A production of Romeo and Juliet!

Romeo & Juliet poster - I made this (all rights reserves, copyrights to Colette Bertschy, etc.)
If you have the chance, please come watch - and vote for us!

Improvisation

Working with a play that’s based mostly on improvisation is an interesting experience, to say the least. It keeps you on your toes. No two rehearsals are ever the same; though a basic blocking remains, the blabbered words, mimes and gestures differ.

On one hand, it allows you to explore and take the scene down different avenues, experimenting and toying with different ideas as they come to you. It allows you to bring onto the stage an element of fun and freedom that you often otherwise find lacking. But there is, however one major drawback: Time.

Time is a curious creature, but the key challenge in our production of Romeo & Juliet is stretching and condensing scenes accordingly, so that they are neither too long (where the audience gets bored), nor cut too short, eliminating enhancing elements of the production.

It’s a tricky, precarious balance in and of itself, but mixed with a constantly changing scene, it’s difficult to determine when the right “stop” marker is. It also varies slightly depending on how things play out.

From what I can determine, the only real solution is to develop an ear attuned to sensing the appropriate time – and for that, you need practice.

Lots and lots of practice.

Directing

There is a very famous scene in the marvelously yet tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet - almost anyone can picture their classic balcony scene in their minds' eye, the clear night sky, stone overhanging balcony, a soft glow illuminating Juliet's chambers from behind her as she waits in a peal nightgown for Romeo to climber gracefully up the vines the cover her mansion's walls. The scene is illuminated by a full moon and twilling stars. 

In almost every fairy tale, love story and tragedy there's a similar scene at some point, the epitome of romance in the play, novel, or film. 

So imagine my surprise when I walked into class one day only to be offered the chance, seemingly out of the blew, might I add, to have a go at directing this famous moment. Once I realized my professor was serious, I immediately began musing about how I could portray such a perfect cliché with the limited costumes, set, stage, etc available to us - my mind skipping right to the fairytale moment that I think is fair to say pops into most of our heads. The words, "Romeo, Romeo - wherefore art thou Romeo?" echoing softly through my mind. 

"Oh, and just one thing," Mr Lawrence said, "make it different. Not cliché, but something new."

Naturally, those words sent all my half-baked ideas out the window, leaving me fumbling for a moment as I tried to punch the image from my mind and construct something different. I can assure you, it is exceedingly tricky to make a scene so permanently cliché into something... well, not so cliché. It's a bit like trying to convince yourself the sky is actually lilac, not blue as you've been reared to believe since you were a very small child.

I remembered in 8th grade having made a comic out of the balcony scene, and while everyone else in the class used pictures of romantic lovers or images directly from the various films that have been made over the years, I pulled up "bunnies" on the internet and produced a product very different from my classmate's. Personally, I found it much more entertaining and the bunnies were infinitely more adorable.

Anyways, with the memory of that particular event in mind, I began to work on the scene with Jed (Romeo) and Jess (Juliet). Hesitant at first, it became easier once I began to formulate a basic scheme in my minds eye, and got used to asking my classmates to do x, y, z - without feeling embarrassed or nervous I'd come across as too bossy or make a complete fool of myself.

I really need to thank Jess and Jed - they were incredibly patient as I sorted myself out and allowed me to give them way too many instructions and change my mind several times when things didn't work right. They really tried to interpret everything I tried to explain, even when it was clear they found it weird or out of place. Awesome friends :)

In hindsight, I know I get really annoyed when the director gives me too many instructions - I feel stifled, as if there's no longer and space to move around in and breath, incorporating a bit of myself into the character. Yet they still put up with me.

I'm actually quite pleased with the end result, and although it's far from perfect, I feel a small glow of pride every time it's rehearsed while I watch, peaking around the curtains in the back to get a better view. I've understood several things:

1) There's a trillion ways to play out a single scene
2) The key is to work with what you have available, and maximize that space instead of wishing for something you don't have
3) That it's not easy to direct a play/ scene/ act
4) But it's incredibly satisfying to watch afterwards
5) Be flexible
6) Remember not to give too many directions so you don't stifle your actors!

Characters and Acting

I play multiple roles in this production - that of the Nurse, as well as the messenger and Tybalt. This is mainly due to our small cast and lack of numbers, but it makes for an interesting array of temperaments, abilities and acting opportunities. 

The Nurse is a rather shrewd woman, who cares immensely for Juliet and risks her neck to help the girl find happiness. I see her as a very motherly figure, and though she's simple tongued and born of low stature, she'd intelligent, incredibly devoted and always ready to give a hug or a good scolding. She is still a servant, and her peasant roots shine through when in the company of others of her class. I imagine her as a slightly chubby, middle-aged woman, with a soft heart and a temper none are eager to mess with. 

