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The Shakespeare Challenge

Dear All

Today is the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s Birth and Death. Today, I will tell you a few things fascinating facts about the swan of Avon and leave you with a challenge.

1 ) At many times, Shakespeare has been spelt Shakespere and even Shagspeare. Last month, the British retailer Top Shop was roundly mocked for spelling it – Shakespere on a t-shirt. It is funny, but even Shakespeare himself spelt his name various ways!

2 ) Shakespeare was a toy boy, he married his wife Anne when he was 17 and she was 26, she was 3 months pregnant at the time. Saucy Devil!

3 ) Shakespeare’s profession was listed as ‘actor’. A despised profession in Elizabethan England. But playwright was a very low earning job. A member of Elizabeth’s court once spent more money on 1 single party than Shakespeare likely earned from writing his entire life! Shakespeare earned his living as a partner in ownership of theatre companies and theatre buildings. That’s where the real money was, in a box office taking!

Some of my friends and students are taking up the Shakespeare Reading Challenge with me.

By this day next year, we must have read Shakespeare’s complete works. Think of the sense of achievement! I’ve managed The Two Gentlemen of Verona already! Join me and this time next year, let’s see who has completed the challenge with me?!

Tags: Reading Shakespeare

Getting to Know Shakespeare

Now that my e/book Truth in Action is away to the printers, my attention turns back to my original book Approaching Shakespeare.  Shakespeare is something special to me, not just because we’re supposed to love him, but because he is truly a man for all times.  His thoughts and poetry stretch out in time to touch us even now, there is barely a situation you can experience, that Shakespeare has not covered in his plays or poetry.  And on the topic of love, (today is Valentine’s Day after all) then he is a master.  Go one further and we have the whole Shakespeare authorship debate (please note the Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust were invited to take part in this debate on my blog, but while anti-Stratfordians were happy to comment, the SBT were… absent.  Oh well, why would they want to reach an extra 22,000 people?)

At the moment on Sky Arts 2, we’re getting In Love with Shakespeare, a short 5-minute piece where an actor does their favourite bit of Shakespeare.  It’s a neat idea, not too long, snappy and impressive.  Worth a watch if you have Sky Arts.

But actually, regardless of their lack of interaction (they were again invited to talk more about their course via this blog, but they ignored the email)  the Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust have produced TWO really wonderful things.  So if you love Shakespeare, or if he’s a mystery and you’d love to get to know him properly, then I would STRONGLY recommend these resources.

The first is Shakespeare Bites Back – a totally FREE PDF eBook about the Shakespeare Authorship debate, written by Stanley Wells and Paul Edmondson.  It’s written by two world renowned experts on Shakespeare and will enlighten about the authorship debate.  Didn’t you know that some bonkers folk think Shakespeare didn’t write Shakespeare? Well, it’s a fascinating and engaging read, so ahead and give it a blast, you’ll enjoy it.

But for a much more comprehensive love affair with Shakespeare,  you can take a free course on Shakespeare online via the Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust.  They’ve called it Getting to Know Shakespeare and it’s a set of documents, videos, pictures and audio files that you can actually work your way through.  It’s full of fascinating stuff for actors, not just stuffy facts of academic debates, but the stuff of actually loving to PERFORM Shakespeare and includes many interviews with actors.  One by Abigail Rokison, an actress and academic is absolutely wonderful and I’m proud to say that I worked with Abigail long ago when she was just out of Drama School and before she was a Cambridge scholar.  You could sit and go through all of it in one sitting if you wanted to, but it’s much better to take your time and enjoy it.  But it’s completely free, carefully thought out and well constructed.  I hope you’ll sign up for free and join me in learning more about this truly inspiring person, William Shakespeare, the swan of Avon.

 

To You, The Best!

Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND


Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011

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Tags: ebook on Shakespeare, free online shakespeare course, Getting to Know Shakespeare, PDF ebook, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Doing a Shakespeare Monologue for Drama School Audition

Today’s blog comes because I’m constantly working with young people on their Shakespeare monologues and I wanted to sum up the lessons they learn working with me, so that those students who cannot get to my studio can benefit from doing a little more prep on

Monologue Choice

Old Bill isn’t writing anything new these days, so it does make your choice somewhat limited.  However, people are obsessed with doing ones that ‘they won’t have seen’.  Well, they’ve probably seen all of them! They don’t care about your Shakespeare choice, cos they knew you didn’t have one.  The only thing you should do is cast yourself in a Shakespeare role that suits you.  If you don’t know if it suits you, wikipedia the play if you don’t have it around to read.  Does that sound like you could get cast in that role?  So don’t do the Nurse from Romeo and Juliet, if you’re a skinny, blonde, 17 year old! There’s plenty of choice for you, even if Shakespeare was writing for androgynous boys!  Choose a piece, no longer than 2-3 minutes.

Style of Performance

It has become popular in the last thirty years, particularly in the United States to try to ‘naturalise’ Shakespeare’s speech. Yes, of course, it should sound authentic and not overly declaimed, but it is poetry and as it is heightened language, you must heighten your performance style.  You should still be convincing, but you must also learn to make the poetry come to life. When you naturalise it, it flattens the poetry and because the audience need time to take it onboard, going quickly with a naturalistic speed, the audience do not have time to take it all in.

