We are so excited to be back after our long winter break, and, oh my, do we have excitement in store this spring!
Last week, we kicked off the semester with orientations for all 3 of our ensembles. At orientation, our entire team – all teaching artists, facilitators, actors, and their parents or other supporters – come together to go over plans and get on the same page for the term ahead. Sure, there’s a lot of talk about dates and some paperwork, but we also play favorite games and activities to give family members insight into our rehearsal process. This helps all of us develop a common language, and it’s just plain fun!
Teen Ensembles
This semester, our Monday and Friday ensembles for young adults (ages 15-21) will stage an original adaptation of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. This is a wacky tale with several cases of mistaken identity. Our version, adapted by our terrific teaching artist Braden Cleary, will feature 13 characters. We took some time introducing each character, as well as their signature costume pieces. Participants donned costumes, and tried their hand at dropping in and being dropped in. All rules were off at orientation - actors dropped in their parents, parent dropped in facilitators, facilitators dropped in each other. We were just in it to have fun as you can see in the photos!
Another special element of A.B.L.E.’s version of Comedy of Errors is that we’ll be introducing the art of Foley to our ensembles. Actors will use their bodies, voices, and specialized props to create live sound effects throughout the show. At orientation, we practiced making a thunderstorm! Check out this video from our Monday orientation to take a listen…
Adult Ensembles
A look at some of the props our adult ensemble will devise with this semester - a lantern, a handkerchief, a ring, a crown, and a skull. Can you name the Shakespeare stories these props are from?
Meanwhile, our adult ensembles will also be putting their own spin on Shakespeare. Last semester, we had a blast developing their own stories about some magical objects. This semester, we’re back with a brand new batch of Shakespeare inspired props – a skull, a crown, a handkerchief, a ring, and a lantern – and are excited to see what our imaginations cook up! At orientation, we introduced our families to some of our favorite ensemble games and gave them a peek at the devising process. They got to play with some famous Shakespeareans lines, and created two original stories – one about a magical handkerchief that belongs to a chef famous for her Shrimp Scampi and other recipes that can cure the sick, and one about the skull of Hercules that was stolen by some graverobbers! Check out these photos of us in action.
