Arts in Shakespeare

This past week was a busy one in preparation for our "Arts in Shakespeare" performance in front of RADA and Tisch faculty.  Our group of sixteen put on an hour and fifteen minute presentation of Elizabethan dance numbers, madrigal singing, sonnets, sword fights, and clowning in front of what turned out to be an extremely intimidating and critical audience.  Despite their reserved demeanors during the performance, many of the faculty said they were really happy with how the presentation turned out.  I'm not sure our dance teacher was very proud of us, but he was a little crazy, anyway. (He told us:  "I want you to think astrologically in your dance: planets are aligning in response to the movements and the measures, that's why Shakespeare wrote 'Measure for Measure.' It all comes back to dance, the music of the spheres. " I'm paraphrasing, but you get the point.)

Either way, it's good to have it over with because now we begin to focus on our Shakespeare shows.  I'll be in rehearsals for an hour-long version of "King John" over the next three weeks, directed by Brigid, who taught our sonnet class.  The next show will be an all-male "Tempest," which I'm particularly pumped up about.  Our last show, which we present in early May, will be all sixteen of us in "Measure for Measure."  Music of the spheres.

I also saw on Valentine's Day "Taming of the Shrew" at the RSC.  Pretty intense production.  They had the opening take place outside of a strip club in a red-light district, and the main character gets tossed out of a window by the bouncer.  The best part was the production went head on into the sexism and did a good job with it.

NYU in London soccer club received another trouncing by English footballers.  This time I was checked into the boards early in the game and skinned my knee up pretty badly.  Final score 11-2.  Phil and I are not slated to be at next week's game.  It'll be good time to get rested and healed.