The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), a Photo Journal...

A pictorial look at the show I just directed, as promised. Enjoy! (Our photographer hasn't retouched any of these, so there will be some that are dark etc - don't complain, at least you get to see them, right?!) :D

This is Francheska - she was the dummy in the show, and played the roles of: Beaten up Samson, Random Football player (as a part of the "pile up on the field"), and the Dead Ophelia.

Lexi and Jasper - "These teeth...cry out floss me!"

This painting was hanging on the wall in the pub, so we decided to make him into "William Shakespeare." We referenced him several times throughout the show, to the extreme merriment of the audience as this gentleman looks absolutely NOTHING like William Shakespeare! He, he!

Titus Andronicus as a cooking show: "Roman Meals!"

"You make a nice clean incision from Carotid Artery to Jugular Vein, like so!"

Romeo & Juliet Prologue - "civil blood makes civil hands unclean!"

"Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?"

Romeo

After running himself "through" with Romeo's blade, Tybalt laments: "Oh, I am slain!"

Juliet at the ball - dancing to "Dancing Queen"

Juliet's Nurse - a la Fran Drescher

"Here in this manly...(pop)...here in this manly breast." We used balloons so he could pop them for this line with his cigi rigged with a needle!

The Balcony Scene!

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks..."

"Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear!" This painting is a part of the wall in the pub, and we used it as the moon!

The Othello Rap ("She was pure she was clean, she was viginal too!"...)

"Three sets of identical twins" - A line from the comedies section. (They condense all 16 of Shakespeare's comedies into one play entitled: "The Comedy of Two Well Measured Gentlemen Lost in The Merry Wives of Venice on a Midsummer's Twelfth Night in Winter," OR "Cymbeline Taming Perecles The Merchant in The Tempest of Love as Much as You Like it For Nothing," OR "The Love Boat Goes to Verona!")

Macbeth: "Stay, ye imperfect macspeaker, mactell me macmore!" (Yes, there were ridiculous Scottish accents!)

McB leans on her sword while the witch tells her of Birnam Wood etc...

"Behold where lies the usurper's cursed head!"

Jeff and Jasper as Julius Caesar and the Soothsayer!

Cleopatra: "Is that an asp I see before me?"

Lexi tells Jasper that the character of Cressida has to feign indifference, to which he responds: "Whatever!"

The interpretive dance (to Troiles and Cressida!)

"This...has nothing to do with the Hulk!" Jasper, in an attempt at performance art brings out a stuffed bear, a walking robot, and the Incredible Hulk to war with one another as Lexi narrates the play - needless to say, her character doesn't take to that so well!

"Twenty-three, Forty-two, Henry the Fifth, Richard the Third, Part One, Two, Three, HUP!"

The Histories: "There's a pile up on the field.  FUMBLE!"  They play football with the crown representing the ball and the players being various kings killing one another off!

The cheer leaders after the football game!

For Uncle Wayne: You never thought that this joke would be used to illicit actual laughter did you?

Yes, the audience each night thought that the big reveal was absolutely hilarious!  Thanks for putting me though this so many times as a child - I never knew it would come in so handy as an adult! ;D

After intermission, when Lexi and Jasper "aren't back yet" Jeff has to do the sonnets, so he condenses them all down on to "this one circular beer mat" which he intends to pass around the audience letting everyone read, enjoy and pass on to the person next to them.  There are 154 sonnets, so, luckily for the audience, the missing two actors return before this can commence!

ACT TWO

Hamlet

Bernardo and Horatio at the top of Hamlet.  As you can see, Jasper's character didn't want to do Hamlet!

The Ghost of Hamlet's father. Notice that the knife is "going through his head" and the blood is on his shoulder - we thought that was funny ;)

The Ghost's sign for the forward version of Hamlet.

The Ghost's sign for the backward version of Hamlet.

"Would the night were come"

The lights shift immediately to a blue wash ("night") and they act very cold "The air bites shrewdly, it is very cold"

Polonius - Jeff played him as an extremely old man with false teeth that he had to adjust, and who couldn't move more quickly than a shuffle and could not climb the one step to the platform without physically lifting his leg with his arms! We worked this into a very funny bit!

