Rehearsal
My essay to teachers is 20 minutes long;
you might prefer listening to it.
My cuts - what I call vacuuming - are what one might find in almost all films and professional stage productions. As I search the internet to see how teachers, currently and digitally, approach Shakespeare, I am disappointed, once again, to find too many programs filled with translations, opinions, comparative drivel, thematic rigamarole, bite-sized chunks, anything to fill a class, all culminating in a dreaded, all-important, end-of-term, essay. So much time and effort is wasted on dissecting obscure passages that are almost always cut. Why do students have to suffer through unabridged texts, when their parents get to enjoy sensibly vacuumed films and plays? It makes no sense, except for scholars paying off their mortgages with yet more learned opinion. Shakespeare never worked with scholars or critics, only actors!
As a long-time professional actor I was blessed to work with several world-class teachers, directors, and actors. I am the only actor who performed with Maggie Smith in all 5 Shakespearean productions directed by the great Robin Phillips at Stratford, Ontario, from 1978 to 1981. I also played Edgar in Peter Ustinov’s famous King Lear. I was just one actor in a stunning, mainly Canadian company! All our Shakespearean productions were abridged; many were judged world-class. Most sold out to huge audiences. I have also spent at least 10,000 hours over the years, coaching students and actors through their Shakespearean monologues. Except for the French ladies in Henry V, I play all the parts in the twelve audio-plays. Hearing how an experienced actor stresses the text, should give students a solid initial starting point. Then it’s refinement through practice. Essays are a waste of everyone’s time, especially yours. I was constantly bringing my ideas to rehearsal, and the response was almost always, “Let me hear it, Rodger.” Ideas could only be validated through performance.
By vacuuming Shakespeare, the text becomes quickly comprehensible and playable. By formatting what’s left as thoughts, instead of prose or verse, readers are less likely to become frustrated by a mythical rhythm scheme, or flummoxed by capitals that begin each line of verse, but do not necessarily start sentences. Those capitals confuse almost all young people. Besides, who cares how it is punctuated on a page, what does it sound like from the stage? In professional theatre no one cares about your scholarly opinions, just the clarity and complexity of your performance!
Good acting can be exacting or intuitive; there are no real rules, except being perfect with the text, which, in itself, can be a fine achievement. So, dig into the words first; find out what they mean. Read the synopsis, explain the situations to the students. Don’t just allow them to decide on emotional responses; they need to think why their character choose specific words, why certain actions are taken. The characters’ successes and failures, perhaps quirks of fate, are what create emotions. Michale Langham, the greatest man-of-the-theatre that I ever worked with, once told a group of us, “Wonder is the most valuable emotion in Shakespeare.” Tis true.
In real life, I remember the instant that I heard of my son’s death - he was mountain-climbing. I could not possibly have prepared for that moment. I had so many thoughts colliding within me, igniting my emotions. My main emotion was horror, of course, but also wonder that such a thing could happen. I did not want these emotions and fought desperately not to be over-whelmed by them. I suppose, as an actor, one could try just emoting in such a situation; but without attempting to grapple with specific thoughts, as I did, one would just seem shallow and indulgent. The head leads the heart, not the other way around.
Less is more - such nonsense. If a poor actor is over-acting a director might say, “Less is more.” This, of course, is not true, but might solve the immediate problem. When we have a deep, difficult problem we often become still to concentrate all of our energies towards solving the inner conflict. We don’t move, we just think. So that still actor who becomes riveting, gains our respect not by doing less but by experiencing more thought, and likely deeper emotions. He/she does not want to move, sometimes can’t! Audiences actually love to watch actors just think, at least the intelligent ones do. We spend our lives observing others think; that is how we survive and prosper! Acting cliches like less is more are practically always wrong! Become a better acting teacher by observing yourself more closely.
To help develop rich thinking at Stratford, Robin Phillips always had a huge dictionary on some table. Led by Rod Beattie, we were always re-examining words. What we learned would spawn new thoughts and even new emotions. It was all in the words! As our performances matured, and our inflections and speeds altered slightly, those minute changes would often spawn new thoughts amongst the listeners, producing a very alive Theatre! You don’t have to be doing stuff to be a contributing actor; if you are listening and thinking, you will be appreciated.
