Web Diary
Show: Shakespeare's "Hamlet"
Role: Polonius (Minister to the King, Father of Ophelia and Laertes.)
Producer: Shady Shakespeare
Week Five: Death Scenes, Stumble Throughs and Double Shifts.
This was an awfully slow week for yours truly. First off, I was not called on Monday as I was dead. That is to say that Polonius was dead. We had blocked my death scene the week before and the blocking was still continuing on those scenes left before the end of the play. Those scenes that I am not in.
This rare night off gave me the wonderful opportunity of working a 16 hour shift at the day job! I started at 7:00 and got done at Midnight. Whoopee!
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were also exciting....not. On Tuesday, I was called as it was planned to work Polonius and Ophelia, as ghosts, into the funeral scene. However, that just did not happen. Wednesday and Thursday I was not called but was at rehearsal anyway as the director likes to have us there in case plans changed. On Thursday, this actually happened as we went through various fight scenes and I got to die again!
Friday was interesting as we had are first full run through, or stumble through as some call it. Primarily used to check on continuity and get a rough estimate on time, I would say it was fairly successfull. We came in under three hours, which was not bad considering we were still calling for line and some had books in their hands. Also the fight choreography is still being tweaked. But still it was a good first effort and we will easily be able to trim off the excess time..
It is also a good primer to see who is working hard away from rehearsal and who is not. A good portion of the main cast were working without script in hand showing that they had really been working on their lines. Others, still had script in hand but looked like they did not really need it. Still others have the script in hand and look like they would be lost without it. Next week it will all change as we will be unable to be on book. However we will still be able to call for line. Let the mayhem begin!
Another theme for Friday was "forget your most famous line". Hamlet is chock full of memorable dialogue. I personally forgot to say "If this me madness, there is yet method in it". Our Osric, a wonderful gentleman, forgot "A hit! A very palpable hit" and our Horatio was at a loss to find "and flights of angles sing thee to thy rest". I am sure our directpr would have liked to strangle us all!
In more momentous news, next week we begin rehearsal at the performance space in Sanborn Park! A week ahead of schedule! Details of all that in the next report.
See ya next week,
Ross Arden Harkness