Season Nine: Week 12

“You don’t have to be good at anything but being yourself.”

Click here to donate to SIP

Tuesday / November 18 / 2019
Written by Emma

Tonight’s session was the first time we met since finishing our initial runthrough of the play! At our previous session, we put the final scene of the play on its feet (and had some fun with pretend sword fighting). Our game plan for the next few sessions is to hop around in the play, giving newbies a chance to get to know some of the characters better and allowing everyone the opportunity to explore roles they may be interested in. With the temperature outside dipping, we may also try to incorporate more games to shake off some of the cold.

We got down to scene work. One woman had indicated earlier in the evening that she may be interested in playing Hamlet (after some encouragement from a fellow ensemble member). As such, we decided we should give 3.1 a shot. In 3.1, Hamlet is giving Ophelia the classic “get thee to a nunnery” spiel, which is one of the most pivotal moments in Ophelia’s descent into madness. The woman interested in Hamlet requested to see the scene once before she hopped in, so Kyle stepped in and read Hamlet, with a longtime member reading for Ophelia.

After the first run, we stopped to discuss. “Hamlet is being sincere and not trying to hurt Ophelia when he tells her to go to a nunnery,” one ensemble member said. “He wants her to save herself, but he’s bad at putting it that way.” A few other women agreed. The woman reading for Ophelia added, “It was good. I could have been more aggressive, to throw Hamlet's aggression back at him.”

And with that, we ran it again. The woman reading Hamlet seemed to be pleading with Ophelia, imploring her to save herself by stealing away to a nunnery. The woman playing Ophelia invested heavily in the physical movements of her character, sitting down and standing with an emotional emphasis that underlined the heavy dialogue. At one point, she even got down on the ground in desperation, confused by what Hamlet was telling her. It was a truly excellent run, with both women giving their all.

After the second run, a new member who has had her eye on Laertes asked if we could run 1.3. In this scene, Ophelia, Laertes, and Polonius are having a discussion before Laertes goes off to France. Out of the three actors in the scene, two were new members--something that was a real joy to see! It can be very tough to volunteer to read as a newbie, but these women are naturals. The scene went by quick, and afterwards we asked how the actors felt. The returning member who read for Polonius stated that it felt like there wasn’t a lot for her character to do during this scene, and that we were going to need to think of ways to keep the characters moving during these dialogue-heavy moments.

Next, we moved on to 1.5--the ghost scene. One of our newer members had quietly indicated that she was somewhat interested in reading the role of Hamlet, so she stepped up to read and Kyle read for the Ghost. The woman reading for Hamlet shone, looking engaged and animated throughout the Ghost’s long monologues. And when it came to delivering her lines, her words were full of emotion and her diction was excellent. After the run, Kyle asked her if she had considered playing Hamlet in the performance. She admitted that no, she hadn’t been considering it, because she thought the part should go to someone with more experience. Kyle encouraged her, congratulating her on a job well done and explaining that with this group there is no need to ever be worried about disrupting seniority. We work as an ensemble, and if she is interested in the part, she should absolutely go for it! Sitting next to her, I could see a subtle smile creep across her face.

Moving on, we did one read through of 2.2. During this scene, Hamlet sasses Polonius, calling him a fishmonger and flippantly insulting him. A returning member who has been interested in Polonius’ role stepped in to read the part. As the actors made their way around the stage, Polonius did a notably excellent job of separating the dialogue with Hamlet from the many audience asides. She would change her tone, turn to where the rest of the ensemble was sitting, and seem to confide in us in a way that was incredibly engaging and impressive. Moreover, she delivered the trickly lines with ease, suggesting she has been practicing outside of rehearsal.

After a quick wrap-up, we raised our ring. Colder weather isn’t going to keep this group down!

Friday/ November 22 / 2019
Written by Maria

When we asked what everyone wanted to do today, it was pretty clear that they wanted to start with a game. Lauren suggested “Animal Sounds”, as it is one of her personal favorites. Everyone gets into a circle with one person in the middle. The person in the center of the circle closes their eyes, points one finger straight ahead, and turns slowly clockwise while the rest of the circle walks silently counter-clockwise. When the person in the middle says, “Stop!” the person she is pointing to needs to make the “animal sound” that she is assigned. We started out with some easy sounds, like a motorcycle and drums, but we also had a snail making soup, a giraffe eating, sunshine, and Beyoncé. “It’s so much fun, I want to do it at my next party!” one woman said, laughing. There were a lot of laughs and smiles, and it got us off to a great start.

