This workshop was possible thanks to financial support by Région Auvergne Rhone Alpes.
With a little bit of organization, we managed to have a total of three shows during the afternoon. It IS important to enlight that the LLCE students had a public composed in a very heterogeneous way: a mix of middle schoolers, highschoolers and adults such as English teachers but also the headmaster of the school. Because of the hard language that is Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night the young public did not always know how to react or when.
However, apart from that the show went really well, with a lot of posters in the school and a great energy on stage!Â
Twelfth Night has various characters and this allowed every student that wanted to play a shot on the stage. Sword fighting, fake mustaches, and old jackets everywhere the show was great fun for the students!
Mélia
On the first day, we met Sadie and Antony, two actors from the Footsbarn Travelling Theater. We began with expression and presentation exercises to get acquainted with each other. We started learning the final song in the afternoon. The second day, Thursday, we focused on embodying the characters, learning how to transform and inhabit our roles. Then, we started working on staging, dividing into groups for each workshop. I had the opportunity to take photos of the rehearsals. Students who weren't acting worked on various tasks: some on costumes, others on posters for the show. By the end of the day, all the actors had been able to work on their lines and scenes individually, without running through them. The following day was quite exhausting; we had a lot of work to do and thus, a lot of pressure. We gathered equipment for the video recording and began setting it up. The actors then had a first full rehearsal, led by Sadie and Antony, to fine-tune details and transitions. An hour later, a second rehearsal took place: in costume, without breaks. We finished sorting everything out (or nearly so) and went to eat. After the break, we rehearsed again; the pressure kept mounting, but everyone was also very enthusiastic. We conducted final equipment tests (lights, camera, microphone) and were all ready to begin. The first performance was at 2 PM, the second at 3 PM, and the last at 4 PM. We had time to discuss and tweak things between each performance. The last one was the most successful: the audience was receptive, and the actors were flawless. I must admit I was moved and very pleased with this wonderful experience.
Robinson
All of us were really excited to contribute to a massive project like this one. The people of the Footsbarn Traveling Theatre were really interesting and everyone really enjoyed their roles. I think the spectators also shared this enthusiasm. I personally loved being part of this literature project.
Lilian
Video and photos by Robinson. We all thank you for your hard work!
