In class one day, our first Shakespeare instructor of the course asked us to write down why we were here. Here's what I wrote:
"I came here to learn, grow, explore, take risks, and become a more honest actress."
One of the biggest things I learned about working with Shakespeare that I never really connected with before was that Shakespeare's characters are not ironic. Playing irony is much safer, and let's be honest with ourselves here, much easier. Shakespeare's characters say what they mean and mean what they say. All the time. Shakespeare's sonnets are not ironic. There is always something at stake, and to play a speech from an ironic distance would be diminishing the value of the entire work. In my opinion, Shakespeare stands alone in this regard. So much of modern theater is written to be ironic. Characters constantly keep secrets from others and themselves and the audience and play it off with a smile and a chuckle. Shakespeare does no such thing. Shakespeare puts into the mouths of his characters what very few people can actually do in real life: speak honestly all the time.
And you know what I found to be fascinating? I was uncomfortable being so real on stage. It was so new and invigorating I hardly knew what to do with myself. So many modern actors and actresses make fortunes for themselves playing characters from an ironic distance. It's much tougher to speak the words written for your character with absolute conviction and honesty. It's risky, but when it's done right, it's completely and utterly spell-binding.
A few notes on Shakespearean monologues:
-What is the immediate prior moment?-Do not treat your first line as a preamble. Every word counts. Thoughts. Ideas. Reactions.
-Live in the antitheses, where we change our mind, make decisions and comparisons.
-Do not use the last word of the line to prepare for the next line.
-Mean what you say.
-Make the good lines good and the bad lines bad.
-Say what you mean.
-Less stress, more value.
-"chicken kiev" the adjective with noun.*
*we coined this term together in class. To "chicken kiev" the adjective with the noun, is to make the noun more important than the adjective. Ex: "What studied torments tyrant hast for me?" NOT "What studied torments, tyrant hast for me?" It makes the meaning much more comprehensive.
-Don't get intellectual on the pauses.
-Be on your voice!*
*So many of us adopt an affected tone whenever we're on stage; especially with Shakespeare. It's safer, and something inside us tells us it's right. It's not. Everything sounds so much better when you speak in your normal range and tone.
-Be specific. Play the meaning, not the bigness.
-Find different colors in the speech.
-Don't let go of a word until you mean it.
-Trust your instrument.
-Play to win.
For dramatic monologues:
"Absolute seriousness is never without a dash of humor."
Remember this:
Shakespeare's characters have duality. Let the adjectives sound and the nouns exist. Don't play up the adjectives in preparation for the noun. Change with changes. "I shame to hear thee speak; ah timorous wretch!"
"People of Shakespeare's plays live full lives and go to bed tired. They are connected to nature, never forget they are animals, and never let anybody else forget they are divine." -Macefield
Voice:
Instructor: Andrew Wade
"How can I know what I think until I hear what I say?" -Oscar Wilde
Antithesis is what we do to make sense of things - comparing one thing to another. The second one is usually more important.
"A picture frame sets a painting into focus; distinguishes it. So the frame of our speech serves as a function - it keeps the idea important."
Prose - logical, persuasive, rational
Verse - emotional, imagery
*Language is active. It provokes the next moment. See the words in your mouth and head as active, having an impact on the world, and using those words to win.
*Language, however naturalistic is still presented speech.
*To speak words should alter you.
*When language is written, we almost respect it too much.
*The aim is to release not just a literal/intelligent response, but a more imaginative response.
*The release of thought into words should be as exhilarating as a dance.
*The music of language both provokes and comforts.
*Words are a life force, a provocation, the opposite of silence.
*Actors are the guardians of language.
*Actors are made articulate through the language they bring alive. Their care helps the hearers to be articulate.
*Feel the need to break the silences.
Book to read: The Actor and Target - Decklyn Donalyn
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