GEA – Day 3

July 14, 2010

Well hello again!  Today was kind of a lighter day, but still plenty to do. We met for about and hour and a half with Yolanda again to work on Globe Education Practice.  Basically this time is to help us understand how to approach the work we will be doing with our students when we get back. There are some really creative and fun ways to show the students that they can and will understand what the Bard is saying in his plays.  One exercise that I really like uses a short chunk of script between two characters (we used Demetrius and Helena from Midsummer Night’s Dream).  When you read your part you point on every pronoun to the object of that pronoun.  The next part is to take an important word from your partner’s line and repeat it before you say your own line and continue all the way through your text.  Another way to explore the scene is to interrupt your partner when they have no more than three words left in their line and then begin your line.  There are a few more examples, but I won’t go into them now.  These sessions are so valuable!

After Yolanda, we got to meet with our directors again.  Jo worked with my group to take apart our scene and identify what actions are taking place and what the characters are thinking.  It was a two-hour session and went by way too fast.  I am thankful that tomorrow, when we are on the coach to Gosden House (more on that later) we will have time to learn lines.  I thinking I counted 24 lines for myself.  Think I can manage that?  I hope when we perform someone will be able to record it. 

The afternoon and evening were filled with both Henry IV’s.  Great plays.  Great performances.  Falstaff was unbelievable.  We had tickets for “the yard” during the matinee performance, which made us “groundlings.”  We got the full groundling experience too.  The show started with a light drizzle of rain that came and went for a little while and turned into a downpour about 3/4 of the way through the play.  If you know the Globe Theatre, you know it has no roof above the center of the playhouse.  We got soaked.  At least it’s not sweltering anymore.  The view from the ground right under the actors was worth it though.  I thought I might lose an eye during a sword fight because we were so close.  It was awesome!

I’m hanging out in my room now, waiting for my laundry to get done.  The laundry room isn’t cooperating very well tonight.  The washers keep resetting themselves.  I’m going back down right now to make sure it’s still running.  Ky, Mom, Dad, and Linds I miss you!  Pet my fur child for me!