the group – even when we addressed problems we’ve had in the past, we did it with an air of optimism that we can overcome them going forward. The women were glad to hear that I listened to their input at the end of the last session, and we will be working on Romeo & Juliet this time around.

We spent about an hour talking, introducing ourselves and answering questions about the group. There are some joining us who have past experience with Shakespeare and others who have none. We even had a couple of participants who misunderstood what they had signed up for – one thought she was there to see a performance, and another thought it was a poetry group. To their credit, they stuck with it (at least for the day) and had a positive attitude.

We got up, then, and did some physical warm ups. We followed this up with our “ring” exercise, which we do at the beginning and end of each meeting. We played a theatre game to introduce concepts of waiting for your cue, having strong eye contact and paying attention. We converted this game into one for learning names and everyone had a decent handle on those by the time we were done.

I asked the women what they would rather do next: learn an improv game or dip our toes into Shakespeare. They opted to begin work on Romeo’s monologue that begins, “’Tis torture and not mercy…” We read the piece as a group, from punctuation to punctuation. We then discussed what each woman had gotten out of it. Some had already gained a good understanding of the piece, while others were pretty lost, but no one seemed frustrated. We read through the piece again, discussed it some more, and then a couple of women “read it with feeling.” The first was unsure of herself and nearly gave up midway through, but she finished it. The rest of the group immediately commended her for sticking with it and gave her feedback on what was already great about her reading (her pace and articulation were excellent – we could understand every word) – and what could be improved. The second was more confident, and the group gave her constructive criticism as well.

The entire session was very positive, and the women were beaming as they left. And so were the facilitators! It was a great start to the season.

Thursday

Dominique and I arrived today to find the women still upbeat and ready to get started. We began by reviewing the theatre game that we played last time and refreshing ourselves on names. We then played another theatre game that we have played in past sessions. This game got rather competitive, but in a very friendly way. There was a lot of laughter.

We then played an improv game that has to do with teamwork and quick thinking. The women really enjoyed this game and were very free, for the most part, in allowing themselves to let go and be spur-of-the-moment while working toward a goal. This is a great skill to develop not only for theatre, but for many situations in life.

Some of the women had mentioned in the last meeting that they were interested in watching a film version of Romeo & Juliet. I said that I was hesitant to do that because it would put ideas in their heads of how the characters “should” be played, and it might stifle their creativity. They saw my point but wondered if there was a good way to get a basic understanding of the story before delving into the actual text.

It just so happens that I wrote a 20-minute, very irreverent version of Romeo & Juliet for a teen acting class I taught awhile back. I asked if they would be interested in using that as our jumping-off point, and, since they were, I brought it in and we sat in a circle and read it aloud.

Most of the women were very eager to read, and some of them are clearly gravitating toward certain characters already. I was very impressed by one woman who kept volunteering to read even though reading aloud is clearly difficult for her. It speaks volumes about her courage, and it also is a testament to how open and supportive the group has been already.

Reading this truncated version of the play, which is mostly modern language interspersed with actual text, proved to be an effective and efficient way to introduce those who were unfamiliar with the story to its “bare bones” and character elements. I’m very glad it worked out.

One of the women mentioned that she’s always been annoyed by Juliet – she thinks she’s stupid and doesn’t like her. This led to a brief discussion about how we can learn about the people in our lives by dealing with characters who are foreign or unlikable to us, and we can gain empathy for people for whom we wouldn’t normally have it.

We are all feeling energized, inspired and positive. One of the new participants said she has been “bragging” about the group and inspired two more women to add themselves to the waiting list. We are off to a very, very good start.