"To be, or not to be!"

The players - "Speak the Speech I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue."

Hamlet and Gertrude - "Mother, THOU hast my father much offended!"

Hamlet kills Polonius.

Hamlet licks the knife after killing Polonius.

Ophelia "drowning." Jasper would get water in his mouth, gargle violently, then fall to the ground, having "drowned."

Ophelia's funeral with Destiny's Child singing their very interesting version of Amazing Grace in the background.

Hamlet and Laertes fighting over the body of Ophelia (Francheska) as Gertrude looks on.

Yorick - "This skull had a tongue in it and could sing once - blaaaaahhhhhh!"

In the fast version of Hamlet (for those who don't know, there is a normal Hamlet, a fast Hamlet, a faster Hamlet, and a BACKWARDS Hamlet in this show - well worth the ticket price!)

Hamlet says: "It is I Omelet the Danish!" (as she eats a pastry - cheap joke, I know, but I only played into what was already scripted! ;)

"Remember we are trained professionals, do not try this at home. Yeah, (removes fake cut) go over to a friend's house!"

"The rest is silence" - just before Hamlet dies.

Hope you all enjoyed (and understood) that!  I know it's a crazy show to try and follow if you've never seen it!  Love and Hugs!

Be sure to look for upcoming photo journals including: "Springtime for Hamburg and Germany," and "Easter Weekend!"  Stay tuned!

A Taste...

Hey Guys

I don't have the photos back from the photographer yet, but I wanted to give you a glimpse of what I've been working on for the past month or so.  These are some random pictures that Sid took from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)!  I'll post show pictures when I get them back from the photographer.  

P.S.  In other news, SPRING HAS ARRIVED!  It's been a beautiful week of sunny warm (well, relatively warm - in the 60s) days!  What fun!  I went jogging OUTSIDE yesterday with just a t-shirt and jogging pants :)  The sun is also showing its head A LOT more - it rises at about 6:30 now, and doesn't completely set until about  7:30!  

So, now for the pictures...

The interior of the Rover Rep Theatre.  This is some of the seating in the theatre.  It's a small pub theatre in the heart of HH.  We use the basement portion of the pub (the Irish Rover) as the performance space for the theatre.  There is a stage that spans one end of the room, but for this piece I had them use all the space available, including the entry way (which we called the piano room since there is a poorly tuned and horribly delapidated piano there that functions as a piece of furniture!) the bar itself (we had people sitting at the bar, and we just played in and around them) the stage itself (where audience members also sat) and the apron (a small outcropping that is not really an apron at all in the proper sense of the word, but more like a side stage extension - it was the chair area, you'll understand a bit later!)

Another shot of seating.

The "human head pie!" which Lexi build out of salt dough.  For those who don't know the show, it's a very zany look at all the plays of the Bard.  Titus Andronicus is done as a cooking show, and the resulting dish is a: "human head pie with lady fingers for desert!" 

Part of the back stage space - the corner where "Bob" sat.  In the show the person running lights and sound is referred to as "Bob."  Our tech guys (on alternating nights) were actually Herwig and Henrik!

And finally, the one piece of set that we used outside of the pieces typically in the pub: the chair...dun, dun, dun!  This was the place where most of the narration happened, the puppet show from Hamlet happened behind it, the Othello rap happened around it, etc!  (We called this the chair space, as opposed to the bar, the piano space, or the stage, and it was on the "apron" or down stage left out-cropping to the stage!)

More pics soon (of the show itself!)  I promise!  Love and hugs to all of you.  In fact, find someone (preferably someone you already know) and tell them to give you a hug from us today! ;)

My Show Opened Thursday...

...to a full house and a roaring applause.  The audiences have packed the small pub theatre to its capacity the past two nights (we opened on Thursday and will play for 7 performances.)

