Clues on Cassio continued...

A few observations based on the work last night.

1)  Cassio is from Florence.  The army in question is the Venetian Army.  So, like Othello, Cassio is an outsider in one sense.  This may explain why he was willing to give in to the soldiers and drink.

2)  I was surprised at how often it is mentioned that Cassio helped Othello get together with Desdemona.  Cassio and Iago have far more time together on stage than Cassio and Othello but it is becoming clear that Cassio and Othello are very tight... and Cassio and Iago are probably relatively new friends. 

3)  I always like to see what the single word is that it used most often to describe my character.  With Cassio, that word is "Good."  Five different characters call him "good" and some call him this multiple times.  I think it is significant when a playwright uses the same word over and over to describe a character.  For Iago, the word used over and over is "honest," which is great because he is anything but!

4)  There is multiple mention of the love between Othello and Cassio.  Not a romantic love but love is used to describe how close they are. 

5)  Cassio clearly is a charmer and is good with women.  It is said over and over.  It's fitting that he's Italian.  I definitely know an Italian or two who, if you didn't know them, would appear to be flirting with every woman, and this could come across threatening or shady.  However, once I got to know them, I realized that they were good people and that they were much more innocent than I first thought.  Cassio may be in that boat.  Who was that cook on Top Chef?  Fabio?  haha 

6)  Something is up with Cassio's hands.  There are a few moments in this play where Cassio's hands, and what he is doing with his hands, are significant.  I even found this old picture...





So there may be something there... something about his hands... how he uses his hands... how he holds things... Desdemona's hand... her handerchief... etc...

7)  It is interesting that twice Cassio has the opportunity to speak for himself about the drunk incident to Othello and can't do it . 

8)  Looking at the list from yesterday... a few words that stick out... good, gentle, friend, honest, proper, disciplined, humbled, penitent... I mean, that is a great character description that Shakespeare has given us about Cassio!

9)  Iago calls Cassio "a great Arithmatician."  I wonder if that is a good jumping off point for some movement choices.  Are his movements sharp and clean like math... not curvy but crisp and angular....  something to think about.

So the real lesson here is, there are often many clues in the text for building a character, and these clues should be the foundation of building the character!

6-15-12 Shakespeare's clues on Cassio

So the lines are getting pretty good.  I should be in good shape by the time rehearsals start.  It's time to start looking at Cassio as a character in greater detail.

Now one thing that I need to remember in crafting a character is that my choices need to come from the text.  Often, you'll see actors just start to come up with characters choices based on their initial readings of the play without really digging into the script.  This often leads to characters that don't necessarily mesh with the demands of the text.  Who cares what my grand concept for Cassio is if it isn't informed by the text?  You see this all the time in bad acting...  someone makes a character choice that clearly goes against what the script says the character needs to be.  BLEH

So, for me, the first thing I do is look at what the text says about Cassio.  Now Shakespeare didn't write some detailed report about Cassio's personality... or did he?  I actually say he did... and the people that report the information are the characters in the play.  Playwrights do this all of the time.

One of the first things I like to do in crafting a character is to see how the playwright chooses to have the character describe himself and how the playwright chooses to have other characters describe the character.

Tonight I read the play highlighting any spot where I characterize myself or where others characterize me.  Now, it's tricky with Othello because this play has a lot of Iago lying in it, but this process should still reveal some things.  It will be interesting to see what attributes of Cassio, Iago chooses to use for his schemes.  (I'm pulling these lines from the folio so there will be some crazy spellings of words.)

Amazingly enough... we get a detailed description from Iago within the first 38 lines of the play about Cassio:

Forsooth, a great Arithmatician,
One Michaell Cassio, a Florentine,
(A Fellow almost damn'd in a faire Wife)
That never set a Squadron in the Field,
Nor the devision of a Battaile knowes
More than a Spinster. 

Mere pratle (without practise)
Is all his Souldiership.

So that's a real nice start for this exercise. 

HOW CASSIO DESCRIBES HIMSELF:

As he kisses Iago's wife - 'Tis my breeding
                                           That gives me this bold show of Curtesie.

About drinking - I have very poor
                            and unhappie Braines for drinking.  I could well wish
                            Curtesie would invent some other Custome of entertainment.

                            I am infortunate in the infirmity, and
                            dare not taske my weakeness with any more.

