fandomtownies | The Boards - Tuesday

As you do.

Jack Burton

G'Kar

Amber Atkins

Cal Stephanides

Michael Guerin

Gladys

Naomi Wildman

"We've gone through all the pieces. We have a set, for what it is, and we have costumes, for what they are. We talked about volume and range, projecting... so they'll hear you. And what they'll hear is one of the most violent, bloody, terrible pieces of Western art ever to leave the brain of the Bard.

"I could make a big speech about all the work you've put into this, but I'm not going to. You know. That's just... patronizing. Nothing has to be said about the characters I've seen you pull out of this text... and out of yourselves. And it's been great watching the production come together."

He grinned.

"Now... we're going to get to work today, and everything I just said now is going to be buried under the deep and unending hatred you will soon develope for your director because we're going into what we'd call 'previews' if we actually had an audience to come and watch and that means I want 150% from all of you."

The razor blade popped up between his teeth.

"Let's get started."

Get up there and do your thing, individually or with others. The whole play is up for grabs today.

Spark Notes (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=3&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sparknotes.com%2Fshakespeare%2Ftitus%2F&ei=yJZzSPfLIJm-eKfM-esC&usg=AFQjCNEjfbfnj1pjoKV-gtsNzvjZQD_vGw&sig2=9T4zNzMJpYT0U2huNJAqcQ) for grabbing.
Titus Andronicus (http://shakespeare.mit.edu/titus/index.html) for the text.

Jack starts his first speech, very nervous. Not that he's showing it of course, by mumbling the lines.

Give us the proudest prisoner of the Goths,
That we may hew his limbs, and on a pile
Ad manes fratrum sacrifice his flesh,
Before this earthy prison of their bones;
That so the shadows be not unappeased,
Nor we disturb'd with prodigies on earth.

"Can't hear you, Jack!" he said from the middle of the theatre.

"Put a little chest behind it! Come on! Some gusto, here!"

Jack gulped. Audibly. Right. Projection.

Away with him! and make a fire straight;
And with our swords, upon a pile of wood,
Let's hew his limbs till they be clean consumed.

It was better, but more like a mouse than a lion.

Geoffrey hopped up from his seat and walked up to the stage.

"Jack?" he asked quietly, "Have you ever been so pissed off at someone you just wanted to..."

He made a sort of teeth-rippy gesture with his mouth and his hands were like claws. He snapped his head to one side and then wrung the everloving hell out of the imaginary chew toy.

"Just... someone pisses you off. Punched your grandmother. Ate the last chocolate donut. Drank your last cold beer. Someone just went over the line and, you know-"

He looked to Jack.

"You know?"

Reno.

"Yeah. I've been that mad before," he stated. His voice was harsh. He blinked. "You want me to be mad like that?"

He could be mad like that. Stupid pizza-throwing---

He nodded.

"You read the text. You think Lucius is just a little annoyed? How's he sound in those words, Jack. Don't you think he sounds that pissed?"

Jack nodded back, with something like "you're goddamn right" under his breath. He turned towards the audience...or at least the chairs.

Away with him! and make a fire straight;
And with our swords, upon a pile of wood,
Let's hew his limbs till they be clean consumed!

His words were angry, his gestures quick and violent.

Geoffrey grinned.

"Good," he said, backing off a little to watch.

"Make sure you don't get so carried away we can't understand you and we'll be perfect."

Jack was not thinking that Albus or Alarmus or whoever had a red ponytail or that his highlighter was a bloody sword.

See, lord and father, how we have perform'd
Our Roman rites: Alarbus' limbs are lopp'd,
And entrails feed the sacrificing fire,
Whose smoke, like incense, doth perfume the sky.
Remaineth nought, but to inter our brethren,
And with loud 'larums welcome them to Rome.

Why was he sweating like this? And his heart racing? It's just a play. Right?

[ooc: will be ducking out for work in the next 5 min. slowplay?]

Geoffrey was grinning. Geoffrey was grinning fit to make something fall over.

He could see it. He could see it and hear it and knew it.

There we go, Jack. You've got it. You've got it, now.

[sp is grand!]

Jack skipped ahead in the text, uncertain of himself, of this feeling, but not wanting to stop.

To rescue my two brothers from their death:
For which attempt the judges have pronounced
My everlasting doom of banishment.

Proud. Defiant. Very much a man who knows this is a Hail Mary play that will likely fail.

G'Kar took the center of the stage, confident as he read his lines loud and clear. He moved around the stage as he spoke, emphasizing with body language and motion his words and feelings.

Thou map of woe, that thus dost talk in signs!
When thy poor heart beats with outrageous beating,
Thou canst not strike it thus to make it still.
Wound it with sighing, girl, kill it with groans;
Or get some little knife between thy teeth,
And just against thy heart make thou a hole;
That all the tears that thy poor eyes let fall
May run into that sink, and soaking in
Drown the lamenting fool in sea-salt tears.

Amber worked herself up for her first scene. She looked the captive that she was; her hair was mussed, her eyes bright with unshed tears, her expression a combination of fear and anxiousness.

