Today the campers began rehearsals in earnest with tablework on Henry VI Part 1. To those uninitiated in the Theatrical process: tablework is laying the foundation for the rest of the rehearsal process. Instrumentalists in an orchestra will tune their instruments to play a piece, actors will tune their instruments, the body, voice, and imagination, to the demands of the text. In table work, we read the scenes slowly, asking questions about the literal events of the story, the characters’ points of view, and themes of the play. To quote legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner, “Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” One cannot behave truthfully if the ensemble is in disagreement about what those circumstances are. We learn to mine the text for information that will help us fully embody the circumstances and language Shakespeare has given us.

The campers courageously dove into the text, asking astute questions, dissecting the complex psychologies of their characters, and showed true grit and compassion as they helped refine each others’ ideas, and challenged each other to go deeper into the play. With tablework being largely done, we can begin to build the world of the play from the blueprits we’ve excavated from the words of the play. The players are well equipped, and the campers are proving to be a fearsome and fearless ensemble. They have the grit and determination of true artists, and the hearts and minds of true actors.

When not actively working on figuring out the nitty gritty of scenework, the campers put their newfound skill in scansion to good work. Scansion, for those not in the know, is the process of finding the rhythm and iambs imbedded in Shakespeare’s text. Fun fact: Shakespeare wrote to the beat of the human heart. De DUM, De DUM, De DUM, De DUM. Campers also paraphrased Shakespeare’s text into their own words, as to gain greater ownership and mastery of this unfamiliar and complex language.

The artistic process is in full swing, and as a young artist it is a true pleasure to see these young people throwing themselves whole heartedly into such a rewarding process. Here’s to the artists and the art they create!