Campers today developed their craft in Hamlettian terms. They learned in the ROADS to Rhetoric workshop how to recognise figures of speech and how to suit the action to the word and the word to the action (antimetabole!), and in KP Powell’s acting class how to make storytelling clear through stage presence and pursuit of the solution to the problem (zeugma!).
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After breakfast, while Comedy of Errors had rehearsal time in the Playhouse (including getting trap-trained – alliteration!), the cast of Troilus and Cressida had their two workshops; after lunch, while Troilus and Cressida rehearsed in the Playhouse, CoE had their workshops. (Antimetabole! Antithesis!)
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First, their rhetoric class with our esteemed camp director Lia Wallace!
With the help of a deck of somewhat outdated rhetoric cards, Lia showed the campers the R.O.A.D.S. to Rhetoric (that is, the rhetorical figures of Repetition, Omission, Addition, Direction, and Substitution, along with mention of their Greek names). Of particular interest were epizeuxis (the immediate, immediate repetition of a word with no other words in between); isocolon, hyperbaton, epanorthosis, auxesis, anadiplosis, and antithesis. (This is an auxesis.)
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After the rhetoric workshop, ASC actor and upcoming Macbeth lead KP Powell led the campers in an acting workshop, centred on the question “what’s the problem?”. KP began with an exercise in collaborative storytelling, where three storytellers were given rules (such as “if you say um, you’re out” or “the third person in line must portray all the characters) and then a fourth actor selected the speakers in quick succession via pointing.
Then actors came up individually to receive monologue training. KP’s coaching stressed what problem the character needs to solve with this monologue, and receiving and incorporating input from the audience.
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While Comedy of Errors relaxed and had some free time after dinner, T&C went down for their second rehearsal of the day at the Playhouse, where several cast members recorded footage for the upcoming TikTok challenge – hoping to get posted to the official ASC social media, campers are to submit their reels that deal with the content of their plays.
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Both rehearsal and free time ended at 9:30, and at 10 o’clock lullabies Hattie serenaded the campers with a song by Cage the Elephant, accompanying herself on guitar.
Tomorrow we look forward to The Importance of Being Earnest rehearsal observation at the Blackfriars, as well as a makeup voice class in the afternoon for the CoE folks who were deprived of it last week! Once more unto the breach!!