May 17, 2012

Today after warm ups we briefly played a new game. It is a good physical and mental warm up game that everyone enjoyed, and it really woke us up. The first participant to go is working on Emilia’s monologue. This is our prisoner with the learning disability. She continues to improve her fluidity with the language, and comes at the piece with more sexiness and attitude every time. Everyone continues to be very supportive of her and gave her a lot of positive feedback on her work.

Next one of our Antonys got up to perform. She attacked the piece with a ton of power and really blew us away. She said that she was truly feeling the emotions in the piece today because a friend of hers committed suicide this week. She said that she has been defending her friend to other prisoners who show a lack of understanding, and she felt that she is doing the same thing in her monologue for Caesar. This is a very apt realization, and it is definitely fueling her fire in the piece. In her subsequent readings, she became frustrated again by stumbling over the words or losing her place, so much so that she decided to let it go for the day. She said she would try to memorize it, but then said that it might take her awhile because she, too, has a learning disability.

Then our Othello took her turn. She continues to gain power with every performance, so we began to talk about when she is in attack-mode and when she is not. She marked out the shifts in emotion in her script, and tried it again. We also moved the participant playing dead Desdemona so that her head would be closer to Othello. The changes were very evident, and the piece hit home more for her.

Then our other Emilia performed. She is doing a great job, but we decided we needed to add to it. One participant said that, since Emilia is so lusty, she should sit in a more casual position than she was. She tried that, and the piece improved. Then I decided to give her an image to work with – that of a wide, gaping vagina. I have learned from experience that this is a powerful image. I also asked her to sink down into her lower abdomen and let her energy come from there. The piece improved greatly. I can tell she is really starting to feel it.

Next was our Hermione. Her first read, as always, was wonderful, but she said that she still felt she could go further. One of the participants said that she is especially touched when Hermione talks about her baby, and we decided that she should try to bring out more of the sadness by really painting pictures of her lost husband and children. This time the participant dwelled on those images and let them shake her, and then she exploded with anger that she had had all of that taken away. It was fantastic. She declined to read again, saying that she needed to let things sink in for awhile.

Our King from Hamlet was next. She kind of rushed through her piece, but gained steam at the end and was very powerful. I asked her to try to pray more, to really look to the heavens and beg God for forgiveness, and then let out her frustration at not being able to receive forgiveness. She did this, which threw her off a bit because it was new, but the end of the piece was still great. She says she is going to continue to work on it with that approach in mind.

One of the participants, who is relatively new to the group, says it is already having a positive effect on her. She says that those around her say she is “speaking more proper.” And she loves that.

May 15, 2012

Today we warmed up and then played one round of an improv game which they requested. They lost steam pretty quickly, and really want to focus on monologues anyway, so we moved on. One of the participants stated assertively that she wanted to go first. It was evident that she had done a lot of work on the piece outside of class. She is clearer now on whom she is talking to at which time, and she’s developed her character’s attitude much more than before. She was clearly talking down to Phebe and Silvius, which is completely appropriate. This participant’s confidence is clearly growing each time she performs, and I think she’ll have a great final “product” when it comes time to do the show.

Then the participant working on Hamlet’s monologue took her turn. She goes deeper every time she does this – it’s wonderful to see. I asked her to add to what she was doing by really painting pictures with her words – trying to get her partner to see what she sees in her head. This lead to an even deeper performance that got a great reaction from the rest of the participants. She is doing very well, and she’s getting more confident all the time.

Then one of our Emilias performed her piece. She is now about half memorized, which is fantastic. The parts of the monologue she knows by heart don’t cause her any trouble any more – it’s just when she has to look at the paper that she stumbles. She said she was frustrated with one of the lines, that that one in particular was tripping her up, so we decided to cut it. I could tell she was relieved by this, and her next read went much more smoothly. I’m really proud of how far she’s come, when the first few days of the program she had to listen to everyone else perform multiple times before she felt okay getting up herself.

