Is it over yet?

That's what I say to Cara Patton at least twice a night during the hell week that is Winters Shakespeare Workshop. Due to the fact that we rehearse 3 hours a night and the play is over 2 hours, we now stay 'til 11PM every night. And let me tell you the kids are tired and the parents are not happy.

This festival is completely disorganized and there is SO much sitting around that it drives me crazy. There is so much good and so much support, but it's not enough. And right now the play looks like shit. The actors are still calling line, our Prospero is directing the other kids onstage ("No, you don't stand up yet.") and Russell speaks badly of people in front of way too many others. I am glad I did this for the experience and the little bit of money, but never again.

I meant to share one of my amazing successes from last week, but failed to. Like the other exciting things, I talked about it all the way home to Cara and actually Russell complimented the following day.

So, last Tuesday or Wednesday, Russell was working with the clowns primarily and gave us the lords and the lovers. I had the ariels work by themselves and I grabbed Burt and Reanna, our Ferdinand and Miranda. They have to do a stage kiss and I am not sure if they've kissed in real life yet. It was clear they were frightened about it and I had a feeling that Russell would not be very sensitive about it. Cara had been working with them, but not making too much progress. So, on our ride home I told her to just have to them do the stinkin' kiss already. Cara had a mini-freak out, so I said that I could take it on. I told Russell that I planned to work with them that evening and that I would run the kiss. He got a little weird about it and requested that I ask Reanna first. To make sure she felt comfortable. I told him sure, but knew in my mind that I would do no such thing.

Burt and Reanna were testing each other on lines and I came over to the them and said that I would like to be on book for them and asked which scene they wanted to work on. Luckily they said III.1, the one with the kiss! So, they ran through their lines, but they failed to look at each other or really connect in any way. The scene is such a good love scene that it hurt my heart to see this. When we got to the end of the scene, I said plainly and simply okay, now do the kiss. They both looked at me with looks of surprise and said, "now?" and I said, "yes, indeed." Burt requested that we go behind the bathrooms because he had some family member in attendance and didn't want them to see. So, we moved our little scene, backed up a little on the lines and when we got to the kiss they were asking all sorts of questions. Which way to I tilt my head, where do I put my hands? So, I just coaxed them to DO IT. Don't think about it, just do it.

ah, one out of the way.

We ran the end a few more times to get the logistics down and they were so much more comfortable. It was lovely. I was able to drop my teacher/director persona and become a giggling girl for just a moment.

I then led them in an exercise that Melanie taught us last fall. Scene partners stand on a line facing each other. You walk forward if you are attracted to the other character and back if they or something they say is repulsive. You can also step forward and back depending on your status or your view of your status. So, forward if you feel higher in status than your partner or back if you feel lower.

This gave Burt and Reanna a lot more to play with a some added dimensions. The following day, the scene was lovely.