ACTING CLASS - 3 Dec 18 - PART 2 / WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE - INITIAL RESPONSES

In the second part of yesterday's Acting Class, we started development on Macbeth by learning more about William Shakespeare. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Shakespeare provides love interests that show romantic tension in his love stories to make them more exciting but boring at the same time. When actors, play out the show, they speak like pirates. That's called Iambic Pentameter. Shakespeare likes to think outside the box while writing his shows, he has a sense of adventure, he fills his shows with amazement and they intrigue the audience. Most of his shows are around royal eras like Jacobean, Elizabethan, Victorian etc. and have Englishmen in them. Some of his shows are big hits but they are also tragedies: Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth.

Shakespeare's shows are cliche because of all of the aspects of his shows can be similar to different things like life. Shakespeare's shows are obviously old because he started writing his plays at around late-16th century to early-17th century. I think Macbeth is interesting because if you read and watch the play, you will find out that it's all there: love, lust, sexual manipulation, seduction, betrayal, war, blood, death, suspense, mystery, thriller etc. All of those aspects of make Macbeth so emotional but cool and educational. Some of Shakespeare's shows can be too complicated, too difficult to understand or to comprehend, hence the language. Shakespeare's shows are mostly performed here in the UK at the Globe Theatre. There are monologues and soliloquies in all of his shows. There's also tragic events that happen in tragedies, forgiveness and family.

Some of his shows are comedies: The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Anything etc. They can be half-hearted but blank and hard, so many tragedy heroes and irony. Romance plays have sonnets in them.

The language is what we prefer to call Old English. Shakespeare was alive through the Elizabethan era (Queen Elizabeth - 1558-1603), but he died during King James I's reign in 1616 at where was born, nine years before James I's reign ended. Shakespeare must be somewhere around the Medieval era. If a stanza in a play is 14 lines long then it's a sonnet. There are some other really good shows: Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Richard III, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI and Antony & Cleopatra.

There are many things in Shakespeare that are involved and can also be a parody of it (St. Trinians). Goblets, swords, daggers, fate, ambition, make-up, milk, black magic, supernatural, religion, dramaticism, fair fights, insanity, justice, Scotland, Old England, costumes, corsets, stay-at-home women stereotypes, empires, kingdoms, royalty, horses and friendship.

After that, we were given a mini-script which literally explains Macbeth in 20 minutes and we were given an extract of the piece and we were supposed to perform theatrically and I was given 3 remarkable actors to pull this off: Diamond Burton, Favour Dantes and Pedro Small. I used my newfound directing skills to make all of us rehearse numerous times and execute what's in the script and make it perfect and we did. Basically, it was like a screen test.

CAST

Diamond Burton - Cheering Citizen/First Witch
Favour Dantes - Cheering Citizen/Second Witch
Troy Wilson - Cheering and Praising Citizen/Third Witch/Norway Soldier/Director
Pedro Small - Macbeth

This is exactly how we did it. We did change a few things

(There is a fierce battle between Scotland and Norway. MACBETH impales last man standing NORWAY SOLDIER through the chest. NORWAY SOLDIER screams with pain and dies instantly. MACBETH and Scotland win the battle triumphantly. THREE WITCHES plot to meet MACBETH on his way home.)

FIRST WITCH: When shall we three meet again? In thunder

SECOND WITCH: In lightning

THIRD WITCH: Or in rain?

(As MACBETH enters through the gates of his home land, THREE CITIZENS praise and cheer for MACBETH for his courage and bravery in winning the battle. MACBETH just struts across the city.)

CHEERING AND PRAISING CITIZEN (shouts): Worthy gentleman, brave Macbeth, worthy thane, great Glamis.

(After that, MACBETH meets the THREE WITCHES on the heath. They make a prophecy.)

FIRST WITCH: All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!

SECOND WITCH: All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!

THIRD WITCH: All hail, Macbeth, that shall be king hereafter!