"Our Town" Dress Rehearsal

Today we had our first dress rehearsal for "Our Town". We have one more (on Tues. Nov. 12th) before opening night on Thursday, November 14th. Although my lines have been painful to learn, and the character work has been difficult, I'm really going to miss this show. We've all worked very hard to get to where we are. Today, during rehearsal, we had one or two mistakes throughout the entire play, which is definitely a record. No one talked backstage and we all got into character with the help of our amazing costumes and makeup. It's the first time everyone has been in full makeup and costume, and it was wonderful. We were all truly able to connect with out characters and bring out the best in them. 

Plays are a LOT of hard work and take a lot of dedication, but once every actor understands and fully becomes every character, it's a beautiful thing. What I love most about plays, is how two weeks before opening night, none of us are sure we can do it. We're all nervous and anxious, wondering if we can really pull it off. We constantly doubt ourselves. I have been in several performances at ISK, and somehow, we ALWAYS manage to get ourselves together in order to perform several nights of great shows for our wonderful audiences. The hardest part, after learning all of my lines, is delivering them with sincerity and honesty. It's hard to deliver a line without truly knowing your character, so that's job 1 - know your character. Job two - learn your lines. Job 3 - understand why and how your characters says those lines. Job 4 - let your character take you over. Job 5 - put on an amazing performance.

"Our Town" - Mrs. Gibbs

We've been doing a lot of character work in play practice these days. My character, Mrs. Gibbs, is a pleasant, happy woman full of dreams. She loves her family very, very much, but also wants to travel the world. The dream of her life, is to visit Paris, France. She has two beautiful children, George and Rebecca, and a wonderful husband, Frank Gibbs, to whom she's been married for 20 years. In previous plays, I've never had to become as invested or as dedicated to the characters I play. The reason for this was, either I played several characters in one performance, or I was only on stage for several minutes (like the Fringe Festival). Anyways, I've learned a lot from this play, especially how to connect and understand Mrs. Gibbs and any future characters I may play. Below are photos of previous "Mrs. Gibbs'":

Above: Mrs. Gibbs with Rebecca and George.




Right: Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb miming stringing beans.

Left: Frank and Julia Gibbs having a conversation at breakfast time.













"Our Town" has been performed thousands of times, likewise with the role of Mrs. Gibbs. Every actress probably puts a different spin on her. To me, Mrs. Gibbs isn't misunderstood in any way, in fact, she's very easy to "get". In the early 1900s, women were never known to be very strong or independent, but Julie Gibbs knows exactly what she wants, and she's happy. She is happy with her husband, and all she asks from her children is that they are responsible and humble. Her biggest dream, one that never happens, is to travel to France. But, despite that, she's content with her life in Grover's Corners.

I can't wait to show audiences how much I've worked with Mrs. Gibbs. She's become a part of me, and I'm sure that once the performances are over, I'll miss her very much. I hope to perhaps have the opportunity to play her again.

"Our Town" Rehearsal

Since break is over, it's expected that we've learned all of our lines and we're ready to start major character work. It's very important to consider HOW we deliver lines. We did an amazing exercise in IB Theatre Class, where we had to lay down on the floor and just breathe. After several minutes, Ms. Bingham told us to picture ourselves standing in a room with a door in front of us. After several breaths, we were told to open the door. Behind the door was a room, with our character (I play Mrs. Gibbs) sitting in the far left corner. At first we could only see their outlines, but we slowly approached our characters and were eventually face to face with them. We were told to take in what they were wearing, how they were sitting, their facial expression. This was very easy for me and I can clearly remember the images that came to mind. I picture Mrs. Gibbs in a light blue skirt with a white shirt on. She is smiling and has rosy cheeks. She is sitting up straight, with her hands in her lap. She is very content just being who she is. We were then told to turn around, and take a seat, and become this character. This felt very awkward for me as I felt as though I had just formed a connection with someone and then I proceeded to sit in/on them. However, after several moments, I grew accustomed to it.