So, my intention in creating this series was to encourage young people to practice the 12 vacuumed plays of Shakespeare Out Loud, to experience Shakespeare’s extraordinary characters - their words, thoughts and emotions, while practicing the craft of acting. This practice, over time, imbeds crucial oral communication techniques, so valuable to future success. Antithesis, for instance, Shakespeare’s constant use of opposites, made him profound and very funny. I contend that practicing Shakespeare Out Loud makes everyone funnier.
A significant portion of each class should be oral, not just listening to the teacher, but the students orally playing and refining text out loud, parts they have been assigned to prepare. If you have to judge/grade your students, do it then, with your ears. Have they read the play carefully? I would also judge them on class-participation. Who is bringing good ideas to rehearsals? It will take effort and talent on your part to nurture good readings from them all, as each student/actor has different needs. You need to attend to them all. You don’t know what you are going to teach each day until they bring their oral homework and practice to you. That’s when you create a world and nurture performances that all make sense. And don’t complain if someday, you are judged as well; director is the best job and everybody wants it.
Having a performance goal, like a full reading, should morph your class into a cast! The deadline of a performance will unite them. Ask the principal, or another class, to hear your reading. Get your tech-kid to record it. Also, perhaps find yourself a stage manager in your group - they can be wonderful organizers, with schedules and such. The Stage manager might also make a sturdy prompt book where good ideas may be recorded. If your goal of recording some scenes, or the whole play, is accepted, everyone should have a role! If you are doing R&J, parts as large as Juliet and Romeo might have to be split up several times. Think all the casting and scheduling through carefully; therein lies success!!!
Of the hundreds of boomers I have asked about Shakespeare over the years, all of the fond memories were of teachers who could either act, or got their kids acting Shakespeare. ALL! No one ever mentioned a favourite essay. Like good directors, teachers need to not only know their stuff but be encouraging to everyone. Nowadays, kids can even practice, and record, online with each other. Encourage that. Technology could greatly facilitate scene-practice. During my over 30 years in the theatre there was always a goal, an opening night, another performance! Give everyone the goal of playing some Shakespeare out loud for some audience, even if it is just a recording. It is called Shakespeare Out Loud for a very important reason.
Any age can do the Dream and Much Ado, and R&J. All three of those have detailed SOL acting-guides, with hundreds of actor-suggestions. Twelfth Night also has an extensive guide and is ideal for 11s and 12s, as are the tragedies, and indeed all the SOL plays. The texts are also ideal for any productions. In class, assign readings early and regularly so students have time to practice. Cast creatively. As an example, and as suggested in the guide, cast your smallest student as Sampson, at the beginning of R&J. Then play the scene straight. It can be hilarious. Casting is a director’s most important task; try to serve the play and your students. It is all here on this website, you just need to do some reading, learn some new language, and plan each class carefully. SOL is always highly interactive instruction. Through time you will learn to speak to one actor, and the whole class, at the same time. If your goal remains to hold a mirror up to nature, as Shakespeare suggests, rhythm won’t help you; thoughts and emotions will.
While I am aware of the powers of modern tablets, I believe that providing paper scripts, so the young actors may jot down, and remember, their notes, helps them build clear and nuanced oral performances. A spiral backbone makes them durable as well, and easily held in one hand, sometimes a good prop. They are not electronic devices and therefore cannot distract young minds. They cannot be broken. They help introduce pencils back to young people, ones with good erasures. When used, practiced with, drawn upon with notes jotted down, scripts become mini-libraries of ideas. Here is the back cover for the series: lots of ideas there.
The practicality of these paper scripts makes a substantial difference to the process. The effort you, or I, must put in is well worth it! You can also get a Printer to produce them, with any cover you want, perhaps colour-coded for your cast. Make them spiral and durable, and have a prodigious supply of pencils. I have never prepared a part any other way. The paper script allows one to think, craft, and most importantly, play! If students never use pens on them, they can be erased and re-used next year. If the kids want to keep them, all the better. If you do print texts, I would include useful resources like insults and compliments - fun, oral warm-ups for any class. While I know that the tablet can work, too much added literary information on the device distracts from the oral purpose of the scripts. I can name very few figures of speech but you will certainly find me using them all adroitly on my speeches page. I have a thorough list of them, but never identify them while acting. I think the thoughts of the characters, who create them!