The next participant to go was the one performing the King’s monologue from Hamlet. The first read was incredible – there was passion, emotion, despair, frustration, longing… everything we’ve been talking about that the piece demands. I asked her what the breakthrough was, and she said it was taking my advice – getting out of her head and not thinking about it while performing. We talked about the three centers (head=thinking, heart=feeling, groin=willing) and which centers her character is in, in the piece. We decided that the King fluctuates between his feeling and willing centers. She performed again with this new take and she let up a little bit. She said she needs more time to rehearse with that idea. But she is doing a really great job.

Next was our other Emilia. She has only been in the class for three weeks, and she already has her monologue more or less memorized. Her first read she was a bit too much in her head, so we discussed how lusty Emilia is, and what kind of dirty jokes she is making. Her next read was better and captured more of the attitude. And by the third read, she even made her scene partner smile a little at some of the jokes. I’m so glad she joined the class. She’s so enthusiastic and committed to what she is doing.

Then one of the participants performing Antony in Julius Caesar got up. Her performance has lost none of its power from her breakthrough on Friday, but she is going a bit too fast. I asked her to find the most powerful/important words and give them more emphasis than the rest of the language. She did this, and her piece got much better. Everyone loves it. We agreed that at this point it’s time for her to memorize it, since the only thing holding her back is that she looks at her paper the entire time so we can’t see her eyes and it’s hard for her to be spontaneous.

Then our Hermione took her turn. She is doing a great job with this piece. She has it mostly memorized, which has freed her up to be more spontaneous with her emotions. We discussed how she might fluctuate between anger and sadness, and how her emotion has to build throughout the piece. She gets stronger and stronger each time.

This same participant is the one who will be released in August. She now has the exact date, so I’ve asked the program coordinator when a good date would be to have our performance before that. I also promised the group that I would have scenes for them soon. Hopefully I can get that done for next week.

May 11, 2012

After the usual warm ups, the participants opted to go right into their monologues rather than play a game. We did end up playing a very fun and energetic game designed to take away inhibitions and be comfortable with the ensemble. Everyone really enjoyed it. But, before that, we worked on monologues.

The first participant to perform is working on “What a piece of work is a man…” She keeps going deeper and deeper into the piece, and it’s wonderful. For her second read, she asked if she could have another person on stage with her to talk to. She was still looking up or at the ground most of the time, so I encouraged her to make eye contact and really ask for help with these words. That time the piece improved immensely. It’s evident that she really connects with it. She’s doing so well.

The second participant to perform is working on Antony’s monologue from Julius Caesar. She was still frustrated, as on Tuesday, about her stumbling over words. She asked if she could take the attention off of her focus point and focus on reading so that she wouldn’t stumble. That worked very well for her. She didn’t lose any of her power and even improved once she didn’t have to worry about the language. She knows it very well at this point. Once she’s memorized we should be able to do some really solid work on the piece.

Then our “Jaques” performed. She had lost some of the goofiness she showed us on Tuesday, so we encouraged her to find it again. She needs to work on being consistent with her character throughout the piece. We talked about some of the language that she didn’t quite understand, and then her reading became much stronger – and more silly, which is exactly what she is going for. She’s doing so well. I’m really glad that she was able to join the program.

Then one of the participants working on Emilia volunteered to go even though she was not feeling well. Given that she wasn’t feeling her best, she gave a very strong read. She improves every time, which is exactly what should be happening. She’s even about half memorized at this point, and where she remembers the lines she does not stumble over the words. She is becoming more playful with the piece as well. And she seemed to feel better by the time she sat down again.

Next was the participant who is working on Phebe’s monologue from As You Like It. She read it sitting down and with very little enthusiasm. I asked her what was going on, and she said that she really wants to work on memorizing the piece before she works on it very much in class. While I would rather we work on it even before that, if she doesn’t want to, we won’t. She doesn’t seem to be disliking the class – I think she’s just nervous about getting so far out of her shell, even though I gave her a piece to work on that is exactly what she was asking for. We’ll see how she does next week.

Then our other Antony performed. Her first read was good, but it was very fast and didn’t have a lot of specificity. I encouraged her to find the key words in the speech and linger on them, slowing down and really fighting for attention. She did, and the piece was stronger. Then she performed a third time, and a fourth, gaining steam each time. The piece has finally “clicked” for her. She had a huge smile as she sat down again.

