When we decided to do An Evening of Shakespeare, we were still preparing our beloved Valentine’s Cabaret, this time virtually. This annual event is where our journey really began back in 2019. Now, two years later, Jeff and I are still exclaiming, “We did it!”, after we finish a production, but now, we are high-fiving over Zoom instead of in person.
We thought Shakespeare would be a good contrast to February’s musical offering, but I must admit, when the idea was suggested that I would direct this one myself, I was a little intimidated. I loved reading Shakespeare in high school and analyzing his text over months of study, but I was often confused when I would walk into one of my college’s Shakespeare productions cold, without prior knowledge of the play. Especially when theatres try to modernize the setting and mood of these classics, I have learned that I get the most out of Shakespeare when I go into the performance as an informed audience member. With all plays, but especially the Bard, figuring out what is going on in the plot is just scratching the surface. Once we get past that, we can focus more closely on the nuances of the acting and characterization, even noticing costumes, the set, props, how the actors are utilizing the space.
What I’ve learned from directing this piece is that once I had done my research and got past the plot of each individual show (and there were many), there was layer upon layer to unravel about the character(s) and their motivations. I had often found questions like, “What is your motivation in this scene?” and “What are your intentions?” difficult to digest in rehearsal in my college days. Without the expletives, what I wanted to respond to my teachers was “My motivation? To say the line! I don’t know what my intentions are. I don’t even understand what I’m saying or what’s happening yet! My motivation is to get you to like this scene so that I can go home and write a 15-page paper about the oppression of women in A Little Night Music. But needless to say, even though my traditional schooling has ended, I constantly find that I am learning something new each day. As a teacher and director, I feel that I learn more than I did as a student. And this experience, though online, has taught me a great deal about myself and Shakespeare's text.
Through over two dozen individual sessions over zoom, I was able to see the similarities between characters, structure, conflicts, controversies, techniques, and more. I was able to laugh at Shakespeare's wit, marvel at his beauty, and question some tough moments that needed a lot of further discussion beneath the surface. I, like Shakespeare, do not like to shy away from the difficult topics in the text. Rather than delete and edit down this literary genius, Jeff and I have challenged our actors to make sense of their pieces and interpret Shakespeare with some context of the time and culture. I also believe that Shakespeare created certain characters and stories to challenge the audience, to spark discussion, and to force them to be educated and not simply entertained at the theatre.
I have loved tackling these monologues, scenes, and sonnets over these past few weeks. The sonnets, in particular, were something I would never have dreamed of including in one of our productions. Yet for this experience, they seemed obvious and fit perfectly. These were a delight and challenge because there was such vulnerability; the actors had no character but themselves to base their work on.
Most of all, I loved meeting these talented actors from across our country, learning about them, and watching them grow. With the help of my brilliant counterpart, Jeff Rocco, and a new-found friend and genius Shakespearean, Bob Lane, Chill Bucket Productions is very proud to present this evening's presentation. Thank you to our cast and of course, The Bard!
Love,
Dakota