So, at first, concentrate on why characters say what they do, why they choose each w0rd. You’ll need to read the play carefully of course, and have some background knowledge as well, but from day-one you will be mainly working with your ears, and your students’ voices. As your cast reads, then plays, keep refining and orally practicing the thoughts that cause the words; and as their oral skills improve, their performances mature, the plays will teach themselves. I, personally, give and take reading assignments, interchanging students on the fly, searching for the best casting in the room, letting lots of kids try a troublesome, or fun, section - never accepting “no” for an answer. I encourage the high notes in their voices, the notes of wonder and delight. Productions will also block themselves through oral understanding and practice: the feet are easy to organize when the minds are clear.
Another technique I often employ is allowing all the students, at the same time, a minute or so to practice a word, or a line, or their insult, out loud. I always start the competitions that way. If they all practice boldly at the same time, they will not hear each other, or fear being heard. They can practice and gain confidence before speaking alone. It will take some gentle insistence for the kids to accept this practicing out loud, all together, but once they realize no one is judging them, it helps them safely explore. It also allows the teacher opportunity to encourage the shy, but quite possibly very talented students, hanging at the back. EVERYONE MUST SPEAK DURING THESE PRACTICES! The more out loud in Shakespeare Out Loud, the better!
Also, accept that rhythm is a literary concept rarely discussed and never stressed in professional rehearsals. The English language is built on stressed and unstressed syllables. So what? It would be awfully dull with only one stress. Iambic pentameter verse mostly allows more ink to be printed on expensive French paper. Besides, skilled actors make their text sound like heightened and invented everyday speech. Maggie Smith certainly did. That is why I formatted the words of Shakespeare not in prose or verse, but in thoughts; and why students and actors play them so readily and naturally. The best verse-speaker that I ever worked with, Nicholas Pennell, told us, “When meeting new verse, write it around the walls of a room using no capitals and no punctuation. Find out what the words mean first!” AND, should you actually be mounting a production, the more initial time you spend at a table, the better your production will be. The play needs to sound right before it is allowed to stand. Don’t get them on their feet with empty brains; that’s what recess is for!
Also, my synopses are all the best, the most accurate, that you will find anywhere. I challenge anyone, except AI, to better any of them. If your students have questions, the synopsis will likely answer them. I apologize for the bragging, but I have searched some fantastical synopses over time. This teaching of Shakespeare is another big business, often filled with pomposity and nonsense, all in pursuit of a mortgage-free existence. The purpose is not to bore students for cash, but to play with them for free.
Now, if you, as a teacher, lack the confidence to make suggestions and direct readings, I’ll wager that there are students/directors in your class who will help. Good directors are almost always great listeners. They’d listen for, and shape, thought from their actors. They ask good questions like, “Why did your character choose that word?” As long as you cast well and demand daily readings, you have done your main job. The smart, or intuitive, people in the room can figure out the play. They’ll be shaping it with their own voices. Often, if the director is weak, the best actor just sort of takes over. Creating theatre is always a collaboration.
You must also learn to demand silence when students are reading or playing aloud. Initially this might be difficult, but your students must learn silence is not empty, it is often crammed with thought. The length of a silence often reveals the precise thought that creates it. This can make silences hilarious. Silence is also how we respect our fellow actors. If, in a band, would one speak while others were playing? Robin wouldn’t even let us giggle from the back of the huge auditorium. Of course, while working your way though a scene, the class will experience outbursts of delight, and that is great, but you must discipline them to respect those performing. They might decide to do something, surprising. A class of SOL will leave you exhilarated and exhausted - constantly holding the reins tightly, then releasing them. Once you and your students are attuned to one another, you should all have a ball. Don’t forget how funny Shakespeare can be.
EVERYTHING that you need as a teacher of Shakespeare is on this website. Read the SOL versions; they work. Then, read them out loud. They work even better! Then play them 0ut loud! If you are still unclear about certain passages, listen to my audio-plays. Read my guides that are packed with hundreds of acting notes. Educate yourself with my free resources. Work hard! Then get used to being that cherished teacher who was so good at bringing Shakespeare to life!
As for political correctness, little Dromio, from Two Gentlemen of Verona, is mistaken for his long-lost identical twin. This scene was certainly far, far to politically incorrect to be included in a recent Vancouver production, but it is a hoot to play on its own. Will wrote lots of questionable passages! Just choose the right challenges for your kids, then encourage them to practice bits, scenes, speeches, whole plays, or the extensive free resources and monologues found on this website. If they memorize some words well, and play them joyfully, and actually remember them in later-life, you will have created something important: a belief in their own voices.
Rodger Barton
Workbook
Blocking monologues
Speaking verse