Hello again, everyone.  This week has been a great one.  Having just started rehearsals, the actors are eager to get their feet wet.  As I have said before, the leads have had their scripts for a while now to prepare, but now we are finally beginning to bring our characters to life. 

Monday, March 5 marked the very first rehearsal for all the actors.  We were given a calendar of events and played a few “get to know you” activities.  We learned many things about each other, and realized we have a lot of chemistry together as a cast, which is usually the case. 

Tuesday, March 6 I was called in to work with the “bad acting troupe.”  After going over lines with everyone, director Jon Copeland wanted to make it clear that each of us needed a different personality.  Here is a quick rundown of all the “bad actors”:

• Patsy Quince, played by sophomore Madison Plouvier, is the director of our troupe.  She is bossy, but she wants us to stay in order and put on a good show for the duke. 
• Nick Bottom, played by me, is a man who is full of himself.  He is a very over-the-top actor and he wants to be the center of attention.  His stubbornness is foreshadowed nicely by the transformation into a donkey, and then his tale takes on a strange romantic turn. 
• Flute, played by sophomore Hope Riedel, is a burly tom-boy.  She is fit for her performance at the end of the show, and her mannerisms are quite anti-lady like. 
• Snout the tinker, played by freshman Adam Segura, is a goofy, silly character.  Picture him as foolish; he is impractical, and always tries to get his remarks out.  He wants to speak his mind, when it is not quite needed. 
• Snug the joiner, played by junior Misty Adkins, is a timid girl, who, ironically, is set to play a lion in the play (within the play.)  Snug is a rather quiet character, but her roaring makes up for it. 
• Last but not least we have Rachel Starveling, played by junior Betsy Wendorff.  She is a snotty, pessimistic character, who doesn’t show much emotion.  She threatens to leave the actors during the show, but she is eventually persuaded to stay by her co-workers. 

Story moments we learned the other day included the tavern scenes, forest, and the donkey transformation.  After working with them, I believe they have a stronger grasp on who they can become.  After being with Copeland, he made it clear that each of the actors required different personalities to make them likeable.  Think of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, perhaps.

That’s what I have to say this week: quite a mouthful.  Make sure you check out my video blog as well; there is more information about the play on those videos.  Have a great spring break.