April 23rd, Masters!

Hello everyone! We had a great rehearsal yesterday and you all looked fabulous! I'm so proud of you for working hard on your lines and costumes! 

This week we're going to focus on Act 5. We're making some serious changes to staging, so it's incredibly important that your lines as well as your entrances and exits are memorized. Not all of us have lines in Act 5, but we still need you there because of changes we're trying to figure out. We need "all hands on deck!" 

Please come in your costume! We won't be in our costumes every week, but we'd like to see them again this week. :) 

Everyone, whether you are completely memorized or not, please run through your lines six times. This will be easiest and most beneficial if done once a day, but you can cram them all in at the ending if you so choose, so long as you do it. 

For now we are going to forgo the backdrops. But if you have access to a white wall that you could be in front of (or at least a wall that doesn't have a lot of distractions on it) please set up your computer in a way that will accommodate that. We would also like good lighting, as well as you being as close as you can to being head on with the camera. 

In the past when we've done Shakespeare productions we've included small descriptions of the characters in the program to help the audience follow along more easily. 

We're going to do something similar, only instead of a program we're going to have a short video before the play starts! With this is mind, one of your assignments this week will be to send me a dramatic picture of you in your costume. When you take the picture you are in character! Have fun with it! 

Good examples below: 

 

Also, we're going to try and make our production be black and white!! If you can make your picture black and white that would be great, if not it's okay and I can do it. :D 

Summary:

1. Run through your lines 6 times this week. (Memorize completely if you haven't already.)
2. Take a dramatic picture in character and send it to me.
3. Come in your costume! (If you still don't have yours then take this week to finish it.)

We're excited to see you next week! Please don't hesitate to contact Roxanna, Elena, or myself if you have any questions or concerns. 

Sincerely, the Shakespeare people who haven't seen you in a heckin' long time. 

April 16th, Masters!

Hello!
For those of you who we missed at Shakespeare, a quick summary of what is going on is below:
We're going to attempt to record the play online through zoom! You won't be walking around, but there will be different panels where we speak. Our hope is to have it formatted similar to the video below. This isn't a replacement for performing our play on stage, but rather a backup just in case we're unable to:) If we are able to perform on stage then we will just have two different types of performances!

With this is mind, we're going to be very limited to act and communicate our lines through body language, which means we're all going to need to be very expressive through our face and our voice! 

You have three assignments for this week. Please do not put it off to the last minute. We're counting on your hard work to be able to put this together. :) 

Assignments: 

1. You must have all of your lines completely and confidently memorized by next week. We're going to run through the play without using our scripts. Please practice everyday! 
2. You must come prepared with around 1 minute of your lines practiced with a lot of facial expression and voice inflection. Preferably one of your longer lines. You are also able to do a bunch of small ones that are close together, but in that case make sure you practice how you react to the other person speaking. Some of you have lines that only take a few seconds to say. In that case make it the most dramatic seconds of your life! ;) Also make sure to practice adding a lot of expression to the lines you won't be including in that one minute. Expression is everything!
3. Come wearing your costume! We'll only be seeing your torso and up, so you're free to wear pajama bottoms if you would like. But make sure the top half looks amazing! Hair and makeup that would be fitting for your character would also be great. 

Summary!: 

1. Memorize your lines completely and confidently. 

2. Come with practiced line that is filled with a lot of expression.

3. Wear your costume (and make it during the week if necessary.) 

For those of you who need fairy wings here is a tutorial for how to make some that are simple but also look great! 

If you have any questions or concerns PLEASE ask us! We're here to help you!
We hope you have a wonderful week:)

Sincerely, those who've lost all their pigment...

April 9th, Masters!

Hello friends!
It was established last week that your homework is essentially to just work on your lines.
If you haven't memorized all of the way then please work hard on that.
If you've already memorized them all then make sure to review them every once in awhile to keep them fresh!

This post is being bombarded by memes... for good reason.
I'm sure you could all use some good laughs, so enjoy!

We will have two links again, one for
Shakespeare and one for socializing.
If you guys could think of fun ideas for how to entertain yourselves while socializing that might make your experience even more fun!

Mafia wasn't too bad, and I've heard charades is a lot of fun. ;)

The times will be the same! Shakespeare at 12:30 and Socializing at 1:10.
Please remember the importance of being on time to the first meeting!
12:30!! :)

Links and room ID's can be found below.

Topic: Shakespeare
Time: Apr 9, 12:30 PM
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/941857355
Meeting ID: 941 857 355

Topic: Socializing
Time: Apr 9, 1:10 PM
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/273909668

Meeting ID: 273 909 668

We hope you're all having a wonderful spring break! 

We love and miss you all! 

Sincerely, the peeps who haven't left their house for a month. 

Masters, April 2nd!

Welcome to Shakespeare!

(The part when his voice cracks is so cute!)

I hope you're all having a ton of fun!
Ideas of what to do when quarantined:

1. Read a book.
2. Paint a picture. (or learn to paint if you don't know how. There's fun tutorials online!)
3. Sew something. Or crochet! 
4. Reorganize your room.
5. Write a book.
6. Watch a movie.
7. Bake some cookies! 
8. Study the scriptures! 

I don't think it's ethically acceptable for me to require you to do these things under the name of Shakespeare homework... But I hope that you are all keeping yourselves happily busy and entertained! 

Based on the discussion we had last week (which was awesome, thank you for participating!) we are going to have two zoom links. One for Shakespeare and one for Socializing. 

Please make sure to be on time! 12:30!