I was a little wary of the response come opening night, not because of any doubt in my cast - they're doing a fantastic job, but because of the typical fare for this theatre (dramas and intellectual comedies) and because the German audience is used to Brechtian theatre where everything is very intellectual and "stagy" (in my opinion, any way!)  We do have some English first language speakers as patrons, but about half our audience is made up of Germans who speak English to varying degrees.  Hence, another concern, would the English second language speakers be able to follow this fast-moving farce that looks at the work of an Old-English playwright?

The response has been overwhelmingly positive!  Apparently, the zany show with the wacky props and outlandish humor is exactly what audiences were looking for at the end of this unusually cold HH winter!  Waahoo!  Some responses have been, from a German man who came to see the show because his friend was in it (I'll write it in English for you!): I didn't understand everything that was said, but that was not a problem at all because it moved so quickly that I understood the next joke that came only a few moments later!  And from a British regular to this pub theatre, at intermission: do we have the energy for another act of this much laughter?  I think my dry cleaning bill has just gone up!  The same patron, after the show: well, I think they did a simply lovely job, and I hope you'll direct more here for the Rover!

I'm excited to see what reviewers think.  I'm not certain when the reviewers are coming, but maybe that's better because then I won't be constantly concerned with the performances that night!  I, sadly, don't have photos of the show yet, but this afternoon before this evening's show we're going to have our photo call, so as soon as I get those shots back from the photographer, I'll post some of them on here so you guys can see a glimpse of what we've been up to lately!

Sidonie is doing well.  Her new classes this semester are more difficult, but the challenge is a good one!  She's continuing to enjoy her voice lessons, and we can both notice a marked change in her vocal freedom and clarity - I'm so proud of the work she's doing!  She has also had a lot of positive feedback from professors in all areas, acting, dance and voice, so that's very encouraging.

On the job front for me, I went to an audition for a musical (in German) at one of the smaller professional theatres here, and had a great time!  It was a Fosse style dance audition, which I loved!  The singing audition went very well (I sang one song in English which got a lot of laughs, and one in German, and both were very well received.)  Unfortunately, I didn't get a callback because the directors let me know that while they really enjoyed my work, my American accent is still too strong for their needs.  At least I know now that I need to continue working on my accent.  Sidonie and I are trying to work out a way in our budget and schedule to take some German classes in the evenings so we can not only work on our accents but accelerate our learning of the language as well!  We'll keep you posted on how that goes!

I'm having some great feedback from my English teaching courses!  One company that I'm teaching for said, when I asked if there was any particular subject that they wanted me to cover that I hadn't touched on yet, that they were all quite pleased with my work and were very satisfied with what they were learning. (Praise is not a common German response to these types of questions!)  I also mentioned in my upper-level week-long intensive class this week that I had just finished directing a show in English and gave them flyers in case they wanted to come.  One of my students came last night, and brought his girlfriend!  They said they really enjoyed the show, and thought it was hilarious!

In other funny news, I was riding the train to work yesterday when I heard a couple speaking English.  I got out two flyers for the show and said: I heard you guys speaking English and just wanted to invite you to an English language play!  They took the flyers and said they might be interested in coming.  I didn't know if they would actually show or not, but I figured it couldn't hurt asking.  Not only did they show, but they ended up sitting in the very front row!   They too said they really enjoyed the show.

Well, I'd better get going because I have to decide on a list of photos for the photo call today as well as vacuum and get some groceries before the show tonight.  Love to you all!

Random Updates...

I had my first time off in several weeks, so I thought I'd try to give a brief update of all that's been going on...

Into The Woods was a huge success - everyone thoroughly enjoyed it!  People especially enjoyed the Agonies - the princes were set up as pop icons, so I choreographed the Agonies as boy band numbers - everyone loved it!  The show ran for two weeks with excellent crowds despite the unusually snowy weather!