About religion - I hope to be saved.

About having drunk too much - I am not drunke now:
                                                    I can stand well enough and I speake well enough.

When Othello questions him on the drinking - I cannot speake.

About losing his position - I have lost my reputation.  I have lost the immortal part of
                                            myself and what remains is bestiall. 

About asking Othello for his position back - I will rather sue to be despis'd, then to deceive
                                                                       so good a Commander, with so slight, so drunken and so
                                                                       indiscreet an Officer.

About the incident - (I) frankly despise my selfe.

                                  I am desperate of my Fortunes if they check me.

On talking to Othello about getting his job back - I am very ill at ease,
                                                                                unfit for mine owne purposes.

On Othello - I, with all the office of my heart
                     Intirely honour (Othello)

About the last week - I have this while with leaden thoughts been pressed

About Bianca being around him near Othello's place - I do attend here on the Generall,
                                                                                       And thinke it no addition nor my wish
                                                                                       To have him see me woman'd.

About Bianca - Not that I love you not.

About wanting his position back - want even kills me

About Bianca - I must leave her company

When he is attacked - I am maym'd for ever
                                   
                                    I am spoyl'd, undone by villians

                                    My legge is cut in two

About Othello thinking Cassio slept with Desdemona - Deere Generall, I never gave you cause.

                                   

HOW CASSIO IS DESCRIBED BY OTHERS (with who says it):

Othello - Friend

Iago - A proper man.

Iago - He hath a person, and a smooth dispose
           To be suspected:  fram'd to make women false.

Gentlemen - Though he speake of comfort
                     Touching the Turkish losse, yet he lookes sadly,
                     And praye the Moore be safe;

Montano - Good Lieutenant

Desdemona - Valiant Cassio

Iago - He takes her by the palm...  it had beene better you had not kiss'd your three fingers so oft which now againe you are most apt to play the Sir, in.  Very good:  well kiss'd and excellent Curtsie:

Iago - Yet againe, your fingers to your lippes"  (obviously Cassio has some character gesture that involves the kissing of his fingers)

Iago - A knave very voluble:  no further conscionable then in putting on the meere forme of Civill and Humaine seeming for the better compasse of his salt and most hidden loose Affection...  A slipper and a subtle knave, a finder of occasion: that he's an eye can stampe, and counterfeit Advantages, though true Advantage never present it selfe.  A divelish knave:  besides, the knave is handsome, young: and hath all those requisites in him, that folly and green mindes (young women) look after.  A pestilent compleat knave, and the woman hath found him already.

Iago about Cassio and Desdemona - They met so neere with their lippes taht their breathes embrac'd together.

Iago - disciplined

Iago about Cassio's lack of ability to handle liquor - he's rash and very sodaine in Choller:  and happely may strike at you, provoke him that he may.

Iago - That Cassio loves (Desdemona), I do well beleev't.

Iago - I fear Cassio with my Night-Cape (wife) too.

Othello - Good Michael

Iago on Cassio drinking:  If I can fasten but one Cup upon him
                                          With that which he hath drunk to night alreadie,
                                          He'l be as full of Quarrell, and offence
                                          As my yong Mistris dogge.

Iago on Cassio's drinking:  He's a Soldier, fit to stand by Caesar,
                                            And give direction.  And but to see his vice,
                                           'Tis to his vertue, a just Equinox,
                                            The one as long as the other.
                                            (there are a few other things Iago says about how much Cassio drinks... not sure yet how many are actually true though... Iago lies and embellishes a lot... but Cassio is, indeed, a nasty drunk.)

Montano - good Lieutenant

Montano - you're drunk

Iago - good Lieutenant. 

Iago - swift of foot

Iago - good Lieutenant... I think, you think I love you.  (Cassio agrees with this)

Emilia - (Othello) loves you.

Desdemona - Good Cassio

Desdemona - You do love my lord. You have known him long...

Iago - he would steal away so guilty-like

Desdemona - a man that languishes in your displeasure.

Desdemona to Othello - For if he be not one that truly loves you,
                                       That erres in Ignorance, and not in Cunning...

Desdemona - so humbled

Desdemona - he's penitent

Desdemona to Othello about how Cassio helped Othello win Desdemona's hand -
                    Michael Cassio,
                    That came a wooing with you?  and so many a time
                    (When I have spoke of you dispraisingly)
                    Hath taken your part....

