Photo from Shakespeare And Me today by unknown photographer posted on OGI had an early 5.00am start today for my drive up the M40. Unfortunately it was quite foggy in places but thankfully I'd left plenty of time so I had time to stop for some breakfast on the way.
I met my friend at 9.30am and we walked to Chapel Lane where we were due to meet for the theatre tour. I only did the first part of the tour but my friend did the whole tour and really enjoyed it especially as it ended with them performing a short tech performance actually on the stage in the Courtyard Theatre! (They had covered the stage so that it was not shiny.)
As I walked back to the Courtyard Theatre I noticed that people coming towards me were all looking over their shoulders and I realised that Patrick Stewart was walking just in front of me!
My second event was Shakespeare And Me which was basically a Q&A with Gregory Doran, David Tennant and Patrick Stewart. There were lots of interesting questions asked and it was very amusing! I managed to record it (even changing tapes with a RSC guy crouched near me with a microphone!). DT said that the previous evening the lights had come up earlier than expected after the interval and that he and PS were still trying to get into their places!
Rather than typing it all out, here are some parts that people posted on OG:
Rehearsals for LLL have started, David will apparently be wearing tights (he claims this is why it's a short run as they really don't suit him, GD concurs). Asked why he wanted to do Hamlet he gave a long and interesting reply, paused and then added "It's quite a good play. Quite well written." Which sounded a lot funnier in person.
It was overall a very funny hour - David and Patrick you expect to bring the humour in a situation like that, Greg Doran probably not so much and as it turned out he was probably the funniest of the three. The last 20 mins or so they took questions from the audience and thankfully no one embarrassed themselves and the questions were pretty evenly aimed between the three of them.
It was overall a very funny hour - David and Patrick you expect to bring the humour in a situation like that, Greg Doran probably not so much and as it turned out he was probably the funniest of the three. The last 20 mins or so they took questions from the audience and thankfully no one embarrassed themselves and the questions were pretty evenly aimed between the three of them.
Miscellaneous stuff: They were sitting at the back of the stage and left to right (facing the stage) they were in order; Patrick, Nick, David, Greg. They all had big hand mics, Patrick's was black, Nick's yellow, David's green and Greg's red. Patrick kept putting his down and forgetting to pick it up when answering a question. David said it made them look like Westlife and they were going to finish by singing a particularly nasty ballad. I didn't go round to the stage door but am told that David came out the fire exit, got in a car and was driven off. I don't know if he did any autographs.
- Discussing Gregory Doran as a director: Patrick Stewart said that, as any person with major talent, he makes it look easy. DT said that there is also a slight of hand, he makes you think that you built up the role yourself, so you feel ownership of it, but he steers you in the right direction without you realising.
- Discussing the Courtyard theatre: PT said that he 'd been warned he might not like the thrust stage, but he fell in love with it, acting among the audience, he never wants to go back to the proscenium stage. DT reminded him that they are going to the Novello. DT said that the Courtyard theatre is such a gift for an actor, especially when doing the soliloquies, because it makes the connection with the audience so much more powerful. (I think that's the difference between actors and the rest of us: I would find being on that stage, by myself, delivering a soliloquy, being able to look 1000 people in the eye absolutely terrifying).
- Discussing whether the play changes during performance, especially the soliloquies, whether DT does them differently: PT said that he and Oliver Ford Davies sit backstage in silence, listening to the "To be or not to be" every night, what a privilege to listen to this piece of great drama every night for free, and yes, DT does it differently. DT was asked whether he is aware of it, he said that he is aware to a certain extent (implying that he can't dissect the differences precisely), but this comes natural if you keep the text alive in the moment.
My next event was watching an ensemble of actors and a director (Tim Carroll) having their first read through of a Shakespeare play which was fascinating to watch! They also showed us things they do to make the lines run more like throwing a ball up at the end of one line and catching it at the beginning of the next line.
I then met up with my friend for lunch and a chat about what we had both done so far before I went to see Working With The Works with Gregory Doran and Jonathan Bate who is co-editor of the RSC Complete Works.