She took her place on stage as a prisoner and began to speak when it was her turn.

"Stay, Roman brethren! Gracious conqueror,
Victorious Titus, rue the tears I shed,
A mother's tears in passion for her son:
And if thy sons were ever dear to thee,
O, think my son to be as dear to me!"

She dropped to her knees, pleading with Titus.

"Sufficeth not that we are brought to Rome,
To beautify thy triumphs and return,
Captive to thee and to thy Roman yoke,
But must my sons be slaughter'd in the streets,
For valiant doings in their country's cause?
O, if to fight for king and commonweal
Were piety in thine, it is in these.
Andronicus, stain not thy tomb with blood:
Wilt thou draw near the nature of the gods?
Draw near them then in being merciful:
Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge:
Thrice noble Titus, spare my first-born son!"

Michael climbed up on the stage and began his scene.

Now climbeth Tamora Olympus' top,
Safe out of fortune's shot; and sits aloft,
Secure of thunder's crack or lightning flash;
Advanced above pale envy's threatening reach.
As when the golden sun salutes the morn,
And, having gilt the ocean with his beams,
Gallops the zodiac in his glistering coach,
And overlooks the highest-peering hills;
So Tamora:
Upon her wit doth earthly honour wait,
And virtue stoops and trembles at her frown.
Then, Aaron, arm thy heart, and fit thy thoughts,
To mount aloft with thy imperial mistress,
And mount her pitch, whom thou in triumph long
Hast prisoner held, fetter'd in amorous chains
And faster bound to Aaron's charming eyes
Than is Prometheus tied to Caucasus.
Away with slavish weeds and servile thoughts!
I will be bright, and shine in pearl and gold,
To wait upon this new-made empress.
To wait, said I? to wanton with this queen,
This goddess, this Semiramis, this nymph,
This siren, that will charm Rome's Saturnine,
And see his shipwreck and his commonweal's.
Holloa! what storm is this?

After taking a moment to slap his sleepiness out of his and shaking out his limps, Cal, before the start of the scene, took a moment close his eyes and focus on all the little things he'd retained about what was expected of his role. The good guy, essentially, getting the bad side of things. Love of country, love of Lavinia, his death was the death of civility in the play, and so he'd have to be civility.

The older brother first, Saturninus' call for tradition, and then his, Bassianus imploring for the best guy for the job.

"Romans, friends, followers," he paused to glance around, "favorers of my right,
If ever Bassianus, Caesar's son,
Were gracious. in the eyes of royal Rome,
Keep then this passage to the Capitol
And suffer not dishonour to approach
The imperial seat, to virtue consecrate," pause; he blinked his tired eyes a little, struggling to really stay connected not because he didn't know what he was saying but because he was just so damn tired,
"To justice, continence and nobility;
But let desert in pure election shine,
And, Romans, fight for..." He trailed off, unable to hold back a long yawn, concluded with a shake of his head, and the death of all his previous enthusiasm and heart, "freedom in your choice."

A smaller yawn, and Cal shook his head a bit again, rubbing his face with his palm.

"Sorry."

Edited 2008-07-08 21:24 (UTC)

Naomi said her first main lines, making sure that her voice was loud and clear and full of emotion.

In peace and honour live Lord Titus long;
My noble lord and father, live in fame!
Lo, at this tomb my tributary tears
I render, for my brethren's obsequies;
And at thy feet I kneel, with tears of joy,
Shed on the earth, for thy return to Rome:
O, bless me here with thy victorious hand,
Whose fortunes Rome's best citizens applaud!

If you scene, he'll comment here.

Not acting for the moment? Well, keep it low volume!

Jack was looking through his script, highlighting and re-highlighting his lines. One day he'd be off-book.

"Psst," Amber whispered to get his attention. "You did good up there!"

"Thanks. It...felt good." He was surprised.

G'Kar was watching his collegues with great interest. He was confident that they could put on a good show.

Since they were doing a run-through, Cal had plenty of downtime, seeing as he was dead before the second act. He utilized this time to try to keep himself awake...and doing a poor job of it.

He couldn't help it that, after Ino had left last night, his writing block problem had been solved and he'd stayed up until practically the crack of dawn getting the most out of it.

Edited 2008-07-08 20:44 (UTC)

It wasn't hard to look at Cal and notice how tired he seemed. Amber blinked slowly, wondering if he'd had a rough night. She hadn't been loud; her music soft. She'd even gone to bed at a decent hour.

Hopefully he wasn't coming down with anything.

She didn't pester him; assumed that if he felt like conversing, he would. She gave the notes in her lap her attention once more.

EEE start my course today. So I'll be GONE from 5-10pm today. But I'll be back after that to thread if wanted. Go for it while I'm gone, though ^_^, as you like.

If anyone would like Geoffrey to work through lines with them, please let me know here. I wasn't sure if you guys wanted to thread with each other or with me. *makes a note to add this to things next week*

...it's a process ^_^;

...sorry for the inaction yesterday. I had a bad case of not-on.

The Boards - Tuesday - 7/8

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