We then learn that Cassio often would act as an inbetween for Othello and Desdemona.

Othello - Honest

Othello - He was of my Counsaile,
               Of the whole course of wooing;

Iago - I think that he is honest.

Iago - Cassio's an honest man.

Iago - Cassio's my worthy Friend

Iago - tis fit that Cassio have his Place;
          For sure he filles it up with great ability;

Desdemona - Good Cassio

Desdemona - Thrice-gentle Cassio

Bianca - Friend Cassio

Bianca - you do not love me

Iago about talking to Cassio about Bianca - He, when he hears of her, cannot restraine
                                                                       From the excesse of Laughter...
                                                                       And he shall smile....
                                                                       Poor Cassio's smiles, gestures, and light behaviours

Othello - he laughs

Othello - he denies it faintly: and laughes it out.

Iago - he laughed

Iago - if Cassio do remaine,
          He hath a dayly beauty in his life,
          That makes me ugly:

Iago - Herre's Cassio hurt by villians

Bianca - deere Cassio...  sweet Cassio

Bianca - he faints.

Iago - good Cassio

Emilia - Good Cassio

Iago - Poore Cassio

Desdemona - I... never loved Cassio

Desdemona - he is betray'd

Lodovico - Cassio rules in Cyprus.


AND FINALLY... Cassio is listed in the list of characters as "an Honourable Lieutenant"

___________________________________________________________________________

So... why should I come up with all of MY ideas for who and what Cassio is, without looking at all of these clues that  Shakespeare gave me?  There is a lot of great stuff here.  Now that it is all typed out in one place, I'll look at it in greater detail next time.

6-14-12 Inspiration (a.k.a. Trip to New York)

Things have been crazy the last few days, particularly yesterday.

Every once in a while I like to do the following...

Wake up
Drive to New York City
See a show
See friends
See another show
See more friends
Drive home and try not to fall asleep...thank you MONSTER energy drinks.

It's kind of crazy but I like getting the double-dose of NYC theatre. 

Yesterday was one of those days.

The first show I saw was One Man Two Guvnors.  It's a modern adaptation of an old commedia dell'arte play called The Servant of Two Masters.  I was actually in Servant out at Utah Shakes, so I knew the original well.  I also spent last summer doing commedia in Italy so I know a decent amout about that.  The show was right up my alley.  It stars James Corden who, on Sunday night, won the Tony for Best Actor. There's a lot that I could talk about regarding this show but in terms of the blog... I just wanted to point out this....

Sunday was the Tony's.
Sunday Night = Crazy Tony parties.
Monday = Try to recover from crazy Tony parties.
Tuesday= Only one show... in the evening... ok... still recovering.
Wednesday=Uh-oh, two shows including the Wednesday Matinee.

The first half was very high energy but then you could see that the cast, as a whole, didn't have the energy to pull off the 2nd half at the same level.  A+ first half... B- second half.  I felt like I got jipped a bit out of a better 2nd half because they weren't up to it.  I didn't pay for them to not be up to it.  So, I go back to conditioning.  You've got to be in good enough shape and you've got to take care of yourself enough to pull off the show you are doing.  They seemed to just "get through" the 2nd half. 

Maybe I am reading it wrong... maybe they were sick or whatever.  I know what it is to just "get through" a performance.  But, as I have said before, nobody cares... we just want a good show.  Especially if the ticket was over 100 bucks.

Anyway...

Then I went and saw my friend Justine in the production of Shakespeare's As You Like It by the Public Theatre in Central Park.  All sorts of big names involved in this one, Director Dan Sullivan, Music by STEVE MARTIN (wild and crazy), Oliver Platt was in the cast... blah blah blah. 

The show was really quite good.  It's a huge theatre space that seats around 1900 people and it was great to see a really good production of Shakespeare right before I go into my own rehearsals.  This cast was full of good actors... some were successful, and some, I thought, weren't.  It was good to sit there and analyze what was working both in terms of delivering the lines and in terms of what works movement-wise in a space that size, since the space I will be working in is also large. 

One thing that I found wonderful was that, some of these lines are so good, that sometimes all the actor needed to do was stand and deliver.  No crazy movement... no raging emotion... the words are enough.  It's hard to trust that but hell... we as an audience just want to have these great lines delivered to us in a way that we can understand them.  There were great moments of simplicity in this play and that was a good reminder for me as I move into rehearsals. 