Ms. Bingham then told us to think like this character thinks. "What is she thinking about?" "Why is she thinking about those things?" "What is the most important thing to her?" "What is her life-long dream?" "What are her fears?" "What is she proud of?"

These are all extremely important questions to process and answer. Being able to let a character completely take over, means that you have to become that person. You have to think about who they are, why they are the way they are, what are their fears, hopes, and dreams? If these questions aren't answered, there is no way to truly understand a character's intention. Having the opportunity to play Mrs. Gibbs in "Our Town" is amazing. I've never done such extensive character work, and I am so grateful I can do so now.

Writer's Club

A friend of mine recently had the idea to start a writer's club at ISK. Since he knows writing is a passion of mine, he asked if I wanted to join, and naturally I said yes. We had our first meeting today, and I'm happy to say I'm surrounded by a great group of people. We're all very passionate about writing and I think we're all excited to share our pieces and try new things. We're planning on meeting once a month, and every meeting we'll get a new 'assignment'. This month's assignment is "Why do you write?" I love to write, and I have very concrete reasons why, so this one should be easy.

We have a lot of ways to express our creativity at ISK, and there are definitely ways to write, but there has never really been a "Writer's Club". There is a journalism club, but creative writing and journalism are very different. I'm taking part in the club in order to improve on my creative writing by getting feedback from my peers. I know they'll be honest and give good constructive criticism without being negative or harsh. I'm also excited to have to opportunity to read my peers' work and help them get better and better. This club should be educational, fun, and make sure I make time to write through all the craziness that is the IB.

Book Club (update)

I'm very excited for book club this year. We are reading so many great books. So far we've read "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green, which is absolutely fabulous. I had read it before and suggested we take the time to read it this year. It is a romantic novel with comedic elements and a lot of serious issues, but I think it's a great read for teens. Most people in the club weren't as crazy about this novel as I was, but I think it really allowed people to venture outside of their comfort zone.

What I really enjoy about book club is that there is such a variety of different people, and everyone is so dedicated to reading, we'll try just about anything. We have a huge mix of books this year, including sic-fi, short stories, poetry,WWII novels, and American classics. Being part of a club, that truly allows me to express my interests and thoughts, has been amazing. We've assembled a great group of people this year, and I can't wait to share more reading experiences with them. Next up - Jack Kerouac's "On the Road".

"Our Town" Rehearsal

I've been cast as Mrs. Gibbs in Thorton Wilder's play, "Our Town". It's a phenomenal play, and I truly appreciate his wonderful writing. Being cast as such a big part is extremely challenging, and very rewarding at the same time. I fully enjoy rehearsals and getting to know my fellow cast members. The cast of "Our Town" is relatively small, so it's nice to be able to get to know new people and make new friendships. I work closely with certain people - in particular those playing my husband, good friend (Mrs. Webb), and son. What's been really amazing is experiencing how a new director takes point. Ms. Bingham has worked closely with each of us and made it clear that we can go to her if we need any help character or play wise. As an actress, I find it very important to form a good connection with my director and receive good constructive criticism. I find that I make quite a few mistakes at the beginning of the process, but this only makes me want to improve more and more.

I am so very excited about this production and can't wait to continue learning more about "Our Town" and Mrs. Gibbs. However, learning lines has been a challenge. As I have quite a large role, I have quite a few lines and most of them aren't very problematic, but some of them give me a hard time. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon. I have break to run and memorize every line to perfection.

Marich Crepe Sale

To raise money for "Friends of Marich", we thought it would be a good idea to have a crepe sale. Because of the dietary restrictions ISK has set in place, we began to realize that bake sales are probably going to be making more and more money. However, we didn't want to do the usual bake sale, so we decided on a crepe sale.

Everyone participated by bringing in nutella, bananas, strawberries and peanut butter. We raise quite a bit of money, but unfortunately we ran out of crepes too quickly. We decided to have another sale next week, with more crepes and more advertisement.