The Heartbeat

Another side effect of naturalising Shakespeare is ignorance of his dramatic verse.  Some characters speak verse and some prose.  Usually reflecting their status or their state of mind.  Almost all Drama School Auditions will want you to speak verse.  So make sure your speech is in verse!  Inside each line of his verse is the iambic pentameter, the duh dum duh dum duh dum duh dum duh dum rhythmic beat that pounds through his verse like a poetic heartbeat.  The heartbeat reflects all sorts about the character and often gives up secret clues given to us by Shakespeare.  If you ignore it, or try to act against the grain of it, you end up all wrong.  You can’t play Chopin without playing the notes he wrote, you can’t ignore Shakespeare’s verse.  Those that do end up sounding like they’re singing their national anthem to the tune of When the Saints Go Marching In…

Speeching

Patsy Rodenburg has spoken about three circles around you as a performer.  I like to think about the first circle being just for you, the second takes in another person or people, the third is sort out into the air.  A Shakespeare monologue is NEVER performed to the third circle, never to just the open air.  Speak to yourself, or speak to the audience, but speak to a PERSON.  Speak to the audience AS a person.  Very easily, we just ‘speech’ as I call it, out into the darkness,  we forget that we’re trying to get something done, the character wants some kind of action as a result of speaking, we can’t do that if you just throw it out.  Each word, each phrase, each line and each sentence is intended to hit a person and make a change.  Remember that and practice it on a person, not into the air.

Headline

Lastly.  The first line of all Shakespeare monologues is like a HEADLINE IN A NEWSPAPER!  IT sums up the speech and gives you a chance to understand the speech right from the off.

Hope that’s helpful!

Oh, before I forget, in April, I will be releasing an eBook on Acting Shakespeare Monologues called Approaching Shakespeare, in the meantime, you might have to settle for a copy of my other eBook Truth in Action.

To You, The Best!

Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND


Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011

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As Who Likes It?

So yesterday was Cate Blanchett, and tonight is Shakespeare’s As You Like It at the Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney.

I apologised yesterday for an unusual amount of reviewing, and today I continue under the cover of the same excuse, or a note from my Mum, whichever you prefer.

Well, I honestly don’t know how I feel about this experience, mixed is a word, I’ll unwind my thoughts with you.

First off, I managed to get a returned ticket, (which was a plus). But I was not able to get a student ticket as only Australian students are entitled to a student ticket. This is a minus. (Note I WAS an eligible student at the IMAX and the Sydney Aquarium today, but to the theatre, that institute of free-thought, truth and culture, I am the wrong kind of student, a foreigner, a fat cow suitable only for milking at full price.)

By the middle of the opening line, I already wanted to leave, (thats a minus)! I don’t mind raw, but there was not a drop of authenticity in it. (that’s a minus), but I accept that it’s heightened language and requires a heightened playing style, but heightened and pantomime are different things.

Now I was mad, I spent $59 on a ticket for a production that was bellowed and over-acted (did they not hear Hamlet’s advice to the players?) (that’s a minus)

$59 for a ticket to see a show which for the first 15 minutes felt like a Uni Medics review show) felt like a bit of an insult, (that’s a minus) and makes it clear to me that theatre in Australia, or at least in Sydney, is an expensive luxury.(that’s a minus)

The verse speaking is pretty awful, the beat ignored (try singing your national anthem to the tune of How Much Is That Doggie in the Window or Happy Birthday to You – for a similar effect), the energy disappeared at the end of lines and very difficult to understand at times. (that’s a minus)

Then they started singing, and created something beautiful that compelled me to watch on (that’s a plus). But it’s cheating to woo an audience with song (that’s a minus)

Next they started ad-libbing (that’s a minus) but it was done so well and so funny, it charmed us all (that’s a plus!) but mainly it was used to save us from the Shakespeare (minus)

At half time (the interval) I sat trying to decide whether to waste time as well as money and in the end decided to give it a ‘fair go’. (that’s a plus)

Returning to my seat, I found the cast dressed as sheep, with wildly self indulgent larking around, it was funny, but it went on far too long. (that’s a minus) The cast throughout looked like they were having smashing fun. (that’s a plus for them) it was the kind of piece that actors love to be in.

The clown scenes were well handled but its still worrying when the comedy grafted onto the piece is so successful (plus) and the comedy and drama of the original given only lip service. (minus)

But something magical was woven between the poorly acted Shakespeare, the cast, through their warm and affectionate performances, they got to me. They beguiled me. Unwillingly at first and finally, openly and reciprocally.

The musical ending including a solo song from Casey Donavan, was beautiful and charming, I left the theatre with a huge smile. (big plus)

So despite mishandling the text, avoiding the verse, mumbling, gabbling, paying little heed to the Iambic Pentameter, a complete refusal to truthfully work off the other actor unless ad-libbing, adding their own stuff, being self indulgent and very expensive… In the end, it was a fucking astonishing piece of theatre.

It was wrong for so many reasons, but it was right for many more. The whole being somehow (but it may have been the deliciously spicy sushi roll I ate at Jazushi before the show) was much more than the sum of its parts.

Layering a show on top of a show was clearly not the intention, and i should have hated the contrivance but at times, I could see method in their madness and a real sense of connection to the Elizabethan theatre, with gags and asides that the audience lapped up.

And since the audience don’t understand Shakespeare, they’ll wait for the next funny bit between bits of poorly done Shakespeare, cos he’s not very funny anyway…

And if the verse was mangled and the ad-libs were the best bits and that meant that there were two shows, As You Like It and As We Prefer It, well… So be it. It was still bloody marvellous.

I should have hated it, but I couldn’t. It cast its spell on me and made me want more (of the funny, musical, non-Shakespeare bits)

Tags: As you Like it, belvoir st theatre Sydney