Hobbies: Acting, soccer, video games, and reading.
What aspects of the theatre are you most interested in? I am interested in three aspects of the theatre. Those happen to be acting, business, and directing. I am interested in these because I always loved acting, but realize it is a hard profession to pursue. So my back up would be to learn the business and directing aspect so I can open my own theatre company.
What parts of the Much Ado About Nothing rehearsal process are you most interested in telling other students about? When the director gives notes at the end. You might say this is a peculiar interest, but I do have reason for it. It gives you a sense of what the director is thinking and how your opinions or the actor's opinions differ from his.
Anything else we should know?
As I said before, I would like to open up my own theatre company. As much as I love classical and modern pre-existing pieces, I also have my own ideas in mind for my own original pieces.
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Last week, Darren had the opportunity to observe a rehearsal, here's what he had to say.
On February 16th I attended the Much Ado about Nothing rehearsal from 6-8 PM. It was an interesting experience. I am not familiar with the play, but the weekend prior I decided to look into it a bit. I have a very hard time with the Elizabethan language so I cheated and read a translated version. Immediately after reading the first act you notice that there is a lot of gossip that occurs between the characters and society as a whole. The Director, Jimmy Maize, put a twist on the setting of Shakespeare’s piece. Jimmy decides to set the play in the 20’s in New Orleans; a perfect time to set this because during this time World War one has just ended and men are coming back to changes in the women’s attitude. It was the start of class warfare due to gossip that is going on in this time period. This was also a time when feelings were expressed in a new form of music – jazz.
This change was extremely clever in my opinion, especially that it is set in New Orleans during a time where performances were going on EVERYWHERE! I also believe this particular adaptation of this piece will appeal to a young audience like me. During the rehearsal, I was in awe when I heard the music in the piece. It reminded me of Harlem in the 1920’s, which wasn’t so different from New Orleans. The only difference was New Orleans was known for their street performances, while New York was known for their theatre performances. The funny thing about Shakespeare is that you can get away with changing the setting to make it more modern. The themes in Shakespeare’s plays are so interesting because you see them in your everyday life. He wrote about things that would never change in the world and with that we can change things like the setting but still stay true to Shakespeare’s intentions and language. I am extremely excited to see what this play is going to look like on the main stage. Can’t wait. I have nothing, but high expectations for this piece!
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