Adventures in Shakespeare

Last week was pretty exciting because the Actors from the London Stage's production of Macbeth came to town. I have been looking forward to this since summer because Purdue Convocations connects classes with the actors. Luckily, my World Literature class was visited by one of the actors.

My week began with attending a reception welcoming the actors. Because I am worked up about punctuality I was early, so I took a spot at a table outside and entertained myself with a book. This gave me the opportunity to see people enter the coffee shop. My attention was caught by a trio who entered and then exited. As they prepared to jaywalk across the highway, I heard some distinct British accents and the word "Guinness." Ah, The Nine Irish Brothers pub was calling. I don't blame them a bit and had I been in their place I would have done the same. Shortly thereafter, two other members of the company came out and asked if I knew where they had gone. I pointed them toward the Guinness: my good deed for the day.

On Wednesday, Charlotte Allam came to my class. I was happy that most of the students showed up. The experience really was delightful. Ms. Allam led them through a few acting exercises to relax them and to get them thinking about language. She could engage them with the sounds and emotions in ways that I couldn't dream of. We worked with the Lady Macduff scene in Act Four. She had them select a word and then asked them to get in the middle of the circle and say the word while using a body movement that expresses its meaning. Then she had them say only the vowels and then the consonants. It was about accessing the emotional content of the word and to make them think about meaning and sound. I think that is easy to lose track of that when you are trying to just get through a reading assignment.

Eventually, she had them work on the scene itself. I really enjoyed watching the students work through the speeches. I could see their guards slowly go down. It worked out well that the speech she concentrated on was one that we didn't spend much time on in class. I went for a broader cultural/historical context and a concentration on the "big" speeches, characters, and themes. Getting the chance to dig into a scene so deeply is a luxury. I came out of the hour feeling really energized and inspired. While I know that I would not be comfortable enough to try to copy what she did, I think that I can at least apply some of the ideas to my class in a way that fits my teaching style and personality.

Adam and I attended Friday's performance. Overall, I liked it. I especially liked seeing Charlotte Allam perform; I suppose it was the minor connection I had to her.

The entire play was performed using only five actors. The costumes and set were minimal. The stage was mostly empty, except when chairs were needed. There were few props: a sword or two and a rope. I really liked how the witches used the rope. They would twist it in time with their speeches so we could see their spell and a visual representation of Macbeth's entanglement. Very nice. The scenes would break with an instrument like a drum, a pipe, or an eerie bell. I thought that worked very well.

It was difficult to tell the minor characters apart, but the major characters were easy to follow. The transformation of an actor from one character to another was fascinating. I think that one of my favorite scenes was the Porter scene. I am sure that part of it was the comedy, but it was also the first time we got to see the cast handle multiple characters played by one actor in a single scene. Basically it was done through costume. Another actor would hold part of the costume until the other actor needed to slip into that character again. During the Porter scene the actor had to have a conversation with himself and it really was hilarious. The Lady Macduff scene was quite powerful and I think that those students from my class who attended the play will feel a big payoff.

Ultimately, I think that the actors were splendid and the strategy for staging was novel, but I really do like a bit more pageantry. It was distracting that I could hear all the squeaking seats and coughs in the theater. The speeches were powerful, to be sure, but I think that if you haven't read the play recently and aren't really familiar with Shakespeare it would be hard to follow. Adam said he had some difficulty with it, but he managed. I imagine he didn't have the best time, but I think he found it to be interesting.

I don't think a Hollywood style production is in order, but I guess I wanted some more visual information or something. Then again, the last Shakespeare performances I saw were at American Player's Theater in Spring Green, WI and they don't exactly have elaborate sets. Maybe the outdoor theater can mask the audience sounds more effectively.

Or maybe it is the play itself. Macbeth is a great play, quick moving and devastating, but in some ways I just don't think it resonates as deeply with me as some of the other histories and tragedies. There are a couple strong soliloquies, but I guess they aren't my favorites either.

It was a great experience and I am really happy that I participated. I will definitely be looking for other opportunites like this. It is good for me and for my class.