Hello fellow Shakespeareans!
I hope you are all enjoying your well-deserved Christmas break and the last thing some of you want to think about is school this next Semester, but you’ll have to bear with me as I let you know the basic plan and goal of the next semester as well as some much-needed reminders:
RE-REGISTER!
Please respond to this email with a confirmation that you plan on committing and registering for the 2nd Semester of this class, or vice versa. It is my hope that everyone re-registers, but there are always extenuating circumstances that may prevent it. Please let me know by January 1st so I can confirm who is planning on taking the class.
REMINDERS:
• Movies: I am still missing eight Shakespeare movies that have been borrowed by families this last semester. I seem to have misplaced the list of who had what movie, so if you know you have one or more of the plays listed please respond and let me know when/how I can get a hold of them. Many of these moves were not mine and were borrowed from Valerie Owens (whom I taught Shakespeare Conquest with last year) so I need to get them back to her. The missing movies are:
o Henry V (1989)
o Twelfth Night (1996)
o Hamlet (BBC)
o Macbeth (BBC)
o Romeo and Juliet (BBC)
o As You Like It (BBC)
o The Merchant of Venice (BBC)
o A Midsummer Night’s Dream (BBC)
• A Teeny bit of Homework: By the end of this semester, everyone will have completed nine of the ten steps required to pass the class. The final step is “participate in the Spring Performance” and after which every student will get a big reward for finishing the class, (we’re thinking Shakespeare t-shirts?) but as of yet, some students have turned in everything, and others still have one or two things left to do. So I’ve looked over everyone’s ten step charts and highlighted the most common things students still need to do. If you’ve already done it, great! If not, listen closely.
o Turn in your vocabulary sheets: In the back of the orange folder you received at the beginning of class there were a number of vocabulary sheets that were supposed to be filled out by the end of class. I understand I was not explicit enough about this in the beginning and so many students didn’t get them turned in and I’m okay with that. Just as long as they get them to me ASAP once class starts so we can get to the fun and games. (NOTE: on the “personal vocabulary sheet” you need to find ten words in Hamlet that you didn’t understand and look them up; sometimes it will have the definition in the annotations column on the right)
o Write a Summary of Hamlet: pretty straightforward. Shoot for about a page. Some will do less, some more, but make sure you do your best on it and don’t shirk!
o Check and make sure you’ve done everything else: other than the two above things listed most people have done everything. Just check and make sure. We have 2-3 people that still need to do a memorized piece, (make sure you’re working on those so you can present them to me the first week or two of class) and one person that still needs to do a presentation. Other than that we’re home free!
THIS SEMESTER!
Finally! Now we can get to the good stuff! Last semester we had some intense studying, and working to make sure we did writing assignments, reading assignments, presentations, memorized pieces, etc. but this semester is where we get really down to earth and in the thick of it. We’ve now studied Shakespeare in the philosophical sense, but now we’ll get to experience what it’s like to actually PERFORM a Shakespeare play! Below I’m just going to address the basic schedule of next semester followed by some questions and concerns parents/students might have.
2ND SEMESTER SCHEDULE:
• Official first day of class: January 14th
• Actor’s Training: (January 14th-March 4th.) For the first Seven weeks or so of class we will be doing some real hands-on Actor’s Training! We’ll play games, do pantomime, improv, skits, mind games, word games and more! All of these will be teaching students not only how to act, but how to have confidence in themselves and who they are. They will learn about the mind’s eye, about emotions and how to express them onstage and offstage. Movement, how to hold themselves, where to lead from, how different people move and what it tells us about them. The voice and how it can be a powerful component not only when acting, but when speaking to anyone at any time. They’ll learn how to enunciate, project, what characterization is, improv and its use onstage, and so much more! It will be a fun-filled and learning-jammed experience for all!
• Auditions: (approx. February 25th) around the end of February we will hold auditions for our spring performance. Some people will want big leading parts; others will want smaller parts. Everyone’s opinion will be taken into account as well they’re own capabilities. Last year when Valerie and I directed Much Ado About Nothing we started out the beginning of the year with a few students who told us outright they would NOT do the performance; but by the time auditions came around they’d discovered they were actually pretty good at this and thought they’d like to try out for a major part.
• Rehearsal Period: (March 8th – April 15th) up until this point class would only be held on Fridays, but around the beginning of March we’ll start having Rehearsals 2-3 days a week. All students will still need to come all Fridays as we still have regular class going on as well, but the Tuesday and Thursday rehearsals are only necessary for those characters that are in the scene we’re rehearsing in that point in time. (see attached schedule)
• “Heck Week:” (April 11th – 16th) the actor’s training will be completely non-stressful very little homework, mostly fun and games. Once we move into rehearsal there will be a bit more obligation because you will be working and memorizing lines in addition to that, but for the most part I will be doing my best to keep it fun and as stress-free as possible. However, once we get into the week or so before our performance it will be a bit more stressful. Instead of three days in that week there will be five days (including the performance) and EVERYONE will have to be there so we can run through the entire play and do a dress rehearsal. But do not fear! This will be only a single week and when you have the chance to see your kids performing onstage it will all be well worth it! You won’t be paying to see them perform; the only expense will be a bit of your time spent devoted to your kid’s education and growth.
• Performance: (April 16th) Finally! The day will come when you will have the chance to see everything your students worked towards the entire year!
• Cast Party: (Unknown date) Sometime soon after the performance we will be having a cast party similar to the parents fair, but far less extravagant and time consuming. Students will get their awards for completing their ten steps and participating in the class, sign each other’s playbills, (or if their reward is shirts, signing each other’s shirts if they like) and it will just be one last day the students will get to spend together before the year officially ends.
QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS:
• Too shy/scared to perform in public or in front of people: No worries; the whole point of the first number of weeks in Actor’s training is to help you find out what you’re truly capable of and learning about being able to speak and perform in front of people. No one will force you to be someone or something you’re not; we just want you to be able to find what your personal strengths are and take advantage of them. The most important thing to remember is that you’re never the only one that’s been worried about it; and no one will disrespect you on that. Respect and positive feedback for each other is one of the biggest and most necessary rules in my philosophy. Still worried? My challenge to you is to do it anyway. Take the class, do the Actor’s Training, and see how you feel come audition time. Usually you will feel a lot surer of yourself after having done Actor’s Training. I’m willing to work with any and all students who feel nervous and see to their needs.
• What responsibilities do the parent’s hold for the Performance: Anything and everything. Last year we had parents helping us run rehearsals, backstage during the performance, giving rides and doing carpools, etc. I will give further information on parent’s duties during the rehearsal period later.
• What kind of Homework will the students be required to do this semester? Will I have to order any books?: Actor’s Training has no specific homework. However, we will be reading and talking about Twelfth Night (which is the play we will be performing) and I recommend you get a copy of the script. Full scripts can be found online if nothing else. Other than that there are very few homework assignments other than memorizing and working on your character once rehearsals start in March.
ANOTHER REMINDER:
Please respond to this email with a confirmation that you plan on committing and registering for the 2nd Semester of this class, or vice versa. It is my hope that everyone re-registers, but there are always extenuating circumstances that may prevent it. Please let me know by January 1st so I can confirm who is planning on taking the class.
If you have any questions or concerns of any nature please contact me via email, or at (907)-315-6813
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