As for The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged,) I had auditions, and had a fairly good turn out.  The producer wanted me to see some other  local actors, so she made some calls and others showed up to the call back the next day.  I ended up with a cast that I'm thrilled with!  There are actually two Germans in the cast - one who grew up around Americans and has an almost perfect American accent, and the other who sounds like he just stepped off the plane from London!  The third member of the cast is an American actor who has been in HH for almost 20 years now.  I ended up casting a woman in the role of Jess (for those who know the show) because she was just perfect for the part!  The producer and I were very excited after callbacks and had the same opinions about casting!  I've never directed in quite this capacity before - I'm used to being the producer of the show as well as the director, so through this process I've learned what things I can relegate to the producer and how we can work together to get the show up - it's been a wonderful experience.

I have, however, given up all free time to rehearse the show - I work for the English Language Institute Monday - Thursday mornings, and Tuesday through Thursday evenings.  I plan lessons during the day, and then Tuesday night (after teaching,) Friday night and all day Saturday and all afternoon and evening Sunday, we rehearse!  Friday morning is my only free time, and there are weeks (like the past couple) when I'm called in to work for ELI on Friday as well [not that I'm complaining, of course, since that means more money - thank the Lord!]

Taking a short rabbit trail (as you who read this regularly know I often do,) my Monday evenings are booked with another sort of lessons altogether.  I have started teaching voice for a couple students on Monday evenings.  I am teaching a young girl who's never taken lessons before (and who doesn't speak English, so her lessons are a mixture of German and motions for the anatomical words I don't yet know in German) as well as an adult.  It's been great fun to get back to voice teaching, and I'm seeing growth in both students already.  They are also enjoying the lessons - which is a big bonus.  I really love all teaching, but it's especially nice to teach something that is artistically fulfilling!

Back on track: we're approaching the final stretch of rehearsals now (we've finished blocking, and are now polishing things.)  The producer will be seeing our stumble through on Sunday evening, so we need to have everything polished before then!  I am thoroughly enjoying working on this show with this cast and Sidonie as my stage manager (she's off school this month, so we're getting to work together.)  It's really been great fun!  I'm very pleased with how the show is progressing, and there's a lot of excitement building in the community - the theatre is already selling out houses!  I was a little concerned about directing this from a Meisner approach for two reasons: firstly, nearly all the theatre here is heavily influenced by Brecht, so a naturalistic approach may likely be frowned upon; secondly, because this is a farce, and needs such precise timing, I wondered how Meisner's approach would marry with the text.  It has been a dream.  My actors are so collaborative and willing to try things, but by the same token, are able to set a bit with precision when it's needed!  It's also been a joy to have Sid there - not only so we'll get to actually see some of each other, but as a stage manager as well.  This is her first time, but she is doing a great job, and it's been wonderful to have her there!

Sorry for all this theatre-talk for all you non-theatre friends.  It's just that that's the biggest thing happening here right now!  There are, of course, other things going on too!

In other news: Sidonie is on her way home from the Ausländer Beruf (foreigner's office) with her Visa for the next year!  Woohoo!  We're both officially legal to be here for the next year!

As for prayer requests, you can pray about our housing situation.  We've had a problem with mold on an interior wall for the past couple months, and the landlord is trying to find a solution, but has been unable to do so, as of yet.  

Also, most of the furniture in the apartment belongs to René (who used to live here.)  We were hoping to buy it from him so we wouldn't have to go looking for other pieces.  Unfortunately, the price he wants for the furniture (purchased two years ago from Ikea) is just more than we're able to pay, so he's in the process of moving things out so as to try selling them in the paper or online.  As of now, he's moved the bar and bar stools, the bookshelf, the sofa and coffee table.  He will be moving the entertainment center and TV/DVD player, the bed, end tables, and wardrobe.  This of course means that we need to move our things out of the furniture, and that we need to find new things.  Our friend Janin's parents (who go to our church) have offered an old TV of theirs, so that's taken care of, but we still need to find other things (esp. a bed and sofa of some sort - a dining table would also be nice.)  If you guys can pray with us that we'll find the things we need at reasonable prices, that would be great!  We were able to agree on a price for the washing machine, so that stays - we're very glad about that!

Sorry there aren't any pictures in this post - I promise I'll get some of the show when we've got all our costumes and props together!  I hope all of you are doing well.  We love and miss you all - please write and let us know how things are going there!  Big hugs!