We then decided to go back and look at a couple of really important scenes for the play and for character development: the opening scene (which we haven’t read in months and a lot of our newer members had never read with us) and the play within a play in Act 3 Scene 2. In this version of the first scene, the Ghost was very aggressive, circling around the guards and moving chairs around. “Are we afraid of the ghost?” one woman asked. “Curious and scared, because we stay and keep talking,” another woman responded.

Before getting up on our feet to work the play within a play, we discussed our many staging options. We want the audience to be able to see King Claudius and Queen Gertrude’s faces when watching the play, but they need to see the players performing as well. Some of the women also seemed to be concerned that the audience wouldn’t be able to follow what was going on in the play. We decided to try staging the scene on a diagonal, which both the women acting the scene and sitting in the audience liked. “It allows the audience to see reactions while being a part of the action,” one woman commented. I asked about the dumb show before the players start speaking. Did we like the actors pantomiming the scene? Did we need both versions of the play? What if we had puppets? That really got the creative juices flowing.

If we had hand puppets, we would need some kind of flat for the puppeteers to hide behind. “Zannis! I knew we could put them in somewhere!” one woman jumped in, reminding us of last season’s Twelfth Night as we discussed who could help with setting up the scene. What if we had the poisoner puppet’s costume color coordinate with Claudius, another woman suggested. Another member expanded on that idea, suggesting that the puppet king could match the Ghost, who is dressed in armor with his family crest. One woman (who was very excited) suggested that the Ghost could come out and watch the play within a play from the back. We had discussed having the Ghost be more present in our production than the scenes that he is written in, and this prompted even more fast and furious ideas.

What if Ophelia’s death is pantomimed while Gertrude explains what happened to her? I suggested we use blue fabric to represent the water, but then someone had a much better idea: what if the Ghost wraps the same fabric he is wearing around the now-dead Ophelia? The Ghost could then become a sort of shepherd to the afterlife for the characters who die in the play. We mentioned that he could come out when Hamlet kills Polonius and do the same thing.

The facilitators were furiously trying to keep up with the ideas and excitement that were flying back and forth across the room, and before we knew it our time was up! It was a fantastic session with some scene work, fun and lots of great design ideas.

Season Nine: Week 11

“That sense of trust just kept bringing me back.”

Click here to donate to SIP

Friday / November 15 / 2019
Written by Kyle S.

After the first big snow storm of the season on Tuesday canceled our session for us, both the ensemble members and the facilitators were itching to get back into the play. After we all settled and checked in with each other, we took a moment to celebrate that, as of last week, we had finished reading through the play! Hamlet is a loooonnngg play and Act 5 is a loooonnngg act, so it was quite an accomplishment to get through it as quickly as we did.

The play ends with everyone’s plans for vengeance realized (and some accidental poisonings and drownings), resulting in the deaths of Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Ophelia (oof!). As the ensemble reflected on our thoughts about the play as a whole, we found that there were definitely some different reactions; one returning member came away with a very sympathetic view on our hero after his death—“Hamlet saved Denmark from Claudius”—and a newer member felt...less moved. Her reaction? “It ticked me off that everybody died at the end.”

After our conversation, we tried moving on to playing some improv games, with little success. The consensus around the room was that the ensemble wanted to put the final scene up on its feet instead. Act 5, Scene 2 is long and complicated, so we split it up into sections. It begins with Hamlet recounting to Horatio how he foiled Claudius’s plan to have him killed, and sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to the chopping block instead. Then, Osric informs Hamlet that Laertes has challenged him to a fencing match, which Hamlet accepts against Horatio’s urging. One of our newer members played Hamlet, but expressed that she was having trouble finding ways to move around during blocks of long text. One of our returning ensemble members quelled her worries by reassuring her that “it’ll come to you the more you know your character,” while another offered this wise piece of advice: “If you have an idea, use it. If it doesn’t work, we’ll save it for later.”

Then we moved on to the fencing match. Claudius’s poisoned glass and Laertes’s poisoned rapier made the event deadlier than intended, resulting in the death of not only their target, Hamlet, but of themselves and of Gertrude. The ensemble had a lot of fun with the sword fighting, and took on the challenge of timing out a scene in which four characters die at different times, all monologuing while they do it.

After we finished putting the whole play on its feet, we moved back to Act 1, Scene 3. We realized that the ensemble members who joined at the end of October never got to meet Polonius and never knew an un-maddened Ophelia. This scene lets us see Laertes’s relationship with his sister before he leaves for France, and gives us a pretty good lens into Ophelia’s complicated relationship with her father. A longtime member offered to read as Ophelia, and played her as a rebellious teenager, which gave us a very new way to look at the character. The woman who played her father, Polonius, was given kudos for her balancing act of authoritarian to concerned father. This scene took us to the end of our session, but it opened up the door for us to start exploring these characters in new and exciting ways as we get ready to cast our show.

