Three plays from William Shakespeare will be presented in an unpredictable way.
More Top Picks Best Gel Insoles For Standing All Day
The Elgin Shakespeare Project, Janus Theatre Company and Moonlight Repertory present the Unrehearsed Shakespeare Festival July 26-28 at the Moonlight Theatre in St. Charles.
Shows include “Comedy of Errors” at 8 p.m. July 26, “Merchant of Venice” at 8 p.m. July 27 and “The Taming of the Shrew” at 6 p.m. July 28.
These plays are presented in such a way that brings the audience and the performers together in the manner Shakespeare’s company originally intended by using unrehearsed cue script techniques, said Sean Hargadon, founder of the Elgin Shakespeare Project and co-founder and artistic director of the Janus Theatre Company in Elgin.
Food and drinks, including a full bar, will be for sale before, during and after the shows.
In 2016, the Janus did a series of events to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death on or around April 23, 1616. One of those events was an unrehearsed production of a Shakespeare play. To make sure they got it right, they brought out an expert who taught the technique — Bill Kincaid, an actor and professor of theater at Illinois Western University.
“It’s called the First Folio Cue Script Technique,” Hargadon said. “In Shakespeare’s time at the Globe Theatre … they would perform a different play every day, six days a week, for weeks at a time. The question is, how did they do that? And the actors wouldn’t get a full script of a play. They would only get their lines and above their lines would be a cue line, which would just be a few words.”
The actors didn’t rehearse like actors do today, save for some fight choreography. So how did they know where to go onstage?
“The theory is that Shakespeare embedded clues in the script to tell the actor what to do at certain times,” Hargadon said. “When you start to pull it apart, it’s like ‘The Matrix’ movie, you can see everything in code.”
For example, “thee,” “thou,” “you” and “your” all mean different things, he said. The word is telling the actor to do a specific action; “thee” or “thou” signals the actor to get close to the person to whom he is speaking, while “you” or “your” implies a respectful distance.
“There are different words — we’ll call them trigger words, in a good way — that basically create a system of blocking and meaning for the actor,” he said.
Actors will get their parts and Hargadon will work with them one-on-one, but the play isn’t rehearsed or even read through as a cast beforehand.
“We encourage them not to read the play and we don’t tell them who anybody else is playing,” he said.
His actors will have their scripts rolled and taped together into scrolls.
“It’s extremely daunting and scary and exhilarating at the same time because it forces the actor to really listen and pay attention and to focus on what’s going on,” he said. “For the audience, it’s a thrill because what could happen at any moment?”
The 11 actors will be in all three plays, he said.
“It’s a chance to get a taste of what it might have been like in Shakespeare’s time,” he said. “The play comes together in real time in front of the audience.”
The actors have to be quick on their feet and keep their wits about them, although there’s no improvisation, he added.
“That’s what’s even more tricky; there’s a structure to it,” he said. “You have to juggle a lot of balls at the same time.”
The collaboration with Moonlight Theatre came about when Hargadon pitched the idea to Moonlight’s owner and artistic director Joe Mennella. Since he’s done Unrehearsed Shakespeare in the past, Hargadon was in a good position to help steer the ship, as it were.
“Once we start, the play doesn’t stop … and that’s what’s really thrilling to watch,” he said. “All the parts come together. Bill (Kincaid) says in his book, unrehearsed does not mean unprepared. You don’t go in and wing it.”
The audience is as much a part of the production as the actors, he said.
“That is a lot of fun to watch. It’s kind of like a high dive act — can we make it work?” he said. “If things go wrong, we fold it into the play anyway. It’s not like everything stops and we’re weeping about it. You make a joke and you move on. It happened in Shakespeare’s time as well.”
Audiences should be supportive and go with the vibe.
“We encourage people to have drinks before, during and after the show because that would be the environment,” he said. “If your cell phone goes off, we’re going to use it. We’ll fold it into the play. Another great thing Bill said is that this kind of Shakespeare presentation is not precious. It’s much more in the moment, making a connection, some might say Shakespeare in the rough. We’re creating a fun event, a supportive event.”
The plays themselves are fun and thought-provoking, too.
More Top Picks Signs Of Dyslexia In Adults Who Were Never Diagnosed
“If people want to see Shakespeare that’s fast and not dull and not boring, this is a good one to see,” he said. “I cut the plays pretty tight; I keep them between 80 and 90 minutes.”
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.
‘Unrehearsed Shakespeare Festival’
When: 8 p.m. July 26-27 and 6 p.m. July 28
Where: Moonlight Theatre, 7 S. 2nd Ave., St. Charles
Tickets: $15-$20
Information: 630-549-0072; moonlighttheatre.com/events/unrehearsed-shakespeare-festival