Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Live Amateur Performance or Professional Video?

In a fit of whimsical curiosity, I asked my roommate and her boyfriend to act out the infamous scene already shown in this blog (see previous entry).
I figured it might be interesting to see what a couple of college students could bring to this play that Ian McKellen couldn't. The answer: humor. Seth's (my roommate's boyfriend) performance made an already creepy character take on a third dimension. Chelsey, my roommate, is a theatre performance major from Weber State, and she made a point of acting exactly as she would expect Lady Anne to act.
Plus, since they were in actuality a couple, it changed the whole dynamic of the scene. When Richard/Seth told Lady Anne he belonged in her bedchamber, I was about to roll on the floor (from laughter of course).
The result was a slightly soap opera-ish performance, nix props that just get in the way. But it really helped cement in my mind just how the scene could work.
(Incidentally, Chelsey and Seth continued to talk in Shakespearean English long after they finished the scene. I may have helped Seth discover the blooming poet inside!)

Comments (6)

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I'm glad your attempt turned out entertainingly. What "third dimension" did Seth add to Richard's creepiness?
1 reply · active 740 weeks ago
Seth is just more of a comedian in general, but I think seeing someone act like Richard would in person was infinitely more creepy than seeing it on a screen. So it was mostly because it was a live performance and not a movie.
This is a great idea! I hope you don't mind me stealing it for a later post. It would be great if you could film them doing it and put it online so we could enjoy the humor with you! It obviously wouldn't be as funny to the rest of the class, considering we don't know them, but it would still be amusing to see a impromptu Shakespearean performance.
1 reply · active 740 weeks ago
I will have to see if they will agree to that! We'll see if I can convince them, but if I can, I will for sure put it up.
And feel free to steal it. Seeing how much it helped me I would encourage it!
Nothing like live theater (amateur or not) to mix it up. Shakespeare worked with a repertory group and that meant that people got used to seeing certain actors take certain roles, or they enjoyed the relationships that developed among the actors as they saw multiple plays.
haha that is awesome! I bet it also helps to have people you know in the roles too. Super fun! :)

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