Next was the participant working on the King’s monologue from Hamlet. She gave a good read, but said afterward that she was getting stuck because she’s spent so much time analyzing the piece that she is finding it difficult to get out of her head. I told her to try to put aside everything she’s done analytically, that it would still be there, but she shouldn’t focus on it, and encouraged her to go from her heart. Her next read wasn’t great – she was still stuck. She’s going to work on memorizing the piece so she can let go more.

Since now we are meeting twice a week, we have a lot more rehearsal time, and I asked the participants if they would like to work scenes along with monologues for their August performance. The answer was a resounding yes, so I am going to work on finding some good scenes for them.

At the end of class, I asked them how we’re doing and if there’s anything I can do better for them. Everyone said that they are enjoying themselves and don’t know of any improvements that can be made. One of the newer participants said that, even though it’s only been a few weeks, she’s getting a lot out of it and is having a great time.

May 8, 2012

We began with our usual warm ups. Then we decided to begin monologue work rather than play a game because we were a little short on time due to some late arrivals. The first person to go was new last week, but had already chosen a monologue – Emilia’s from Othello. She gave a solid reading that showed her intellectual understanding of the piece, but there was very little in the way of attitude or emotion. We talked about what Emilia’s objective is in this piece, and how she was combining humor with sexiness and anger. The second and third reads were stronger.

The second to work has been exploring Othello’s monologue. She said she’d been working on it and that her bunk mate thought she was crazy due to her discoveries about the piece – specifically Othello’s “craziness.” She began her piece, and out of NOWHERE came this very intense power and volume. She swung her weapon around, she despaired about her fate, she lamented over Desdemona’s body. It was amazing. Everyone cheered and vocalized how surprised and pleased they were. She seemed happy as well. Her second and third performances were even better. I am so proud of her. Everyone is.

Next was the participant working on Phebe’s monologue from As You Like It. Her read was a little lackluster because she is still trying to find the conflicting emotions in the piece, as well as the humor. We did an exercise in which she walked to the right when praising Rosalind, and to the left when criticizing her. After awhile she said she was dizzy and decided to stop. But when she read the piece again, those disparities were definitely there, although they still could use some development.

Then the other participant working on Emilia’s monologue took the stage. This is the woman with a learning disability, but after her first read we all remarked on how far she’s come – she’s stumbling over words significantly less, and the acting is beginning to take off. I love watching her react to everyone’s encouragement. I can tell it means a lot to her and gives her confidence. Every time she performs this piece it gets better, and today was no exception.

Then the woman working on “All the world’s a stage…” took her turn. She had an interpretation of the piece in which she “acted out” each of the stages of life, and she added her own dialogue to the text. For instance, when she got to “And then the lover, sighing like a furnace…” she interrupted her self with, “Hey girl, what you doin’”? She did similar things throughout the piece, and it was hilarious. The piece is great. I love what she is doing with it – making it her own.

Next was one of the women who is working on Antony’s monologue from Julius Caesar. She found herself frustrated by her inability to be forceful. A few of us gathered around the stage to be a shouting crowd so that she would have to fight to be heard and understood, which worked very well until she kept losing her place on the page and stumbling over words. Eventually she was so frustrated she decided to just leave it for today. We encouraged her to memorize the piece so that she won’t have to worry about losing her place.

The last to go was the one working on Hermione’s monologue from The Winter’s Tale. She performed the piece with a lot of anger and force, which is appropriate, but she said that she wanted to explore other ways of expressing herself in the piece. She wanted to know if sadness could take the place of anger in some spots. I told her she was absolutely right, and we went through the piece to find which emotion occurs in which part. She performed again, and it was beautiful. Her third time was even better. Now she wants to memorize it to do even more with it.

I was approached after class by a participant who hadn’t been there that day. She said that she is now in another group Tuesdays and Fridays – a group to help her make the transition to going home. Of course we will miss her, but it is great news that she is being released.