This was very interesting but I was most interested by the first discussion as it was about the your / our debate! A post from OG explains it as:
The RSC Complete Works of Shakespeare as co-edited by Bate was published last year and on 5 September individual paperback editions of the plays are published with additional material - notes, interviews, comments). These editions on the cover have a quote from the play. For Hamlet it is:
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in our philosophy."
This is not the most common version of the quote: usually the quote goes: "Than are dreamt of in your philosophy". Very often in performance the emphasis is in "your", making it clear that Hamlet and Horatio have a different approach to life, Horatio more logical, Hamlet more emotional and instinctive. As with many things in Shakespeare, there is no definitive text, and this edition has "our" instead of "your".
Jonathan Bate said that the publishers did a limited edition hardback of Hamlet and they wanted David Tennant to have one. Bate gave it to Doran to give to David. This is quite recent, the last few days. The same day this happened, Bate got an email from David saying that looking at the cover, he has been thinking and he thinks that "our" makes much more sense, it's not a division between Hamlet and Horatio and he will change it in performance. Bate asked Doran if indeed this has been changed, Doran said that he hasn't seen the play since, he 'll find out and let him know.
Doran also pointed out that in their production from the begining, the emphasis was always on "philosophy", and "your" was much more general than about Horatio. But "our" makes it clearer that this is a moment of change for Hamlet, the logical approach was his approach as well and now Hamlet's world (mind?) starts falling apart.
Another comment from Jonathan Bate: on discussing Shakespeare's preoccupation with acting and theatre and performance, plays within the plays, exploring whether acting is as important as real life, whether people perform in real life. And these themes are more prevalent in Hamlet than any other play. And he made the comment that after Yorick's death, this is a court without jester, which is quite inconceivable. And one of the brilliant things about DT's performance is that he makes Hamlet the court jester, something that he (Jonathan Bate) hasn't seen done before.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in our philosophy."
This is not the most common version of the quote: usually the quote goes: "Than are dreamt of in your philosophy". Very often in performance the emphasis is in "your", making it clear that Hamlet and Horatio have a different approach to life, Horatio more logical, Hamlet more emotional and instinctive. As with many things in Shakespeare, there is no definitive text, and this edition has "our" instead of "your".
Jonathan Bate said that the publishers did a limited edition hardback of Hamlet and they wanted David Tennant to have one. Bate gave it to Doran to give to David. This is quite recent, the last few days. The same day this happened, Bate got an email from David saying that looking at the cover, he has been thinking and he thinks that "our" makes much more sense, it's not a division between Hamlet and Horatio and he will change it in performance. Bate asked Doran if indeed this has been changed, Doran said that he hasn't seen the play since, he 'll find out and let him know.
Doran also pointed out that in their production from the begining, the emphasis was always on "philosophy", and "your" was much more general than about Horatio. But "our" makes it clearer that this is a moment of change for Hamlet, the logical approach was his approach as well and now Hamlet's world (mind?) starts falling apart.
Another comment from Jonathan Bate: on discussing Shakespeare's preoccupation with acting and theatre and performance, plays within the plays, exploring whether acting is as important as real life, whether people perform in real life. And these themes are more prevalent in Hamlet than any other play. And he made the comment that after Yorick's death, this is a court without jester, which is quite inconceivable. And one of the brilliant things about DT's performance is that he makes Hamlet the court jester, something that he (Jonathan Bate) hasn't seen done before.
I had a free half hour and then I saw the performance of the second theatre group which really wasn't very good followed by the quick change of costume demonstration which was interesting as they showed Ryan Gage getting into his Player Queen outfit - I had no idea that there were so many layers to the costume!
After some tea with my friend I saw an interview with Oliver Ford Davies who plays Polonius in Hamlet which was fascinating. I saw him earlier this year at the National Theatre in Much Ado About Nothing and he really knows his Shakespeare!
My final event was the Shakespeare Quiz which was hilarious! Gregory Doran has such an extensive knowledge of all of Shakespeare's plays! I was quite pleased that I actually knew the answers to 5 of the questions!
I left Stratford at about 9.00pm and got home just before midnight after a long but fun day!
