Are you one of those people who love theatre but who find reading a play for the first time a less-than-joyful experience? Especially when it's a classical text?
An actor friend of mine once told me about an informal play reading where they did not have enough people to cover all the roles. One person was given a model T-Rex and supplied a growly voice to cover one of the extra parts (useful as their two designated characters were present in the same scene).
In my 2015 post about learning lines I mentioned how valuable I have found it to engage as many of the senses as possible.
These little guys (pictured) helped me read a play the other day - a play I had been successfully not reading for a few months (partly down to available time). Angel-winged Hello Kitty played the Friar - can you guess who played Putana and who played the Cardinal? All castings were intuitive. Soranzo's nephew Bergetto was represented by the teeniest baby and I was delighted to find he was called a 'baby' a couple of times in the text.
I had a multilevel stage - my closed laptop was the main stage area and there was a fore-stage (surface of my work table), even a top balcony 'Enter Annabella and Putana above' provided by the jar these found toys had been stored in.
It worked a treat. I found the scenes and play structure and character's through-lines and even agendas jumped into memorable life.
I was on the verge of gifting these little figures to the Charity Shop. I am keeping them and have ordered a set of Pokemon characters for future readings. Do not judge me.
An actor friend of mine once told me about an informal play reading where they did not have enough people to cover all the roles. One person was given a model T-Rex and supplied a growly voice to cover one of the extra parts (useful as their two designated characters were present in the same scene).
In my 2015 post about learning lines I mentioned how valuable I have found it to engage as many of the senses as possible.
These little guys (pictured) helped me read a play the other day - a play I had been successfully not reading for a few months (partly down to available time). Angel-winged Hello Kitty played the Friar - can you guess who played Putana and who played the Cardinal? All castings were intuitive. Soranzo's nephew Bergetto was represented by the teeniest baby and I was delighted to find he was called a 'baby' a couple of times in the text.
I had a multilevel stage - my closed laptop was the main stage area and there was a fore-stage (surface of my work table), even a top balcony 'Enter Annabella and Putana above' provided by the jar these found toys had been stored in.
It worked a treat. I found the scenes and play structure and character's through-lines and even agendas jumped into memorable life.
I was on the verge of gifting these little figures to the Charity Shop. I am keeping them and have ordered a set of Pokemon characters for future readings. Do not judge me.
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