Photography Club (trip)

Every year, the photography club usually goes on a trip to a national park in order to take beautiful photographs. Sometimes we have a guest speaker to teach us about different techniques and great ways to set up shots. Unfortunately our trip was cancelled this year because of the Westgate attack and security reasons. We also had several people drop out last minute. The trip was meant to be October 11th, 12th, and 13th. It's unlikely that it will be rescheduled as the seniors in the group are pretty much busy for the rest of the year. I'm really bummed the trip isn't happening because I always learn so much about setting up shots, taking my camera off auto, and just experimenting with cool pictures. It's great having a bunch of people who are dedicated to photography all together for a weekend because we can really learn from one another.

The trips are always wonderful because the club consists of many different grades, and getting to hang out with several different kinds of people is always amazing. We truly learn from each other, whether it be different photography techniques, or ways to handle the IB, it's always a great trip. Hopefully we'll be able to get a few guest speakers in photography club during activity time so that the students can still get that benefit of the trip. We also hope to do several smaller day trips (on Saturdays or Sundays) to Nairobi national park or the Kintangala Glass Factory. I'm positive we'll still have a great year!

Book Club - "The Fault in Our Stars"

Today in book club we discussed our first read, John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars". This book is by far one of my favorites from the past year. I really loved it. I found it emotional, both sad and joyful, and perfectly written. It was definitely not a great classic, but it was a simple, entertaining, capturing book. Several of my favorite quotes are below.

 I wrote a review for this book as I really do love it. Here it is:

The ISK book club’s first read was John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, a book we called “captivating”, “heart-wrenching”, and “intricately beautiful”. The book brought tears to our eyes, and yet managed to have a lot us laughing through most of it. John Green does a marvelous job of turning a story of two teenagers with cancer into an adventure of sorts. He begins by introducing us to his main characters, Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters, and letting the readers into their lives. Hazel is a 16-year-old girl living with cancer; Augustus is a cancer survivor (spoiler alert: they fall in love). Their story takes us to Amsterdam and into the life of Hazel’s favorite author, whose book kept her sane through the months of treatment and depression her cancer caused her. Yes, this book is about cancer, but it is also about love. It is about the most confusing, frustrating, brilliant and beautiful parts of life.  There is disappointment, sadness and unwillingness to live. But there is also laughter, happiness, joy, and hope. Most of all, John Green does an excellent job of keeping his reader entertained, whether it be in laughter or tears.

We, as readers, are meant to feel things while reading. It means that we are intended to become completely invested in the piece of literature before us, and The Fault in Our Stars did exactly that. It made us feel. And just as Hazel describes falling in love, we thought about the book in this way: “I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once.”

Ultimate Frisbee

I began playing ultimate frisbee as an action alternative. I thought it was going to be simple, turns out it's very complicated. It's also the most exercise I've done for 2 hours in a row. That sport makes you run! What's really great about it though, is that it really promotes team spirit, and you really have to work together. I used to play volleyball, and that sport also required full participation and attention, but you didn't have to move as much. Having to run back and forth and back and forth is extremely tiring, but when someone passes the frisbee to you, it's actually kind of exciting. The thrill of catching a long throw, or a hard throw, is pretty awesome. I was surprised at how hard the game is to understand, but I picked it up quite quickly. There are a bunch of terms that I didn't understand, like "break side", "cut", "blade", "stack", "deep cut", "disc in", "dump", "handler", and "pull". But I figured out that the best way to understand how to play the game was to actually play the game. So I was on a team with Mr. Paul (the coach) and other people who were very good and supportive and great team mates. They really helped me pick it up and directed me where to go and why. Soon enough, I was just doing what everyone told me to do and we ended up winning the game. Later, someone came up to me and said, "Wow Britta, you're really good! You picked it up so quickly!" And I said, "Can I be honest with you? I really had no idea what I was doing - I was just doing it, but I don't know how."