And overall... seeing good theatre (and both of these shows I would definitely recommend to people) just inspires me to want to make good theatre... want to put in extra time... work harder...

It also reminds me once again that, having the opportunity to share a great story with an audience is a real gift and a real priviledge.  And the odds are that I probably won't ever do this role again... possible this show again... and I need to go all out.

First rehearsal in 10 days.  Time to start double-timing it.

Shout out to Justine for her great work in As You Like It!

6-11-12 The Final Act... or... Thick...

So I'm hangin' out with my mother for a couple of days and I'm running lines with her last night and she says...

"I don't know what the hell is going on here!"

hahahaha  And that was certainly understandable.  First off... we were just skipping around to parts in the play where I had lines, so she was getting no real feel for the story as a whole so of course it was confusing.

But there's another thing at play here... Othello is THICK.  These lines are THICK.  Sometimes I read a Shakespeare play and it is easy to grasp the language.  Midsummer is a pretty user-friendly play.  The language is fairly easily obtainable.  And the parts that are probably the biggest challenge fall mostly into three categories:

     1)  Oberon says them and they are real pretty and all about flowers and "I know a bank where the wild thyme blows... blah blah blah"

     2)  Puck says them and, we just love Puck, so even if he is speaking some random monologue about the wolf behowling the moon, we're with him.

     3)  The lines are horrible and they get cut.  These are usually said by Theseus and Hippolyta.  Not a lot of people know that in Midsummer there is this whole little chunk about hunting dogs.  HUNTING DOGS???  What???  There just isn't a widespread appreciation for Hunting Dogs these days so those lines get cut and the actress playing Hippolyta gets mad because half of her lines are gone.  haha

In Othello, we don't have a bunch of magical fairies saying the most difficult lines so we can't just bounce around the stage all magical and have the audience stick with us even if they don't understand us.  It's challenging stuff...  I go on my runs and just think about phrasing, etc.  Well, I do that for the first half of the run... the second half of the run all I think about is surviving... haha.

I've moved on to Act II which is the final act of the five act play that I need to memorize.  I'm starting with Act II scene one and line for line, this might be the "thickest" that my speech gets.

Here's a little example...   BACKSTORY:  We're in Cyprus... there was a horrible storm... my ship has landed... we are still waiting for Othello's ship to arrive.  Othello and I left at the same time but I lost him in the storm.  Meanwhile, Iago and Desdemona hung back for a few days and are now on their way.  Somehow, they managed to avoid the bad weather and are about to arrive before Othello.

So as I wait, a character named Montano asks me if Othello is married.  Here we go... haha

MONTANO
But, good lieutenant, is your general wived?

CASSIO
Most fortunately: he hat achieved a maid
That paragons description and wild fame,
One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens,
And in the essential vesture of creation
Does tire the ingener.  (Re-Enter Messenger who was checking on a boat that just arrived)
How now!  Who has put in?

MESSENGER
'Tis one Iago, ancient to the general.

CASSIO
Has had most favourable and happy speed:
Tempest themselves, high seas, and howling winds,
The gutter'd rocks and congregated sands--
Traitors ensteep'd to clog the guiltless keel,--
As having sense of beauty, do omit
Their mortal natures, letting go safely by
The divine Desdemona

MONTANO
What is she?

CASSIO
She that I spake of, our great captain's captain,
Left in the conduct of the bold Iago,
Whose footing here anticipates our thoughts
A se'nnight's speed.  Great Jove, Othello guard,
And swell his sail with thine own powerful breath,
That he may bless this bay with his tall ship,
Make love's quick pants in Desdemona's arms,
Give renew'd fire to our extincted spirits
And bring all Cyprus comfort!


Enter Desdemona, Emilia, Iago, and Rodrigo

CASSIO
O, behold
The riches of the ship is come on shore!
Ye men of Cyprus, let her have your knees.
Hail to thee, lady! and the grace of heaven,
Before, behind the, and on every hand,
Enwheel thee round!
...............................................................

