Shakespeare under the Stars

Last night we worked on the play outside in the Elgin plaza behind city hall. Another company was in the space and we needed to run the show somewhere else. It was a nice night, so alfresco Shakespeare seemed like the right idea.

Being outside is a nice change of pace. After working in small rooms and the echo chamber of our space, the openness of the plaza was a welcome relief.

It also forces you to be louder.

Too often it’s too easy to get quiet when you’re acting. In realistic plays this isn’t a problem. But with Shakespeare or any classical author, it can be death. Being bigger is usually better than reducing your character down to television size. When you’re outside there is no choice - speak up or fall off. If you’re not heard, who cares what your character is doing.

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Last night we ran through the play. It took two hours and twenty minutes without the beginning and ending dances, which would have extended the time to two hours and thirty minutes. Figure with one fifteen minute intermission we would be at 2:45. The good news is that we can really tighten this show up and get the time way down. Most Shakespeare plays are almost three hours. At least we have a chance of making this a lean performance.

The challenge last night which will be all week is the lines. Everyone has them. Now it’s a matter of wrestling them to the ground and making them our own. It sounds easy but when you’re out there in the scene, you can sometimes lose your place and even your nerve.

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Another fun thing about last night was the size of the plaza. It is very large. This allows for bigger gestures and greater use of the space. Everything seems much more possible. Maybe its being outside that creates this sense of possibility. Or maybe we’re at the point where the play starts to take shape. In any case, we will be returning tonight to run the show again.

Last Night There Was A Moment

Last night there was a moment.

You know what I’m talking about? It’s when you work on a project and for the first time it clicks.

Last night we were working on Act 2:1 – the “Elbow” scene as we like to call it. Much of the ground work had been done weeks ago, but nothing came together until last night.

Part of this stems from pace (speed) and energy. Terry (the director) started work on the scene before us with Angelo (Ben) and Escalus (Joe). It centers on a small debate between the sage-like Escalus (Joe at the Yoda age of 44) and his younger and newly appointed boss Angelo (Ben somewhere in his twenties).

Prior to last night the scene was very polite, like: “Okay, you talk, now I talk, now you talk.” And on it would go until we made our entrance. But last night with Terry shadowing the actors like a mad conductor, waving his arms and snapping his fingers, the scene came to life and all of a sudden I was somewhere else – not on the eighth floor of the Professional Building in Elgin, but actively engaged in a debate. It was very exciting – like two boxers swatting in the ring.

That thrill prompted our scene, which in the past, was very choppy, to say the least – filled with fits and starts. But again, Terry was snapping, like a Michael Vick pitbull, pushing us to “pick it up.” Suddenly, there was little time to think – only react. Between Pompey (Jim), Elbow (Greg) and myself as Froth (Sean, hey that’s me!) we started to connect and the scene was funny. But more importantly, it was fun to be in it playing.

That’s the click – not the Tennesse Williams “click” of his alcoholic character Brick, but more of a brick smashing the politeness and sloppiness of our previous efforts.

We Are At It Again.

We are at it again - rehearsing our third show at the new space and about to finish up our “short” 2007 season.

It has been a testing ground.

The first two shows were interesting and drew some fine critique. Now we have to build on that and keep growing. Even though the theatre’s been around for eight years, it feels like we’re starting from scratch. Being in a permanent space is attractive. But it really forces you to think about what you’re doing. Will it sell enough tickets to pay the rent and, hopefully, everything and everyone else?

Our latest effort, Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, has been a challenge. The rehearsals have been serious and fun. The cast is very willing and talented.

Measure is one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays” mainly because it doesn’t have a strong resolution. There is a lot of ambiguity in the play. The great thing is how modern it is. There is political corruption, scandal and sex. You can see some Jerry Springer in this show, along with Bill Clinton, and certainly reality television. And yes, it also is pretty funny.

The problem, if there is one, is that the audience doesn’t know the show. This isn’t your typical Shakespeare offering in Chicago’s suburbs. Unlike the other familiar summer plays, where you remember what they taught you in school, or you saw a movie version, this play has a story we don’t hear very often. And yet, I believe it will resonate with people that see it. And then they’ll tell two people and so on. We will see.

The truth is this play has been on our director’s list (Terry Domschke) list for some time. He has a real desire to do this play. So I, in my let’s take on the world tone, said “Why not?” The reality is nobody else in the suburbs would do this kind of work.

Most classic theatre is absent in the suburbs. And when I say classic theatre I don’t mean the work of Shepard, Miller or Williams. They are certainly great authors, but I’m talking about the old playwrights with the larger-than-life stories and characters: Sophocles, Moliere, Marivaux, Goldoni, Chekhov, etc.

These are the playwrights that make the really good actors and directors. Working on these plays is tough. This is because they take some decoding to figure out. Unlike many contemporary scripts that do all the work for you, the classical theatre speaks a whole different language. But you learn the most working on them.