It's great to be participating in a sport that isn't too much about whether you're good or not, but whether you're committed and into the game, which I am. I really enjoy being on the "Ultimate Frisbee" team because the people are really nice, and all tend to be people who aren't really on any other sport team. Because of Bio Tutoring (as I sit my exam this year) I haven't been able to go as often as I'd like, but I've gone to a few practices and plan on attending more regularly after Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th. Yay!

Prom

Prom was amazing. Everything went very well. People stayed until around 11pm, which is wonderful considering how early everyone left last year. I think everyone had a great time. Although I wasn't able to get there early to help set up, I was happily surprised. The plastic martini glasses were at everyone's seat filled with poker chips. At every table there was a pack of cards. Dinner was all set up and ready, and the DJ was playing good music. There were "Bond Girls" and "James Bonds" walking around and offering to take pictures. One complaint I had, which I did not know how to plan for in advance, was the fact that we only got one free drink (a soda - no water) and for the rest of the night, we had to pay for drinks. This was unfortunate because the room in which prom was being held was sweltering and water costed 500 a bottle. 

Despite water costing an absolute fortune, the night went off without a hitch. Prom King and Queen were crowned, as well as "Q" and "Bond Girl". We also had lotteries (which I did not win) that everyone seemed to enjoy. Overall, it was an amazing night.

I'm very proud of Prom Committee and how hard we worked to accomplish our goal of throwing an amazing prom. Our hard work really paid off. People stayed late, they enjoyed the food, and there was a lot of dancing. This shows that dedication and commitment really do have phenomenal results.

Inspector Hound Update

Getting the costumes organized and finalized was no easy task, but it was fun and doable. Finding Sydney a costume was difficult. She was playing Felicity and she needed to be in a white tennis skirt and a white shirt the whole time. Lydia and I decided to add a sweater tied around her neck to make her look more "preppy". This is her finalized look:

Working with most of the cast was fun, but it's also hard to please everyone at the same time. So, we bumped heads a couple times, and had to change things per request of Ms. Hargreaves, which almost always improved the costumes. Working with someone else while designing costumes or set or even makeup, is always challenging because of differences of opinion. For example, I may have wanted to have Sydney wear a green sweater when Lydia wanter her to wear a red one. But eventually, we must all work together and coincide - therefore Sydney wore a grey sweater.

Beatrice had only one problem to fix and that was her cleavage, which I nearly forgot about until about five minutes until she needed to be on for opening night. I just pinned the inside of her dress so that the safety pin wasn't showing and it still covered her cleavage while still having the desired effect of a seductive woman. Here is her final look:

Mei was easy because all she needed was a LOT of makeup to complete her look:

Xan had to wear A LOT of clothes. He wore a dress shirt, a sweater, a cravat, a jacket, dress pants, and dress shoes. His character was meant to be very smartly dressed and also be the "romantic interest" of the play, so we wanted to give him a romantic feel.

Luke and Jared (playing Moon and Birdboot - theatre critics) were dressed similarly, with Jared dressed a little fancier than Luke, who was a less dignified, serious character. Jared wore a suit, with an older jacket to make him look a little stuffy, and Luke work a dress shirt, a tie, a jacket, jeans and dress shoes. They both looked great (in my opinion).

Garage had to look like an old man in a wheelchair, so we dressed him in dress pants and shoes, a dress shirt, an older grey sweater, and a scarf. He was very convincing.

Nandi's costume was a bit more complicated (she was Inspector Hound). She wore brown pants, a brown belt, rain boots, pool floaties, a tie, a jacket as similar as possible to a trench coat, a slightly baggy dress shirt and a construction helmet. It turned out well though.

I was very grateful to have a backstage experience instead of being on stage. Although I love acting, I think it's important to explore every aspect of theatre as to get a getter understanding of how everything works. Now, every time I go to a production, I'll be thinking of how much hard work gets put into costumes, makeup, set and lighting as I experienced it all during rehearsals and finally, performance night.

