Part 1 - Foundation Craft

 - You can't do work as physically intense as Shakespeare until you're physically ready. You must learn what it is you need to be able to do before you can do it; you must practice and become proficient at each aspect before you can perform the whole

 - Novices should start with poetry, language full of imagery THAT IS IMPORTANT TO THEM.... Feel the sensation of speaking intense meaning. You don't really understand what language says until it is spoken - until it takes place in your body.

- Novices must learn how to "easily" memorize by rote - exactly and only what is in the text. The text, as it is written tells you its meaning. Musicians have notes, we have punctuation.

P. 4

"...here the action is in the word - not merely described by it. (The words) must be spoken before they can be acted."

- Understand how lang works. There must be an understanding of language and how it works. Understanding how a thought is built, contrast, metaphor...etc.
- 'penetrated and filled with the power of language' (ecstatic, no?)
- Shakespeare is actor friendly, easier to speak than a screenplay...
- "evidence of the text", "the givens" - be able to recognize and understand what is in the text that is telling you how to play, what cannot be denied (and once you know it is, how it can be manipulated)

 p.5

 -Rules/structure/rhythm

- Acting ON the word, responding quickly, instantly; the text will tell you when to think

p. 6

- the emotion changes as the word does
- the image must be experienced as it is spoken, otherwise one lapses into pattern and habit -> generalizing-> "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING"

 "Actors who think words are irrelevant have few options in playing Shakespeare."

- This is not naturalism. If treated as such, the audience won't understand it, HEAR it. There are TOO many words in Shakespeare for them to not be SPOKEN to the for the sake of the audience; too easy to get lost...

 p.7

"The movement of the voice called range is merely the physical manifestation of passion in either feeling or thought. The more passionate the idea or excited the feeling, the flexible your voice should (will) be."

"In Shakespeare the word comes first."

Craft

- attempting to do Shakespeare without engaging oneself in the craft is merely pretending to do so.
- What is craft? Daily, diligent work, working alone - as skill that's normal to musicians that actors should learn

Communication

 p. 9

"We're often frightened of committing to any powerful idea or passionate feeling. Our communication grows indirect...we rely more and more on glibness, cyncism or denial."

"The world of Shakespeare is full of inquisitive speakers and attentive listeners."

- His characters use language to do everything: mourn, praise, love, wound, kill......

 - exercise: practice speaking w/o degree modifiers - use the voice to let us know what you mean

p.10

- modern text needs help, Shakes does not ?

 p.11

"We all know more than we think we know."

 - Shakes has an understanding of how we all work in a heightened state
- We are more clear, definitive in a heightened state - Shakes stays heightened.

    * You speak yourself into consciousness
    * You experience the transforming aspects of language
    * The world and you change through the word
    * By the end of every speech, you and the world have changed for better or worse

Preparing the Equipment

   1. Are you prepared to put in the time and energy? (a Shakespeare play is a marathon)
   2. Do you have courage, are you frightened? ( a healthy dose of each is helpful)
   3. Do you have humility? (Open, willing to hear, willing to "be changed")

Preface

"

• To understand any play text fully you have to speak it.
• To release its power fully, you have to commit through the body, breath and word.
• You have to trust the words and know what those words mean (my bold)
• To access the power of a play, you have to know how it's contructed (<-?)
• You can't act Shakespeare until you can speak him.*

"
*(here we go with the Willy worship....)