So yeah... that is thick.  These are the lines where Shakespeare becomes sudoku for the actor.  How do I phrase this... where do I breathe... how might I inflect... to make this crazy line both useful to me as the character in the scene and understandable to the audience?  If I can use these lines clearly as a character, the audience will have a good shot at understanding their meaning.  And the best thing in the world is to have lines like that and then to have someone come up to you at the end of the show and say "I could understand everything you said!" 

So, shout of of the day goes to my mom for busting out some lines with me.

6-10-2012 Diction

I've noticed the last week or so while running lines with people that my diction is horrible right now.  We don't tend to talk on a day-to-day basis in a manner that requires a heightened level of diction.  We can slur our words in a fairly pedestrian manner and still be understood.  However, when I'm speaking in front of hundreds or thousands of people, I can't get away with such relaxed diction.  The audience won't understand me. 

I notice that as an acting teacher, as soon as my students leave for the summer, my diction starts to get a little relaxed.  It's as if I feel like I need to have good diction in my classes if I am demanding good diction from my students but then once summer hits... the slurring of words begins.

So, with two weeks to go until rehearsals begin, I'll start doing my regular physical and vocal warm-up along with a heightened amount of diction work.  When a football player shows up to training camp, they are expected to be in shape.  If they aren't, you often hear about it on the news.   Players are expected to be ready to go... ready to work on the actual craft of football rather than simply trying to get their body ready for physical exertion.

The same thing holds true with acting.  I can't not act for months on end and then show up day one of rehearsal expecting my physical instrument to be ready to perform.  I have to get it back in shape.  I've talked about the gym work I've been doing already, but none of that exercises vocal production. 

Two weeks to go until rehearsal starts... a great time to start honing my voice, my diction and my breath into performance mode.

6-6-12 Scripts Are In!

I was working on lines in my office yesterday.  I'd say some lines then I'd double check with the script that I keep in my office.  Something startled me.  There were multiple times where I would look at this script and see versions of lines that I had never seen before.  In one instance, there was an entire line that I had never seen before!

I realized that I was getting to the point where I really needed the version of the script we will be performing. 

Then it came in my e-mail last night.  Hooray!

It's pretty amazing how varied a script of Othello can be. Apparantly the first folio version has a whopping 160 lines more than the quarto version of the play.  Meanwhile, the quarto has some lines that aren't in the folio.  Then, modern editions look at all of these old editions and form their own edition of the script.  So, now I have the version we'll be doing, and I can start to lock into one specific set of words...

HOWEVER...

I am finding that occasionally I don't like the way the line reads in our script when compared to other editions that I have been using, particularly the folio.

I will say that the acting edition that the director has come up with is fairly close to the folio that I have been working with.  But there are some definite differences.  So, there may be a moment or two in rehearsal where I try it one way and then I ask permission to try it the way it reads in a different edition of the script.

A quick note about doing things like that...  Try it the director's way first before you tell her/him that you'd like to do it a DIFFERENT way.  I trust the director made an informed decision about what version of the script we would be using.  He is looking at the big picture... not at which edition showcases Cassio the best.  haha  So there may be a moment or two throughout the process where we discuss a word here and there but I will always try it the way it is written in this edition of the script first.  Then, if it just seems like maybe we can get more out of a moment by exploring a line or two (or even a word or two) from a different edition of the script, we'll look.

Along with the script we received the rehearsal schedule.  It's absolutely crazy.  Often at a professional theatre, you'll rehearse a play for three weeks and then spend the first half of week four "teching" the show and during the second half of week four, the show will open.  A week of rehearsal is typically 40-48 hours.  6 days, 7-8 hours of rehearsal a day.  That's a typical professional schedule. 

So, you figure in the first three weeks, you rehearsal somewhere in the neighborhood of 120-150 hours.

Our show has a similar rehearsal schedule in terms of days.  Three weeks of rehearsal, then move to the space and tech the show, then open.  But... instead of a typical 7-8 hour rehearsal day, we rehearse 4 hours a day. 

So, in those first three weeks, we're rehearsing 72 total hours.  72 hours to put together one of Shakespeare's longest plays and have it ready to add lights/costumes/move into the space/ during that final week. 

Craziness.  And yet another reason why I just can't afford to waste rehearsal time with my nose in the script.  The audience doesn't care how long we rehearsed.  They only care if it is good or not. 

Shout out to Jordan Y. today for doing a little acting work with me.