Shakespeare Link: 

Time: Apr 2, 2020 12:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/876737569

Meeting ID: 876 737 569

Socializing Link: 

Time: Apr 2, 2020 01:10 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/746584812

Meeting ID: 746 584 812

Sincerely, The quarantined. 

(that sounds like a title to a horror movie...;) 

P.S. Please keep practicing your lines! 

Masters, March 26th!

Hello fellow midsummer friends,
We have reached the point where if everyone did their homework faithfully in the weeks leading up to now that we should have all of our lines memorized. If you don't have all of your lines memorized then please make that a goal this week!
Whether all of your lines are memorized or not though, your homework is to run through all of your lines three times. Feel free to do it more than three if you would like. :)
Some of you have yet to contact us about your costume ideas, and if you're one of those people then please email us as soon as you can!

This is a pretty scary time. But I know that if we use our time wisely that it can also be the perfect time for us to draw closer to our Heavenly Father.

D&C 6:36 "Look unto me in every thought; Doubt not, fear not."


We're being surrounded by angels, some of which we may know personally, and if you are ever struggling in this quarantine then please pray for the comfort of your angels to surround you. They want to help you. :)
What a blessing it is that we can still be in contact with one another through the blessings of zoom! (and just technology in general;)

We have some fun ideas for class this Thursday, and we're excited to see you at 12:30! The zoom room code is below.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/727411915

Meeting ID: 727 411 915

We miss you muchly, and hope you're all in the best of health! Remember to memorize those lines!
Sincerely, the Quarantined Shakespeare Nerds.

Masters, March 19th!

Hello friends!
Unfortunately, due to the unkind Coronavirus Covid-19, Vanguard is going to be happening online. We hope that you are all taking precautions to make sure you stay healthy. We really don't want the lines of, "I am sick when I do look on thee!" "I am sick when I look not on thee!" to become a reality for us.

We are not exactly sure how practicing is going to go online... We're still figuring that out, but for now you can memorize your lines! Yay!
We are so close to being completely done with the play!


Note: The gif is in reference to the end of memorizing the play is almost near, not the end of the world because of the coronavirus... :D

This week your lines to memorize are ACT 5. It's a shorter section than the scenes we've been grouping for you to memorize in the past, so make sure to work hard and you can get it done!
Not all of you have lines in ACT 5, and in that case you should have been memorized (or really close) to memorizing all of your lines from the play. Please make sure to recite all of your lines from top to bottom at least five times throughout the week. Only then can you say you did your homework:)


We also talked about costumes for a little bit in class last week, and we really want your input because it's always more fun to perform in a costume that you love.

One time during my phase of deeply hating the color pink, I was performing in an Arabian Nights play. The costume they assigned to me was hot pink flower patterned balloon pants with a hot pink vest and a matching hot pink head scarf. And believe it or not, it was the ONLY pink costume in the entire play! Everyone else was wearing blues and purples and greens and... you get the idea. I stood out like a sore thumb, and I absolutely hated it. I probably wouldn't mind wearing it now haha, but I think aside from it being pink, that it was mainly because I had 0 choice in the matter that caused me to feel miserable.
We want you to have a choice!

We would like for Theseus, Hippolyta, Demetrius, and possibly Amelia to be military figures. But that still provides flexibility. For example, Theseus, do you want a brown or maybe green uniform? Would you like to have medals? Amelia, do you want to be an officer or maybe a secretary? Hippolyta, do you want pants or a skirt? If you have a different idea from the military, let us know!

Those of you putting on the Pyramus and Thisbe play, are you poor or wealthy? Are you educated? Use your character analysis forms you filled out a couple of weeks ago to try and determine what you think your character would wear.

We would like you to draw a picture of what you want your costume to look like. For those of you who have two parts or a need for two costumes (this mostly applies to the Pyramus and Thisbe group) draw two pictures. If you don't feel comfortable drawing, then write down a detailed paragraph or list of bullet points telling us what you want.
We will take them into serious consideration when determining what will fit best:)

Summary:

• Memorize Act 5.
• Recite your lines from top to bottom at least five times.
• Draw a picture or write a list of what you would like your costume to be.

Stay healthy!

Sincerely, still the Shakespeare people

If you want to be Aragorn... continue memorizing your lines!! :D 

Thank you for all of the work that you've been putting into this. Because of you we're on track to having a wonderfully practiced performance! 

We have memorized almost half of the play in only two weeks! Which is amazing!!!

The next few scenes/acts aren't divided as nicely as the last ones we've been doing. So instead of me giving you a few scenes to memorize by this Thursday, I'm giving you two weeks to have all of your lines from Act 3 scene 2 to the end of Act 4 memorized. 

I REPEAT: You have two weeks to have all of your lines that are contained in Act 3 scene 2 to the end of Act 4 memorized. (Pages 29 to 53.)

I'm trusting all of you to not procrastinate. And in order for you to say "yes" when we ask you if you did your homework you will need to have spent at least one hour on your lines each week. Unless you are someone with very few lines, (some of the fairies and actors) and in that case just make sure you're solid. 

Included in that one hour needs to be your lines that you've already memorized. That way we can keep them fresh! ;)

In class we'll continue working on blocking the first 2 acts. 

If you balance your homework by memorizing one or two new lines a day then you should be on track to have it finished on time, and you won't be as stressed out as the time comes closer. :) 

NOTE: As you're memorizing remember to apply the tips you've been getting in class (blocking, voice tone and inflection, etc). It will help you a lot in the long run if you apply those early on in your practicing. 

I cannot even emphasize how impressed we've been with all of you. Thank you so so so much for working with us and meeting your deadlines. You're wonderful! 

Sincerely, 

The Shakespeare People.