"Let us our lives, our souls,
Our debts, our careful wives,
Our children, and our sins,
lay on the King!"
William Shakespeare, "Henry V" Act IV, Scene 1
The genius of Shakespeare has long been discussed but I have found an instance of it that I cannot allow to be lost in the conversation about Costumes.
While re-charting the costume changes for the Paper Wing Theatre's production of "The Tragedy of MacBETH", I noticed that King Duncan is in 3 scenes and then gets killed (we have added that as a scene). “King” MacBeth is in 3 scenes and then gets killed.
The Bard had a distinct sense of symmetry and one might even conclude that he is making a statement that all “Kings” are the same. There are many scholarly resources that I could look into for more evidence of the playwrights views of the monarchy, but time is too short - I rely solely on the text.
This is just one of many intricacies of the play, but one that is not so obvious until you see it on a COSTUMES CHART!
By the way, I am in my last week before Dress Rehearsals. It's exciting, scary, thrilling, and TIME-SENSITIVE!
Showing posts with label Shakespeare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shakespeare. Show all posts
Monday, July 01, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013
"Double, Double, Toil and Trouble" - The Three Weird Sisters Get Clothed
Ha! You thought, from this title, that the Three Weird Sisters in our production of "MacBETH" were naked didn't you?! If so, you were a victim of a double entendre. The word "clothed" in this sense means "to be covered in cloth" as opposed to "to wear clothes". This is the sort of wordplay that I ADORE in Shakespeare and in real life... ehem! But I digress.
Happy was the night when I wrapped the witches in cloth. In my previous post, I discussed the horror I was feeling at cutting fabric without having my actresses in front of me so the relief I now feel is great! Though I have more to do, I feel much better about my progress.
In the next day or two I will be handing off projects to our seamstress. This is a new situation for me as I have always been the only one working on projects of this sort (with the exception of the exceptional help my husband has been through the years). I will be getting a feel for what type of work she does and that will help me to know what I can hand off.
Today's Plan
Get info about Seamstress
Run through revised script
Account for each Character (already in progress)
Account for each Player (already in progress)
Account for each Costume Change (already in progress)
Account for each Costume Piece (already in progress)
Design "mini-LOOKBOOK" for "Apparitions"
Discuss "Apparitions" with Director
Work with actor on costumes for King and Siward
Work with actors on costume questions / issues
Begin plan for Soldiers' costumes
This is a LOT! This is basically how I spend everyday. No wonder I'm not sleeping. Up until last week, I was able to "sleep, perchance to dream" the answers to my present and pressing questions. Now, being sleep-deprived and stressed, I find the answers are coming to me slower. THAT is why all of the forms that I have created and maintained are so critical - they are my lifeboat in this turbulent sea - they are the blueprint to the House of Beverly MacBETH!
Oh! One thing to add to this list... PROPS! I must get together with the Director to discuss the PROPS as they pertain to costumes. Whew! That's a biggie!!!!!!
Be sure to check out the Links I have on the right sidebar. There are some new ones, and all of them are fascinating!!!!
And here, for the scholarly students of Shakespeare (ehem!), is an excerpt from the immensely interesting (scintillating) website, SHAKESPEARE RESOURCE CENTER regarding a double entendre in MacBETH.
Happy was the night when I wrapped the witches in cloth. In my previous post, I discussed the horror I was feeling at cutting fabric without having my actresses in front of me so the relief I now feel is great! Though I have more to do, I feel much better about my progress.
In the next day or two I will be handing off projects to our seamstress. This is a new situation for me as I have always been the only one working on projects of this sort (with the exception of the exceptional help my husband has been through the years). I will be getting a feel for what type of work she does and that will help me to know what I can hand off.
Today's Plan
Get info about Seamstress
Run through revised script
Account for each Character (already in progress)
Account for each Player (already in progress)
Account for each Costume Change (already in progress)
Account for each Costume Piece (already in progress)
Design "mini-LOOKBOOK" for "Apparitions"
Discuss "Apparitions" with Director
Work with actor on costumes for King and Siward
Work with actors on costume questions / issues
Begin plan for Soldiers' costumes
This is a LOT! This is basically how I spend everyday. No wonder I'm not sleeping. Up until last week, I was able to "sleep, perchance to dream" the answers to my present and pressing questions. Now, being sleep-deprived and stressed, I find the answers are coming to me slower. THAT is why all of the forms that I have created and maintained are so critical - they are my lifeboat in this turbulent sea - they are the blueprint to the House of Beverly MacBETH!
Oh! One thing to add to this list... PROPS! I must get together with the Director to discuss the PROPS as they pertain to costumes. Whew! That's a biggie!!!!!!
Be sure to check out the Links I have on the right sidebar. There are some new ones, and all of them are fascinating!!!!
And here, for the scholarly students of Shakespeare (ehem!), is an excerpt from the immensely interesting (scintillating) website, SHAKESPEARE RESOURCE CENTER regarding a double entendre in MacBETH.
- / - / / - / - / The curtain'd sleep; witchcraft celebrates
Here again we see a trochee following a caesura in a standard Shakespeare variation. Curtain'd sleep in this context is a double entendre that plays upon the literal meaning of bedcurtains and a more figurative meaning of "veiled" that suggests hidden from consciousness. Celebrate denotes the solemn performance of rites rather than its more festive connotations with which we associate its use.
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