Also, HOLA to the people from Venezuela and Spain who have checked in over the last week.  It's pretty funny to see who starts looking at your blog when you put up pictures of famous people on it. 


I hope all is well with all of you!  Thanks for all the emails telling me what you have been up to this summer.

6-5-12 The Company

Some of you have been asking questions about where exactly this production is taking place and what company it is with.

It's a great story.  Back in 2006 a group of actors in Indianapolis got together and decided they needed more professional theatre opportunities in Indianapolis.  They formed a company called Heartland Actors Repertory Theatre (HART).  They started to put on shows and staged-readings. 

In 2008 they decided to do a one-night only performance of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.  Their venue was a large ampitheatre in a state park that is right in the middle of downtown Indianapolis.  It is a gorgeous location.  The backdrop is a huge river.  Off to stage right is a large pedestrian bridge.  There are really cool lamps lining the bridge.  The sun sets over the river and bounces off the water.  It's just stunning.

Merchant was a hit.  I wish I had seen it but I was kind of new to the Indy theatre scene.  I had just been cast in a production of Macbeth at Indiana Rep (the biggest theatre in Indy), and many of the actors were coming straight from Merchant to Mac. 

There was clearly a demand for professional summer Shakespeare in Indy and during the next two years I was fortunate enough to participate in productions of Much Ado About Nothing and Two Gentlement of Verona with HART.  Much Ado moved to two performances and we had something like 2300 people over the course of two days.  For Two Gents, we moved to three performances and had over 3000 people. 

One problem is that the venue is a state park.  There are all sorts of activities that go on there so it is tough to lock down the space for a few weeks to have a long run of the show.  I think Othello has a chance to be real big.  Hopefully, if the three performances can draw some big numbers, the city will start to see that perhaps they should start investing more time and money into this venture. 

That's the other thing... it's free Shakespeare.  Free Shakespeare is a beautiful thing... but when the cast and crew are professionals, well... money becomes more of an issue.  What I'd love to do is figure out a way to eventually have the company do the show in Indy and then do it up in the Finger Lakes for a week.  But yeah... money...

So.. the shout out of the day goes to The Lilly Endowment and Christel DeHaan Family Foundation for providing a whole lot of money to make this year's production possible.

If you want to check out more about HART...  http://heartlandactors.com/  It's a really great website and you can see the actors the actors that make up the core company of HART, past production, and some great photos from past Shakespeare productions which will show you the beautiful setting including this sweet shot...

6-4-12 Iago vs. Cassio

One of the interesting mysteries of the play Othello is why Othello chose to promote Cassio over Iago into the #2 spot.

At some point things fell this way...

#1 - Othello - General
#2 - Some person we don't know - Lieutenant
#3 - Iago - Ensign
#4 or lower - Cassio

Then, something happend to the #2 guy.  Perhaps he was killed in battle.  Perhaps he took some other position... who knows? 

So then Othello had a decision... who was going to be the new #2?  Who was going to be the guy that, if something happened to Othello, would be the best to take over command?  Iago says that he is much more of a battle-tested soldier than Cassio.  Cassio, in turn, is deemed as being more of a scholarly tactician. 

Othello picks Cassio... which vaults Cassio above Iago.  So, by the time the play starts we have...

#1 - Othello - General
#2 - Cassio - Lieutenant
#3 - Iago - Ensign

First off... you can understand why Iago is mad.  The gig was his and he got passed over. 

I read something today that talked about how Iago is always at war.  We only see him and hear about him in terms of conflict.  Othello, on the other hand, seems to excel during both peaceful situations as well as war situations.  Othello perhaps knows Iago can handle war... but will Iago ever stop trying to wage war?  Can Iago thrive in a peaceful situation?  Cassio on the other hand is very personable and charming.  He's not just a military guy but you can see that he could be a diplomat as well.  In fact, Cassio is so personable and charming that Iago is able to use these qualities of Cassio's to make Othello think Desdemona may have feelings for Cassio. 

Whatever the case is for Cassio's promotion over Iago, I think that there are strong clues to be found in how to play Cassio based on why Othello chose Cassio over Iago.

6-3-12 Three weeks until rehearsals begin

Three weeks from today is the first rehearsal.  I'm happy where I am so far. 

If I go back to the data that I typed out at the beginning of the process, all of the scenes in bold I have now memorized pretty well.

