O, What a Rogue and Putting-Off Slack Am I

Posted on: July 10th, 2009 by wmapother 4 Comments

Please forgive the tardiness of this post. In faith, I have a good reason: a head full o’ Bard. In mid-June I began the intensive Shakespeare Lab at NYC’s Public Theatre.

Basically, it’s eight weeks of the Man from Avon, from soup to nuts. Twelve of us (and I’m in very good company) are given a variety of Shakespeare-centered classes in everything from Acting to Voice. The facultyis remarkable.

It’s been everything I hoped for and more. One of the difficulties of being an actor is how little time is actually spent acting. (Most working actors I know feel that their real job is looking for a acting job.) We do it because we love it, and then we don’t get a chance to do it. And when we do get the chance, although we’re generally grateful for the work, it’s often not challenging.

The challenge is part of what appealed to me about the Lab, and boy, has it delivered, both in the amount and nature of the work. And, of course, the text itself. I’ve read Shakespeare in college as an English major and then for pleasure, but playing it is something else entirely.

The complexity of the thoughts, language, and situations, to say nothing of the requirements of the verse itself, demand everything from the performer. (Only four weeks in, and I’m already holding forth like a veteran. Dang.) I’ll just say this: Attending the Lab is one of the best decisions I’ve made in some time (not, some would assert, that that sets the bar very high..).

We finish the Lab with some performances around NYC August 1-9. The show will be a mixture of scenes, sonnets, and maybe some Elizabethan dancing and singing (no, not even this faculty can teach me to sing). For those in the area and interested, the dates and locations are on the blog’s calendar. (To be sure the place, date, time hasn’t changed, before attending please be sure to call the Public Theatre: 212-539-8500.)

Fare thee well!