Photography Club Update

Like last year, the photography club has decided to make another calendar. As one of the heads of photography, I think that it's such a great project and it's worth doing it again. Last year we made a calendar for the 2012/2013 school year. This year I'd like to make a 2014 calendar, I think it will be more successful. Making a calendar is always a very challenging task when working with a lot of people. Our main priority is to reserve months for the seniors who are not going to be here next year as this is their last chance for such a large project in the ISK Photography Club. However, it's always important to try and make everyone happy by assigning months that they are partial to.
As one of the heads of photography club, the most important job is sorting through all the images and making appropriate suggestions to the artist. Many of the images submitted by the photography club members won't be up to par to appear in a calendar. Editing will most likely be needed and if the image simply isn't salvageable, then the photographer will need to select another one of their images. It's very exciting to be working on this project again - especially as one of the co-heads because I get to make decisions and give advice, which I always love. It's great working with several committed people on this project because seeing everyone get involved is awesome. Photography Club isn't ALWAYS the most exciting club to be a part of because of the fact that some people don't take as much responsibility in the club as they should. However, when people get involved, it's really great. Seeing the amazing work people at a high school level can produce it breathtaking. It's a little sad when it's simply someone's hobby, when it's clear they could be a professional photographer one day. I've very excited to see how the calendars turn out and I can't wait to sell them at the PTO picnic next year. Hopefully they'll be worth buying!

Prom Update

Although Prom planning hasn't been the most exciting thing in the universe, it's getting there. We're almost finished receiving all the decorations and we're getting a sign up sheet ready for Grade 11s to begin signing up to set up on the day of Prom. Because of personal reasons ( I have some special people coming into town on that day) I won't be able to set up, but I really hope people start to get involved. We've actually sold quite a few tickets, which is fantastic. I was really starting to worry because it didn't seem as though any of the seniors were very interested in going to Prom this year. It may have something to do with that fact that it's a week before IB exams begin, but I though that that was the whole point of Prom - to let loose right before exams and stop studying for one night. However, it seems as though they've begun to see the light and we're making quite a headway on sales. Last year there was an issue with people leaving really early and it made Prom committee very sad as they had worked very hard to put the whole thing on and then have everyone leave right after dinner. Prom Committee this year has decided that the reason was most likely that after Prom King and Queen were announced, people left. So, we've decided that this year, we're going to announce King and Queen later in the evening and not right after dinner. Hopefully our plan works! I'm very excited about Prom this year, because I think it'll be very fulfilling to see all our hard work pay off. I've posted some pictures of what decorations are going to look like.

The prom is 007 Casino Royale themed, so we've used posters like this one for our advertising campaign.

We'll have cardboard cutouts such as these at Prom.

Each table will have a pack of cards.

We will also have poker chips at each table.

We'll also have plastic martini glasses at each place setting. (there will be no alcohol of course!)

Costume Designer for the Play

Recently, I took on the job of costume designer for the high school's spring play, "The Real Inspector Hound" with Lydia Spilsbury. Although it's hard to fit another thing in next to everything else I'm doing, it's actually quite fun. Today, I drew designs for all of the characters in the play. I also raided my closet and found the perfect outfit for Sydney (who plays Felicity in the play). Lydia and I were previously having a hard time trying to figure out what she could wear. We did spend a lot of time up in the costume department and we picked out a wonderful cocktail dress, however Sydney's character is meant to be in a tennis outfit the whole time. The maid's costume is almost done, all we need is a bonnet, which I fashioned out of a headband and some white cloth I had lying around. Beatrice plays a very flamboyant woman with a whole lot of sex-appeal, which makes her costume very important to her character. Luckily enough, Beatrice's mother had a red cocktail dress with black beaded mesh lying around, so we simply agreed to let her wear that. The men in the play are much simpler. Birdboot and Moon (played by Luke R. and Jared) are two drama critics watching the play being staged (so it is as if the real audience is watching two plays in one). Dressing them will be quite easy. All we need are ties, jackets and nice pairs of dress pants. Major Magnus Muldoon (played by Garage) doesn't have any specific requirements regarding dress code, but I was thinking about having him wear a jacket and a nice pair of pants and having an old blanket covering his legs (as he is in a wheelchair for most of the production). Simon (played by Xan) will be wearing a pair of dress pants, a collared shirt and a sweater. Inspector Hound is a different story entirely. His outfit is meant to be quite ridiculous. He (being played by a she - Nandi) will be wearing a trench coat, rain boots, a pair of baby floaties, and maybe a pair of rain pants and a nice collared shirt. Working so closely with actors and the director (Ms. Hargreaves) while at the same time not being involved in acting in the play is quite odd, but I've found it enjoyable as well. I like watching as my piers find themselves in another piece of theatre. Having artistic direction is also very fun. I get to dress the actors as I see their characters develop onstage. This allows for some changes as the characters become more and more thought out. I've put some images for thought and what I got my inspiration from, below.

