Day 4

March 13

   I was more entertained by Michael Winter than by the show! I absolutely agreed with all of his criticisms, except for his approval of Adriana. I thought she was intolerable… He also didn’t give much credence to Luciana. Otherwise, I was all set to listen to him for another hour!! I really enjoyed how much he encouraged our participation in discussion. I felt that he wanted to hear what we had to say. I was also intrigued by his opening lecture. I had no idea that some plays were used to coach law students in rhetoric, which is brilliant! That gave the play a great contextual background with which to work. The concept of the staging in terms of three doors was fascinating… I loved his idea of the impact of the unused Abbey door at the end of the play. I thought that it seemed like the perfect dramatic device to drive the moral of the play home. However, I thought the door to the Porpentine was unnecessary; the courtesan could just walk onstage. Then again, halls didn’t have stages so perhaps that mechanism was necessary. I appreciated the exercise that Michael put together for us… I thought it could’ve been done more effectively if everyone knew when to speak (and how to intone each line), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I’ve been interested in the ongoing mention that Shakespeare’s plays were performed much faster in his time than they are today. As an actor that’s hard to imagine, and even more so as an audience member! Sometimes it’s difficult for me to comprehend every line that I hear; it’s much easier to understand when reading the text (but of course, that’s not what it was written for!). Then again, the Elizabethans had the trained ear for it. As everyone keeps saying, Shakespeare’s audience went to hear a play, not to see it, and that’s why in the theatre it’s called an audience and in television they’re called viewers. 

Streets, stairs, and trains function in the opposite direction. Trash cans and bathrooms are very difficult to find. Lots of people apparently fall onto tracks are are severely injured or killed… There are many several graphic and disturbing posters around the Tube but no one seems to notice!