The messenger is a simple-minded, illiterate fellow whom I imagine as a young, scrawny youth, not very old and used to running places in a Hurry to deliver paper messages or ones by memory. He is an obedient, eager to please lad, who tries hard and often gets worried he'll get something muddled. He passes on news, but doesn't always have the full story. Light on his feet and with sharp, bright eyes, he's there one second and gone the next. 

Then you have Tybalt. Troublesome Tybalt. He's a Capulet through and through, and hates the very word Montegue. He's a violent fellow, skilled with a sword and rather rash - often dashing off without much thought of the consequences of his actions. He's been raised to hate Montegues, and has embraced the morals his parents have instilled within him without question. He's fiercely protective of his cousin Juliet, and they get along well enough. He's got very little self-restraint, is rather crass at times, and yet been raised a nobleman. A rebel and a dangerous enemy. 

Script - and Gibberish!

So you must understand that Mr. Lawrence is constantly pushing boundaries and takes great pride in breaking the norm. Therefore, having been influenced by several of the characteristics of Comédia del'Arte, a large portion of the show is proclaimed in gibberish! The only characters speaking English are the young lovers, as here Romeo and Juliet are playing the innamorati. 

That means that for the rest of us - time to unlearn and relearn to speak! 

I know that may sound contradictory in and of itself, and in a way, it is; but it's also true. I've discovered that in order to learn to speak comprehensible Gibberish, you have to first let go of all the structure normal language provides - but keep the intonation. 

Surprisingly enough, everyone's Gibberish appears to be different. A lot of the communication takes place through your body language, the rhythm of the delivery of your 'speech' and through the intonation of your voice. It helps to pronounce names somewhat similarly so that the audience is sure to stay on track (though even then it's hardly a given), though you will find yourself tempted to overplay everything. This may or may not be acceptable depending on the performance/ director, but it's easy to get caught up in the thrill of the events unfolding on the stage. 

Because the key, I've found, is to let go. Let go of all the million things you're thinking in your head, of actions you're supposed to be doing, things you're supposed to say. Just keep a very basic ladder in your mind of events that will unfold. And let the rest go - let the rest go, and have fun :)

And believe me, it's a lot more difficult than it sounds. 

Romeo and Juliet, performed at Stratford-Upon-Avon by the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) in 2010 (this one was really exceptional!!)
http://saadeya.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/rsc’s-romeo-and-juliet/
One thing I particularly loved about this performance was how everyone was dressed in old fashioned clothes in the beginning besides Romeo and Juliet who wore modern clothes, and then by the end everyone was in modern clothes and moving on while Romeo and Juliet were dead, stuck in time in old fashioned clothes. :)
Haha - another (really awesome) version of the balcony scene here!

Reflecting afterwards...

Post-Production Questions for Short & Sweet Bangalore 2013

1. What is the festival all about?

From what I've gathered, the Short & Sweet Festival at the Ranga-Shankara Theater is a friendly competition between debuting theater groups seeking recognition and the chance to perform for an audience. Most of the participants are college students or adults; we were the only high-school group. Most of the groups seem to have been seasoned actors.

2. What are the main themes/ideas of the play?

The main idea of the play was to make a Remix of Shakespeare's 'Romeo & Juliet'  - in 10 minutes, using the essence of Comédia del'Arte complete with gibberish and masks.

3. Note and describe what you think were the key moments in the play.

The climax of the play was probably that instant where the atmosphere shifted from a fast past comedic Comédia styled play to a slower, sombre tragedy when the implications of the situation sinks in. The shift occurs between that moment when the nurse (me) gives Juliet the potion to fake death and runs off, only for the messenger (me again) and Romeo to run in a couple seconds later while Juliet drinks it and slips into a deep sleep in the background. It is only when the messenger reveals to Romeo that Juliet is ‘dead’, gives him poison and runs off with a desperate “I’m sorry!” that the situation really sinks in. The music has changed, and Romeo moves slowly, depression and hopelessness written plainly across his features for all to see. This is the climax, and the key moment – turning instant of the play.

4. What is the message?

I'm not sure what the message of the play is. I suppose you could say that it's a warning to parents not to try to forbid young love, etc. - but that's truly accurate for any presentation of Romeo & Juliet. Our unique message, through the twist of using a Comédia essence and the very short time limit, would be to not let the joy of life and living slip through your fingers as you rush to find love. Enjoy the road you're traveling, don't simply remain intent on your destination - after all, you never know when you'll reach that dead-end.

5. What type of play is it?

Our remix was definitely comedic, but the ending - true to the original - was indisputably that of a tragic tale. One could say a short tragicomedy.