1920s Cocktail Dress

1920s Cocktail Dress

A photo o the entire cast (-Simon)

Slightly similar to what Beatrice will be wearing (Cynthia)

The entire cast from a showing of the play

Another version of the play

Cast photo of what looks like a high school production of "The Real Inspector Hound"

Birdboot and Moon watching the production

1920s Tennis Outfits

Cast photo of "The Real Inspector Hound"

1920s Tennis Outfits

GISS Conference

Participating in the GISS conference this year was phenomenal. I hosted two students from Maputo, Mozambique and I got to meet a lot of very interesting people. Meeting Spencer West was probably the highlight of the conference (in my mind). I even got a picture with him (above). I think the magic of the GISS conference is getting to meet so many peers who are just as interesting in the same kinds of issues as I am. And, we get to have great discussions and even argue over controversies.
So, the Key Note Speakers were probably my favorite part of the conference. Apart from Spencer West, I also got to meet (and hang out with) Cassandra Lin, who is truly a phenomenal person. Justin Bedard's activity was also really interesting. Although I would've liked to get to know why he was so active in the Jump! Foundation instead of getting us all to bond. The Kenyan Panel wasn't that great, in fact, they were quite boring, but that's probably because I already knew a lot about what they were talking about.
The service day was great because we got to go out to a beautiful area and work with a project called Plants for Life. It was fascinating because this one man (the owner of the area) had bought this land 15 years ago, torn down all the eucalyptus trees growing on the property and planted trees and plants indigenous to Africa. He took us on a tour, and his knowledge of every single plant on his property was truly remarkable. So, after he gave us a tour, we got to plant trees and contribute to the beautiful landscape.
Meeting people like Cassandra Lin, who's only 14 years old and has already gotten her home state of Rhode Island, to make it a law to recycle cooking oil so that it can be turned into biofuel, is truly inspiring. It's also a but of a bummer. As an 18 year old, I feel like I haven't accomplished anything. But that's the beauty of the GISS conference; it give you hope that you can and will get somewhere in like and change the world in one way or another.

Marich IC Trip 2013

Fringe Performances

Getting to perform in front of an audience in full costume and makeup is the best part of acting. Audience reactions are extremely helpful in telling us actors how we're doing in our performance and what kind of things we can improve on. That's the beauty of the stage, we get to to it several times, on different nights, with different audiences. We performed two nights; Wednesday Feb. 20th and Thursday Feb 21st. Wednesday's performances weren't as good as Thursday night's. It was a little disappointing because people in the audience weren't laughing at our jokes. The problem was that the jokes had to do with Shakespeare and several of his plays (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, King Lear, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet). Some of those plays are quite well-known and so are the characters we parodied, such as Lady Macbeth from Macbeth and Juliet from Romeo and Juliet. However, others weren't as well-know and so some of the jokes went over people's heads. My role (as Lady Macbeth) was entertaining because I was playing an alcoholic woman, so I substituted whiskey with Apple Juice, which was... interesting. In all I think I drank two bottles of apples juice over both nights. It was fun at first, but then I just go really full. But, it did help me get into character, so it was useful in that regard. The Fringe Festival is always A LOT OF FUN and this year was no exception.

