Week 2 of HENRY V!

It has been so rewarding watching the storytelling deepen.  Hearing the language used more richly.  Seeing the physicality of the actors become more specific.  Today, I’m thinking about what it means for a show to grow.  Too often when one is learning the craft of acting and they are in an educational production of some kind the actor may think growing is “trying something different” or “saying my lines differently” or “getting bigger” or “getting more laughs” etc.  If acting is living believably in imaginary circumstances then the growth of a play becomes simply living deeper; richer.  The audience is the final ingredient in understanding the story you are telling as a theatre artist.  They inform us. We grow in our understanding of the story.  Notice I don’t say the audience controls the story.  The play and the production are 2 of the 3 elements that make a theatrical event.  A production should be like a tree, deep roots to support the beauty above the ground.

In honor of SAINT CRISPIN’S DAY (which is today!)  I give you the St. Crispin’s day speech from Henry V. Read it.  OUT LOUD.  Live it.  You are King Henry.

WESTMORELAND. O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING. What’s he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark’d to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call’d the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say “To-morrow is Saint Crispian.”
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say “These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.”
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

HENRY V tech day!

Saturday was a low key tech day which is what I always shoot for.  All the sound for the show is live so the big focus was lights.  Kris Dietrich created a space/set that utilizes light beautifully.  There are lovely moments in the play where the intentions are full of meaning and emotion and the lights really deliver.  We started the morning with a classic cue to cue.  Besides a bit of a computer problem it was rather fun.  Most of the plays I directed in LA the designer would come into rehearsals during runs and build the show so I would have seen most of the lights before our Equity 10 out of 12 day.  After lunch we came back, finished up cue to cue and then did 2 runs with notes in between. The actors were exhausted after running a fast paced Shakespeare in which they play multiple characters, have many costume changes, fight & sing.  Sunday was a day off and tonight we do our first run with all the elements adding costumes, makeup, hair and final props.  We have 2 nights before opening to fix any problems, make any final changes and learn more about the story.  The actors have been completely dedicated to the story and the process and this makes for some smooth sailing.  Here’s a pic from tech!

Improv for Homecoming!

Friday night.  Homecoming.

What says “welcome back” more than uncomfortable silence followed by uproarious laughter?  Not unlike most family reunions.

Students in the Improv Acting class, combined with a few veterans of Belhaven improv, showcased their skills of… um… well… making things up… in front of people.  They poured their hearts and souls into that performance, and people just laughed at them.  Laughed, I say!  Which was the point – so, good job!

We were all amused by:  The Illiad from the point of views of Achilles, Helen and Paris, the first time Murphy ever ate bananas while riding a bike, a visit from Selena Gomez (kind of), superheroes fighting a more ordinary kind of toxic gas, and the story of Detective Octopus.

HENRY V REHEARSALS

We are heading into the breach dear friends.  Week 5 of rehearsals for our lean mean production of HENRY V.   This cut is designed for 8 actors (4 men/4 women) to tell the story of King Henry the V.  He wasn’t King for long but during his reign he took France for his own.  This is one of Shakespeare’s history plays which are full of humor, action and romance and this play doesn’t disappoint.

All 8 of the actors get a shot at playing King Henry.  (Henry has 8 scenes in the play)  Next week I’ll post a video from rehearsals…

This one hour and forty minute cut was done by Hisa Takakuwa with some help from me.  We produced it at Actors Co-op in Hollywood, CA in 2005 with Ms Takakuwa directing and myself acting.  It was a very low budget second stage production that really hit home America’s situation in Afghanistan and Iraq.

There is no intermission and the play moves quickly.  The actors get a chance to play followers and leaders which really highlights the questions:  What does it mean to be a follower?  What does it mean to be a leader?  What if you are asked to go to war?  What do you do if you no longer believe in that war?  What does it mean to be conquered?

There will be a discussion after every performance and we’d love to talk with you about the play and how it resonates with you.  Follow!  Follow

Catching up on the Spring Semester 2012!

In the flurry of activities at the end of our spring semester left us a bit behind on blogging through our process.  We apologize, and offer the following recap of the end of the spring 2012:

March – The beginning of the month saw about a dozen students and three faculty members head off to the Southeastern Theatre Conference convention in Chattanooga, TN.  Faculty presented as part of panel discussions, attended Undergraduate Auditions, staffed our information booth, and took part in the leadership meetings for SETC; students participated in workshops, auditioned and interviewed for professional summer work, auditioned for graduate study, competed (and won) in the improv comedy competition.  A great conference year, and an opportunity we look forward to every year – convention will be held in Louisville, KY in 2013.

April – A busy time of the year for us as we wrap up our production and academic calendar.  Eleemosynary by Lee Blessing was directed by senior Eleanor Baxter in our intimate Theatre 151 space.  Ms. Baxter then followed up the closing of that show by performing her Senior Recital two days later!

The last week of the semester saw our 2012 Belhaven Theatre Festival, which featured 11 different events, from staged readings, class presentations, original productions, music concerts, improv comedy, and a presentation from our Alpha Psi Omega student-led organization.  A great tradition – which leaves us all both inspired and exhausted!

After the semester concluded, 10 students from both the theatre and dance departments at Belhaven went on a two-week trip to visit The Art Factory, a missions organization in Kandern, Germany.  While there, students worked at the Factory (doing various cleaning and organizing tasks), led workshops in dance, acting, and improv comedy, visited Black Forest Academy to lead chapel services in both the high school and middle school, and presented Shakespeare’s The Tempest.  We were very grateful for the hospitality of Rick and Mary Beth Holladay, who head up the work of the Art Factory, and look forward to future connections with their work for the kingdom.

There are many more exciting things happening in the community and work around Belhaven University’s theatre department – we promise to be more active in sharing our joys, struggles, thoughts, processes and news with you in the future!

Mayfair Affair — Production Pictures

Hey , check out our production pictures from the Mayfair Affair.  If you would like to purchase prints or downloads from this production CLICK HERE.



Pining forSam Ingersoll

Saaaaaaaammmmmmm Innngersollllll !!

Who else is here?

No she can't stay here.

Nooooooooooo !!!

I thought I heard someone else here?

Archive Needs Your Help

I hope you have enjoyed the last month of pictures and I hope they spawned many happy memories regarding your time at Belhaven and in the theatre Dept.  Now it  is our turn to ask you for help.  I am posting the beginning of 3 frames that are sorely in need of some good pictures that I can scan or copy in order to place them in the layout and eventually onto our ‘Wall’. ……

Enemy of the People

Enemy of the People

……….so please let us know if you can help by leaving a comment of emailing or facebooking us.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream

…. and again if any other production’s materials that you were a part of has crept along with you in your travels we would love to scan and add that stuff to our archive and maybe even the wall.

Schertzo Mortale and Christ in the Concrete City

Schertzo Mortale and Christ in the Concrete City

Thanks.