Season Nine: Week 10

Friday / November 8 / 2019
Written by Lauren

We started by reading Act 5, Scene 2. One woman told the group that “this is a good story!” and that she never studied it in school. When we put the scene on its feet, the same woman acted out Gertrude. Her feedback to the group was that the words are hard. This was a good opportunity to explain to the new people that it’s okay to slow down reading. If the sentence is difficult to say, then it is probably meant to be read slowly anyway.

We moved on to Act 5, Scene 3. Our Gravedigger put a table on its side so she could act behind it as if it were an open grave that she had climbed into. She also utilized hats as “skulls” for props. She would “climb” in and out of the grave clumsily, and was very fun to watch! She liked that there was more to physically do in this scene. Her scene partner is new and was eager to act. She improvised a lot, including dancing when the Gravedigger sings. After the scene, she wanted to run her part again so she could try out some ideas she had second guessed the first time through. She added that it felt “real nice” to move around in the scene as opposed to standing still.

“Gertrude” from Act 5 Scene 2 had mentioned earlier in the night that she wasn’t comfortable acting as Hamlet again after her difficult time with the “To be or not to be” speech, but she ended up volunteering to act out Hamlet for this scene anyway. She had fun with it! After, she told the group that acting it out helped her understand the scene a lot more.

Season Nine: Week 9

“You guys made me feel like an ensemble member from the first day.”

Click here to donate to SIP

Tuesday / October 29 / 2019
Written by Emma

Tonight was our first “real” session since adding about ten new members to our ensemble, and dang was it a good one! We all circled up in the auditorium, reminding one another of our names as we got ready to check in. One of our returning members quickly told a new member what these check-ins are about: a time to informally update the group on how you’re doing, with no pressure to participate if you don’t want to. After lowering the ring and getting a few quick updates, we got right down to business.

A returning member enthusiastically suggested that we start off the night with a game of “This Bottle is Not A Bottle” to get our creative sides warmed up. She explained the game to the group. The object of the game is to pass an item--a pen, a drumstick, or whatever is available--from person to person in a circle. Each person will declare what said object “is” before passing it off to their neighbor who has to interact with whatever imaginary thing you passed them, before changing it themselves and passing it to their neighbor. So, for example: “This Sharpie is not a Sharpie, it is a lion tamer’s whip!”

We went around the circle two times, all in all. Some of our items included: a guitar, lipstick, a cat on a leash, a fish, and the Declaration of Independence. As with all of our games, participation is completely voluntary, but we were pleased to have a quite a few newbies join in. Once that game came to a close, the same returning member asked if we could play “Wah”. “Wah” is a goofy exercise that involves dramatic pointing and, you guessed it, saying the word “WAH”. It is tough to put into words, but suffice to say that it is a great intro to get folks used to taking up space and making sounds--two things you need to do when performing. Due to all of the newbies, there was one slight modification to tonight’s game: “No one gets out!” We spent the next few minutes Wah-ing around our circle, laughing and loosening up before getting in to the text.

After a brief refresher on where we are at in the play, we dove in with Act IV scene III. In this scene, King Claudius is asking Hamlet what he did with Polonius’ body. Hamlet responds with some acerbic remarks and whitty turns of phrase, telling Claudius just where he can find Polonius. “He’s sayin’ if he’s not in heaven, check in hell--that’s awesome!” one woman said. At the end of the scene, Claudius sends Hamlet to England and secretly arranges for him to be killed upon his arrival (which is SO Shakespeare of him).

Once we were done reading the scene, one of the returning members congratulated a first-season member on the performance she gave reading for Claudius. “Good job!” she enthused as she started a round of snaps. Lauren asked the group what was going on in the scene, and if we had any thoughts or feelings about what was going on here. Spare a few remarks, the circle was quiet, so we moved on with reading Act IV Scene IV.

4.4 finds Fortinbras (Prince of Norway) on his way to invade Poland. Fortinbras, who has also lost his father and is seeking revenge for his death, mirrors Hamlet in many ways, though they differ significantly when it comes to the action they take (or don’t). When Hamlet crosses paths with Fortinbras’ army and hears that they are planning to engage in bloody battle over an insignificant piece of land in the name of honor, he is shook. He contemplates how many people will die for reasons unrelated to them, and how he has yet to take action against Claudius. He ends the scene by vowing to avenge his father with bloody action from this point forward.