I also spoke with the Deputy after the session and asked her what she thought about making the program continuous rather than having an ending date. She said that that is absolutely fine. I am so excited to tell the women.

May 1, 2012

Today a few of the participants had to leave early, so we did a very quick warm up and then dove right in. The first participant to perform is doing Othello’s monologue over Dedemona’s body. She again lost some of the energy that she gained last week, but when she performed a second time we all felt the desperation and despair of the character. She actually knelt beside the body this time and made herself much more vulnerable at the end of the monologue. She says she is still getting over her stage fright, and we all reminded her that this group is there to support her and cheer her on. She felt better about the monologue by the time she sat down.

The next participant is one of the two performing Antony’s monologue from Julius Caesar. She still showed a solid intellectual understanding of the piece but lacked the passion necessary to make it really work. We talked about the character’s grief, frustration and anger with the crowd for turning on Caesar. This hit home for her and made it much more personal, and her subsequent readings gained a lot of power. She is beginning to feel very good about her piece.

Then the other participant performing that piece took her turn. She went through the piece very quickly, and the group encouraged her to slow down and measure out her words. She did so, and she improved. I then reminded her that the crowd does not necessarily listen to what she’s saying, and she needs to paint pictures with her words to win them over. This time her piece had much more impact. She was smiling as she exited the stage.

The next participant to perform was the one working on “What a piece of work is a man.” Her first performance was not up to snuff, for her or for us. She said she did not feel she had done well with it. I pointed out to her that she hadn’t done it as if she were talking to another person and encouraged her to find a focus point and talk to that, asking for help. She did this, and she improved, but she still did not feel good about her work. I did an exercise with her in which the entire body expands and then contracts, and I asked her to remember how that contraction felt as she performed. I asked her to be as physical as possible with the piece, even if she wouldn’t necessarily perform it that way. This time she took flight. Her passion was right on target, she had a focus point for the most part, and she took her time with the language. She felt much better after that performance.

The participant working on Hermione’s monologue was next. She maintained a lot of her anger while remaining regal, but after she performed she asked if there should be more sadness in the piece. I said that her instincts were absolutely correct – this woman has just given birth, and is weak, and she’s just lost her husband, two sons and her honor, and she may be executed. Of course there is sadness there! She performed the piece again with these conflicting emotions, and it was very powerful.

The next participant to perform is working on Rosalind’s monologue from As You Like It. She is doing better distinguishing between the two people to whom she is talking, and she is getting better at hurling the insults. She’s not quite there yet, though. I reminded her that her character is the daughter of a duke and thinks of herself as higher than the people to whom she is talking. This time the participant added in some haughtiness, and it was great. She was not feeling well today, so she declined to perform again. We’ll see how she does next week.

Last week’s new participant chose Jaques’ “All the world’s a stage” monologue from As You Like It. We broke it down phrase by phrase and went over the words she didn’t know. She then performed the piece, acting out the various stages described in the monologue, and it was very funny. Toward the end she ran out of steam, but since this was her first time performing, that’s understandable. She is excited to keep studying the piece and to perform it next week.

Then we began work on a new monologue with the participant who requested something more funny than what I had initially provided. She is now working on Phebe’s monologue from As You Like It. We broke it down, and she said she really liked it. She then performed it once and showed a good understanding of the language and tone of the piece. We will continue to work toward finding the comedy in it.

We had one new participant today who said she loved Shakespeare in high school and is very excited to dive in. She participated in discussions about the performances and seemed very eager to get to work.

At the end of the session, I told the women what good work they had done and how much I enjoy spending time with them. “Oh, don’t give us a big head,” said one of them. Then another said, “No! We’ve spent enough time in our lives getting torn down. I like being built up.” It really touched me that this program can do that for them. They are all doing a bang-up job, so it is easy for me to build them up with all the sincerity in the world.

I'd like to note that there are twelve women currently in this group, and to save space in this blog I am not recounting all of the work that we do each session - the entries would be very long. I feel like they're long already. If there are any participants that I am leaving out about whom you'd like an update, just comment below and I'll fill you in.