6. What period is it set in? Which culture? How do you know?

It's typically set in "Fair Verona, where we lay our scene". However, our remix seemed to slip outside the realm of a particular period or culture; due to our use of Comédia acting styles, one could say that it takes place in the Renaissance period. However, references to "Gucci" and Juliet's role of a dominant woman contradict this theory, and lay our scene on the boarders of the modern day. The Indian kurtah's that we wore could draw a cultural link to India, but as I said before, there was no specific culture or place being targeted.

7. Describe the use of symbolism. What image was used and how was it achieved?

The red cape/ cloth that we used at the end of the play to cover up the forms of the two dead lovers – hands stretched out to each other, sprawled across and against the large black box center stage certainly could be said to contain a symbolic meaning. The covering of the corpses was much as one usually covers a dead person with a white sheet after they’ve been killed in an accident, and provides the same sense of closure as closing a loved one’s dead eyes, but using a bigger symbol so that it is apparent to the entire theater. It signifies the end, and visual closing image to the entire scenario, a definite ending to the play.

8. Who do you find are the most interesting and powerful characters? Why?

I must admit that I found, at least in our production of Romeo and Juliet a Remix, that Tybalt was probably one of if not the most powerful characters on stage. It may have been due to the way the roles were cast and dispersed, and truth be told this is a very subjective opinion since I played Tybalt and therefore have not witnessed the general atmosphere on stage as a spectator, but am judging rather by the feeling I gathered onstage from out interactions. Whenever I stepped on stage as Tybalt, I was in control. I had the power, and it was clear to me and to the others as well by their reactions and trepidation when it came to Tybalt. The only one he obeyed was Lord Capulet, but all the others were cowed. There was a sense of extreme confidence that I felt as Tybalt – I had no doubts, and could do anything. Tybalt, and hence me, knew he/ I was in control. And I felt it; even just through the way I walked and stood. It wasn’t something I adjusted consciously necessarily… It just … felt right.

Romeo was probably the most powerful of characters as in he was the only one whom I believe really evoked deep feelings within the spectators and shifted the gears of the play from laughing to tragic. His face and the aura he projected in that moment was enough to calm an entire theater – if that’s not power, I don’t know what is.

As far as who was the most interesting of characters, I may say it was our interpretation of Juliet. The modern-day approach of a more confidant, if slightly flirty and yet dominant over Romeo but not overly powerful woman was intricate and intriguing. Juliet was never quite the same from rehearsal to rehearsal – she was a constantly shifting, never quite stable character, yet held firm foundations. You had to watch the entire play first – and even then, it’d be difficult to get a precise read on her.

9. Describe ways actors achieved the characterization, paying attention to vocal and physical skills.

It’s easiest to base this off of my personal   experience – through Tybalt, as I mentioned before, I seemed to automatically straighten. My shoulders sort of just fell back into place, my chest opened in a undeniable stance of relaxed power. My walk was purposeful, my voice strong – all my movements had a direction.

As the nurse, my posture was more relaxed, and I seemed to bustle about with smaller steps. Her movements were more circular than Tybalt’s, and there was less power behind her walk, but more determination. She can be frightfully intimidating if ruffled the wrong way, but genuinely good tempered and can get caught up in the moment. Her voice is softer, but firm. Not dangerous.

As the messenger, I was unsure of myself; my steps were never quite in a straight line, and I had a playful/ innocent streak with my curiously tilting neck, hunched shoulders when I made a mistake and constantly moving upper body. My gestures were large and exaggerated, and my gibberish sheepish. I always had some part of my anatomy crossed, in submission and nervousness.

10. What is the mood of the play? How was this created?

The mood of the play was comedic, until that crucial switching point where the laughter was subdued and a deep sadness seemed to spread throughout the theater. The fast pacing and Comédia style of acting, gibberish and masks included, along with the music and playful interactions of the characters all added to this upbeat and fluffy mood. However, at the death scene, the music switched to a dramatic classical background, the masks, gibberish and flirty characters were abandoned.

11. Describe the scenery. What do you think was the designer’s intention?

The lack of a scenic background in our play was probably used to highlight the characters, as was the black colour of the boxes fading into the stage. The four black boxes provided different height dimensions and levels for the characters to work with and explore, breaking the monotony of a flat stage and adding to the hyperactive atmosphere of the performance. It also provided Romeo and Juliet an important physical presence in death, as they remained elevated above the normal stage/ ground level.

12/13. What sort of lighting / sound effects were used? How effective were they? Analyse one scene/moment in particular. Describe the music. Was it live? Recorded? What instruments were used and what mood/effect did this create?

A general floodlight was used for most of the play, and this provided all the characters and their dramatic movements to be seen clearly by the audience.

The music was appropriate to the moment – we used Marry You, by Bruno Mars for the marriage scene, Love Story by Taylor Swift for the ball, etc.