“It feels different--he’s actually having a conversation,” one ensemble member said, describing how Hamlet feels changed in this scene. “He’s still in the middle of his existential crisis--questioning revenge, but that’s all that’s motivating him,” a new member intuitively stated. Agreeing, another member added, “He’s reasoning with himself.” We talked a little bit more about Hamlet, and then one woman piped up, “What’s [Fortinbras] fighting for?”

This question opened up some rich discussion surrounding the characters of Hamlet and Fortinbras. Some of the newer folks admitted that they were (understandably!) fuzzy on was going on. “I’m confused by all of this!” one new woman exclaimed. We took a time out to talk a little bit more about each character’s motives, role in the play, and personal history.

With everyone more up to speed, we started working the scenes we had read on their feet. As folks got in place to read the scene, a quick-thinking returning member grabbed two chairs and placed them in the middle of the stage, explaining how they could be used at any point if the actors so chose. One of our new members took the hint. Reading for Claudius, she stepped out on to the stage, speech loud and clear, and put her foot proudly up on one of the chairs. The overall effect was excellent! An entrance fit for a king, surely. We made our way through 4.3 and 4.4 with a healthy mix of new and returning folks reading.

“There’s so much you can do with Hamlet’s character,” one returning member said. “I wish I could learn all them lines.” Another returning member smiled as she turned to her and said, “You’re on ten today!” On ten, indeed! This returning member was opposed to the very idea of a speaking role this time last year, and now she is talking about Hamlet’s character. This comment led to some deeper discussion of Hamlet--in particular, how he is being treated by his friends and family. Some returning members were explaining how Hamlet’s love interest and friends had all been sent to discover why he was acting crazy, when another woman interjected.

“I don’t think he was ever crazy,” she said. “He wasn’t playing crazy, either. I think it’s all real. I think they want to convince him he’s crazy!” She spoke clearly and firmly, addressing the whole group. “We’ve all felt rage, but it’s not crazy--it makes us do bad things, but I think we’ve all done that. At this point, Hamlet’s not buying anything,” she said with a faint smile. “Hamlet’s gonna do what Hamlet’s gonna do.”

As we discussed Hamlet in 4.4, one of our new members piped up. “He’s literally lookin’ at this dude [Fortinbras] all tough, and [Fortinbras] doin’ somethin’, and [Hamlet] isn’t doin’ nothin!” She continued, breaking down how Fortinbras’ action was making Hamlet feel insecure. As the conversation moved on, she continued to flip through the book, reading. A few minutes later she spoke up again: “I was reading the first part, and [Hamlet] is going through it!” People around the circle nodded in agreement. “I don’t think he’s trippin’. I think the mom and the king have some conspiracies. He’s valid, and if that behavior makes him seem crazy, you don’t know what crazy is.”

This new member was on an absolute roll! “Do you think the ghost is his thoughts?” she added as an afterthought. Eyes widened as we started discussing this possibility, that King Hamlet’s ghost is just “[Hamlet] reassuring himself.” Another new member chimed in, “The ghost is his way of thinking ‘You’re seeing it this way’.”

We could have kept at it for a lot longer, but unfortunately, our time was up. It’s going to be exciting to see all of the gifts these new members will bring!

Friday / November 1 / 2019
Written by Kyle S.

Today was my first session with the newer ensemble members folded in, and the energy in the room was joyful - and contagious. We started slow with a few check-ins and passing out scripts to the new members. Then to start us out, a returning member suggested a rock-paper-scissors style game to get everyone pumped up to move forward in the play. The concept was that everyone started as an “egg” and to evolve, you had to win in a game of rock-paper-scissors with another “egg.” If you won your round, you evolved from an “egg” to a “T-Rex” and had to compete with another “T-Rex” to level up again. It went like this until you evolved to a “farmer,” then a “business woman,” until you reached the peak of evolution: Beyoncé. The game got everyone laughing, moving, and engaging with new folks. I’m sad to say I was one of three who was never able to make it to the “Beyoncé” level...but everyone helped me through the loss.

With everyone hyped up on that Beyoncé energy, we dove in to Act IV Scene V. This scene sees the rebellious return of Laertes, who has been away in France. He returns to his father, Polonius, slain and his sister, Ophelia, gone mad with grief. To avenge his family, he storms the castle, trailed by a mob of followers, to confront Claudius who he believes responsible. The consensus from the ensemble was that Laertes is coming in and demanding answers, and that he’s going to give Claudius a run for his money. As one newer member said: “He’s kinda my hero. I’m gonna name my dog after him.”