ACT - SCENE - NUMBER OF LINES FOR CASSIO

Act 1 - Scene 2 - 6 lines
Act 2 - Scene 1 - 14 lines
Act 2 - Scene 3 - 35 lines (this scene has stage combat)

Act 3 - Scene 1 - 8 lines
Act 3 - Scene 3 - 4 lines
Act 3 - Scene 4 - 9 lines
Act 4 - Scene 1 - 12 lines
Act 5 - Scene 1 - 12 lines (this scene has stage combat)
Act 5 - Scene 2 - 5 lines

The scenes in Act 5 are decent but still need another day or two to sink in.  Then I'll jump back to Act 2 and work on that. 

It's nice to get this kind of a jump on lines for two reasons.  First, it means I can learn my lines at a leisurely pace.  Cramming lines under pressure is never fun.  Second, it means that I can let lines sink in all that much more.  Actors often talk about having their lines sink in.  Another way actors sometimes describe this is that the lines are no longer in the actor's head... they are in the actor's body.  They have sunk in.  I guess what this really means is that you know your lines so well that you don't have to think about them in order to say them.  They are ready to be used when I want to use them and I don't need to struggle to search for every word.  The five scenes that I put in bold are really starting to sink in, which is nice. I can go for a run and recite my lines, amid my huffing and puffing, with minimal effort from my brain...   they are in my body.

This can be a dangerous time though.  It is very easy to accidentally learn a wrong word here or there and then lock it in thinking that it is the correct word.  This is why now, I will really start trying to run these five "bold" scenes with people on a regular basis.  As I have said before, it isn't good enough to kind of know my lines...  I have to be word perfect.  There seems to always be someone in the audience of an outdoor Shakespeare play that brings along the script and reads along as the actor says their lines.  I don't want to take this person out of the play by saying the wrong words.  Also, when you do Shakespeare, there is always a decent possibility that someone in the audience, or a fellow cast-member played your role at some point in their life, or that was in a production of the show, or directed the show etc.  You definitely don't want to say incorrect words if that person is there. 

Thankfully I've got a couple of people who I can bounce lines off over the next few weeks.  If I get this blog done soon enough, I'll try to get some line work in with my wife before we watch Mad Men.  haha    I will also continue to look at my script at times while I work these scenes... just to make sure I am saying the right words.

Meanwhile...

I have encountered a new trap while I have been learning Act 5 Scene 1.  This is one of the two scenes where Cassio gets into a fight.  It's going to be a tough scene.  I get attacked at the beginning of the scene... my leg gets slashed open... then I hang out on stage nearly bleeding to death for 5 or 10 minutes.  Maybe not 10... but definitely 5+ minutes.

Along the way I say things like...

"I am maim'd for ever! Help, ho!  Murder!  Murder!"

and

"My leg is cut in two."

Shakespeare always does that.  He writes lines like "Oh I am slain" and things like that.  I am finding that I am already trying to craft the entire scene in my head while I learn these lines.  I keep having to remind myself to stop that... just learn the damn words.  The worst thing I could possible do is to already start to impose some crappy independent acting on what will be an emotionally charged melee of a scene.  I have no idea how this scene will shape up so I need to stop thinking about it while I learn these lines.  It does feel dumb to say "I am maim'd for ever" with very little energy or intention or inflection right now, but I have to trust that it is better than imposing some forced acting to the words right now.... forced acting that could become habit and stick.  BLEH!  It's hard enough to pretend that your "leg is cut in two."  It is even harder to do it in your living room by yourself when you haven't even rehearsed the scene with other actors ONCE.  So I need to stop that.

Bad Chris...  haha

Lines then Mad Men!   Thanks for reading.  Shout out of the day goes to my wife who just got cast in a production of Godspell. 


Hatch

6-1-12 Get thee to a gymnasium!

Topic One:

I'm 5'10".

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, I'm just a touch taller than the average male.  Hooray.

However, in the theatre world, I am short.  It seems to me that, as a guy, if you aren't 6'0" or taller, you're on the shorter side of things in the theatre. 5'10" is fine if I'm some romantic comedy, or if I'm playing some silly character, but that's not what is happening this summer.

This summer I am a soldier.  Hell, not just a soldier... the number two soldier in this particular army.  Othello chooses Cassio over Iago to be his 2nd in command.  Looking at the actors playing those three roles... I will be the shortest of the three. 