The death scene had classical music, and the string instruments and pianos rocked and soared the moment before Romeo drank the poison – then dropped with his death. That, combined with the center spotlight that illuminated only the dead corpses of Romeo and Juliet, secluding and containing the tragedy, all added to the sombre and dramatic aura of the ending. They were very effective, and helped the mood pivot so dramatically in such a short period of time.

All the music/songs we used were recorded.

14. Describe the overall design (costume, props, lighting, set) of the production.

I feel as though this has already been covered, but we wore Indian style (although they were all way too short for us) kurtah’s and varying shades of brown capris. We used very few props aside from our masks – which we made and painted ourselves. The lighting was a general floodlight for the happy part, and then a centered spot for the death part. The set consisted of no background, and four large black blocks set up strategically around the stage. 

My mask as the nurse (before I repainted it a lighter uniform brown color)
And my hand too I guess
Mr. Lawrence took this picture

15. Which part did you enjoy the most? Why?

I think the fight scene was my personal favorite moment. The mix of modern, Shakespearean actions (biting my thumb), and fantasy (… ”Kamehameha!”…), bows and taunts was extremely fun to act out and play. Although I’ll admit that being shot by Romeo, albeit probably looked pretty cool, hurt a bit when I fell. Had a bruise on my right thigh for a white.

16. Which part did you enjoy the least? Why?

I think that my least favorite part must have been the beginning – because (a) you feel super nervous – getting started is always the hardest part; and (b) even after multiple rehearsals and edits, I still felt as though it fell rather flat and wasn’t as strong a debut as I had originally hoped for.

17. Describe the choreography. How did it fit into the play?

I’m not certain what is meant by choreography, since we didn’t really have any dances in the play… although I suppose you could count the ball… It was more of a ‘move here’, ‘walk three steps right’, ‘bow’, ‘three steps left’, ‘nod’, etc. than a real dance. The idea was that each of us were a piece on a chessboard, our movements either diagonal (bishop/ Tybalt), l-shaped (horse/ Romeo), etc. Juliet of course was Queen.

18. If you were presenting the play, what would you change or direct differently?

Considering I had a hand in directing the play in the first place, I would hope that my answer would be something along the lines of ‘not too much’. However, there is always room for improvement – as one learns quickly in IB.

I am still unhappy with the opening scene – it bothers me that there’s not enough energy. In the death scene, I would most definitely have preferred to use a larger red cloth that covered both corpses completely rather than a small Dracula cape.

But I think that the biggest change I would have made is I would probably not have centered the entire paly on Comédia del’Arte in the first place, and definitely not thought to use masks. Yes, it worked; but it is not the approach I would likely have thought to take. And the masks were uncomfortable and rather hard to breath in to boot.

19. How did you feel about the production in general?

In general, I was rather happy with the final production – at least the way we performed it at the Ranga Shankara. Everyone was excited, nervous, and trying there best – to be rather blunt, what more can you ask? Each of us was truly vested in the paly, and found joy in performing it. So therefore, I consider it a success.

A performers perception of time

I learned something very interesting when performing at the Ranga Shankara: those few minutes you spend behind the scenes in the dark, waiting for the audience to settle down and the lights to come up, will be among the longest moments you have ever experienced.

I was holding Jess; your heart starts to beat quickly as adrenaline begins to shoot through you. You try to stay calm, and be strong and a reassuring presence for the others – but it’s hard, so hard.

Those moments, waiting in the dark, will always remain amongst the longest in my life. If I think about those moments now, after the performance, it is curious to note that they have been engraved in my mind as being longer than our entire performance, which can only be remembered in fragmented moments and a blur of adrenaline and excitement.

Curious thing, the human mind, isn’t it?

Just goes to show how much time is really a question of perception.

Huge importance of the audience, so often underestimated!

Now most people, when constructing a play, tend to think of the audience you're catering to at some point towards the middle of setting everything up. By now I'm wondering if it shouldn't be systematically the first thing that pops to a director's mind. 

We performed at the Ranga Shankara: audience - 8 years plus, so mostly adults and young adults as it were an evening show. Context: they paid to come see it, real theater.

We also performed at school for the government school kids: audience - grades 1st to 7th standard. Context: school trip, during the day, in our drama room over the painted squares of cardboard that serve as a stage. 

In other words, not the same. 

Now I ask you - how can you possibly expect the same show to be understood and appreciated by two so different audiences in two such different contexts? Answer: You can't!

Versions that are an interesting read/ watch:

• The original Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare (written text for the play)
• Roméo et Juliette, de Claude Merle (bayard jeunesse - for anyone who speaks french)
• Romeo + Juliet (1996), directed by Baz Luhrmann (movie)
• Romeo and Juliet (1968), directed by Franco Zeffirelli (movie)
• Romeo and Juliet, performed at Stratford-Upon-Avon by the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) in 2010 (this one was really exceptional!!)