The meat of the scene, though, and what spurred the most conversation in the ensemble, was Ophelia. We see her in the scene having gone mad with grief and calling out Claudius and Gertrude for their parts in the tragedy that has befallen everyone in the play. One of the returning members wondered if her madness was genuine, or if Ophelia was taking a page out of Hamlet’s book by tricking everyone. One of the newer ensemble members followed up by saying it makes sense that she has lost herself, having “lost all of the men in her life.” Having lost her father and having been abandoned by her love, she wondered if the return of her brother could save her “before it’s too late.” I think one of our newer ensemble members summed it up in the clearest way possible: "She's in her feelings."

When the group put the scene up on its feet, they extracted all the humor they could out of a very dark and twisted moment. Our Gertrude for the day lightened it up with reactions to the chaos of Laertes’ and Ophelia’s entrances. The woman who played Ophelia used the entire space to her advantage, rolling around on the ground and using her fellow actors as props. When another woman asked to see a little more sadness in her madness, our Ophelia gave us a haunting mixture of laughter and tears that brought it home.

As one of the returning members mentioned to me at the beginning of the session, the special thing about doing Shakespeare with a group so new to it is that nobody is weighed down by any preconceived notions of what “needs” to be sad, or serious, or dark. As we head to the end of the play, and move towards the heaviest moments yet to come, it’s refreshing to see the ensemble holding tightly on to the humor between the lines.

Season Nine: Week 8

“I don’t know, I just changed, man!”

Click here to donate to SIP

Tuesday / October 22 / 2019
Written by Lauren

Today a number of new members were added to the ensemble! We started out by doing our usual orientation, playing a name game, them teaching them The Ring exercise. In traditional new-member form, we then asked each person our three questions: What brings you to Shakespeare? What do you hope to get out of the experience? What gifts do you bring to the group? Many people said they wanted something new to do, and were looking to get out of their comfort zone. One woman has a background in literature, and another is just a big fan of Shakespeare. This is looking to be an invested group of new members!

After the three questions, the floor was opened to returning ensemble members to share their experiences in the group. The first woman to speak explained how the group often operated like a family. She started out feeling “crippled,” but now she doesn’t hesitate to jump into a script. In her first year, doing monologue work helped her relate to her own life experiences. In her time with SIP, she has grown as a person, and has learned how to express herself through writing. She added that she appreciates the respect and dedication that the facilitators bring to the group, and that the group has been her primary source of healing.

The next woman said she was nervous starting out, but ultimately the group saved her. Even if she isn’t involved in every aspect of every session, just being present helps her state of mind. Another woman, who is now in her second year, also said she was nervous starting out, but coming to the group helps her get through the week. She also mentioned that she is looking to have a bigger role this year. The final woman to comment started out saying, “I don’t know, I just changed, man!” She got through her initial stage fright after initially deciding she wasn’t going to be a performer and ended up on stage!

We rounded out the session with one woman giving the new members a summary of the play thus far, while another woman chimed in with additions. This should get everyone on the same page for continuing the play at our next meeting!

Friday / October 25 / 2019
Written by Lauren

Tonight we had a small group. Given attendance, we decided not to continue reading the play, but to discuss the material we have already read. One member shared thoughts that she had in regards to staging the play. She called the concept, “Two Sides to Every Story”. Her thought is that Hamlet would be present during all of the scenes where others are conspiring. He could be hiding behind a room-divider or a piece of furniture. We also discussed the logistics of setting up flats in a way that Hamlet and/or the ghost could walk behind them and be slightly concealed but still obviously present to the audience.

We ran the “play within a play” and started to discuss it. In discovering sarcastic humor in Hamlet’s character, one woman said that Hamlet is like life. You HAVE to laugh through the depression. Another woman added that she totally sees the humor and sarcasm in Hamlet’s character. Yet another woman added that the play within the play is really deep, but she wanted someone else to elaborate! This led to discussing the role of Gertrude and her mirrored counterpart in the “play.” The discussion focused on whether she was privy to the murder of the king, and why Hamlet would have written his motherly character in the “play” to deny the new king’s advances before marrying him. The consensus was that she was written to try and save face.

While discussing this, another woman discovered in her book a history of women playing the role of Hamlet. This opened discussion of how the dynamics would change between Hamlet and Ophelia, or Hamlet and Horatio, at the end. The same woman added that it will be interesting to see how our Hamlet will be portrayed with his descent into madness. Another suggested that he could just be pretending to be crazy before actually going mad. The two women discussed Hamlet’s potential turning point, and agreed that it is likely the murder of Polonius.