Side Note:  I walked into an audition this past winter and was, by far, the shortest guy there.  I made friends with some guy who was like 6'6" tall and then he had hair like Kid had from Kid and Play.

Here's a picture of Michael Jordan with old-school hip-hop stars Kid, Fresh Prince, Jazzy Jeff, and Play.  Kid's hair was crazy!  So with this guy's at the audition.  He actually was hitting the exit sign with his hair while he was talking to me!  hahaha


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Topic Two:

Shakespeare plays are often long and Othello is one of the longest.  On top of that, fight scenes often come towards the end of plays.  On top of that, this is summer outdoor theatre.  This is HOT.  Bouncing around for three hours in a multi-layered costume is a challenge... especially during matinees.

And actors are expected to be at their peak performance level at a time of day that most people are winding down.  The final acts of violence will all come after 10pm. 

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So what's the point of all this? 

Whether we want to admit it or not, how we look tells a story on stage.  There are certain things about our looks and our physical fitness that we  really can't control.  Unless you want to do crazy things like have that crazy surgery where they break your legs and expand them to make you taller, you're probably going to remain the same height.  However there are a whole lot of things, in terms of physical appearance and fitness that you can control.

To me, it comes down to three things...

1) Strength/Muscle Mass

I can't get taller yet I have to communicate a persona that will make the audience believe that I could rival a guy much taller than me as soldier.  For me, that means putting on muscle mass.  The truth is, with all the layers of costume I'll have on, it really won't read much... but, even if it gives me a positive mental bump, it will be well worth it. 

2)  Endurance

An actor has to be an athlete.  They don't have to be some greek god, but they do have to have a certain level of physical stamina that typically goes beyond that of what is required in everyday life.  This aspect isn't about body shape or whatever.  Go look at one of these huge marathons like the NYC marathon or the Chicago marathon and you will see all sorts of body types.  All of them are athletes.

Nobody cares what my day was like while I am acting.  Nobody cares if I am tired during the show.  Nobody cares that it is 93 degrees and I've been bouncing around a stage for two hours.  There are no excuses.  If I appear tired, the audience will be tired of me.  Imagine playing a role like Hamlet.  There you are, holding down a show for hours and hours, and then you have to fight at the end of the show.  So, an actor needs to work on endurance.  My personal feeling is that if you can't do an hour of cardio, you can't do a major role in Shakespeare.  I am sure there are a ton of actors who would disagree with me, but that is my thought.

3)  Flexibility

I hate stretching.  I hate yoga.  But I am realizing more and more how important it is for an actor to have good flexibility.  The truth is, your character choices, in terms of movement, are limited, in some degree, by your range of motion.  This really is true with comedy.  You don't see too many muscle-bound people succeed with comedy.  Comedy is free... so if people aren't flexible, the tend to be a little less funny.

Anyway... 

As soon as I was cast, not only did I start to create a gameplay for lines, acting prep, etc., I also created a workout gameplan. 

X number of miles running per week.

X number of days in the weight room.

X number of calories a day...etc., etc., etc.

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All of this stuff is not something that I talk about too often with my actors in acting class.  But the truth is, if you want to make money acting... get thee to a gymnasium.  I know that if I take a day off, there is some other actor that isn't... and that if happens consistently, they'll get the role over me.  Heck, L.A. is full of people that can't act but that physically take care of themselves and they often get cast over people who CAN act but don't take care of themselves physically. 

Plus, If my goal as an actor is to be an epic storyteller...  then I need to prepare myself in every way I can to have a chance at achieving that goal.  So, for me, with this role, along with the bookwork, I've been working out, on average, two hours a day.

Today was running, lifting, and yoga.  Kind of the perfect day...  working on strength, endurance, and flexibility.

This is a rather rambling post but it's 1am and I can only talk about memorizing so much.  Plus, I just spent a few hours painting my living room and suspect I am a little buzzed from paint fumes.  If nothing else, there was a pretty sweet picture in today's post.  

Final thing...  The shout out of the day goes to Emily H. who has been following along while she is doing some amazing theatre work in NYC.  She's stage managing my production of Twelfth Night that I am directing this winter and she'll probably be able to do that in her sleep after doing all of this great NYC work!