Fringe Rehearsals

On Monday, Feb. 18th, we had our last day of Fringe Rehearsals before our group rehearsal on Sunday (right after the GISS conference), so it was a big cramming day. We had already figured out our blocking so it was mainly about characterization. For me, getting into character was fun because I was playing an inebriated woman. So basically I just went around stumbling and saying really dumb things. Playing Lady Macbeth in a play other than Macbeth and as a relatively different character than she is usually portrayed as was very interesting. Doing research on the character was fun, but also very familiar. So, instead of looking at ways Lady Macbeth was portrayed in that past, I looked up famous alcoholics such as Dianna Ross, Tracy Morgan, Betty Ford etc. I found out what made them tick and why they started drinking. Mostly, it's about depression and basically not having any reason to live a full life. I decided to really push that idea with Lady Macbeth. As this play was a comedy, she also had to be funny. So, I was playing a drunk, out of control woman. Acting opposite Mico for most of my lines was also really rewarding seeing as he is fully immersed and a wonderful actor. He really got into character with Gertrude and it allowed me to respond to the lines he threw at me in much more of an "in character" fashion. Having better actors to act opposite of is extremely important because I find it truly improves performance. For example, I felt at my best in Arabian Nights acting against Lydia and Nikita than anyone else who acted opposite me. Working with others who truly get into character and put their all into the role helps me get into character. Rehearsals were very, very fun and so was working with such an amazing cast.

The Script (for the Fringe Fest)

I just recently finished writing the script for the Fringe Festival I'm participating in. Usually, the Fringe Fest is a way for IB Theatre students to complete their independent projects. However, since I'm IB 1 and still participating in the Fringe Fest, it doesn't count for a grade, and therefore I can use it for CAS. So, I've actually written scripts before (film scripts), but never a play, which is different. Although I didn't have the original idea (Luke and I found a video on youtube.com and used the idea), I did add some lines here and there and write the whole thing down on paper. It's a very interesting script. It's called "The Real Housewives of Shakespeare" and it mocks the reality television shows that have been so popular of late. I enjoyed writing the script because my main passion is writing. Here is the rough draft of the script:

Opening:

All five/six women sit at a dining table. They are yelling/arguing with one another quite intently. After 5 or so seconds, the scene freezes. Titania, queen of the fairies stands up and begins to speak.

Titania: I control the weather, no man controls me.

She sits back down and freezes. Goneril stands up.

Goneril: My sister got dad’s love, but I’ll get the last laugh.

She sits back down and freezes. Gertrude stands up.

Gertrude: When it comes to love, I like to keep it in the family.

She sits back down and freezes. Juliet stands up.

Juliet: Like it is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Darn right I’m the sun. The world revolves around me.

She sits back down and freezes. Lady Macbeth stands up.

Lady Macbeth: I can get blood on my hands, but not on my dress. (She brings her hands up to her face and starts making scared noises.)

She sits back down. The scene starts back up again. Goneril stands up and walks out to stage right.

Goneril: So, I invited all the ladies over for a dinner party. It’s time we got this all out on the table. I refused to be ignored any longer.

She goes back to the table and sits down. They all start arguing again. Lady Macbeth walks out to stage left.

Lady Macbeth: I know what she’s doing. We all know what she’s doing. She’s trying to get us to admit that she’s the best female character in the canon.

Gertude joins Lady Macbeth.

Gertrude: She’s not the queen. She’s garbage.

They both go back and take their seats. The arguing starts up again. Someone knocks over a candlestick. Goneril raises her voice.

Goneril: Oh my God, don’t do that! My daddy gave me that!

Titania and Juliet giggle. Goneril brushes it off.

Goneril: Not that I care about him. (She starts crying.)

Gertrude stands up.

Gertrude: As I was saying, I am the most deserving of this honor. I am the only one at this table who has ruined the lives of not one, not two, but three men in one foul swoop.

Everyone rolls their eyes.

Gertrude: And that took a lot of organizing!

Lady Macbeth: Oh my god, all the men in your family are weak! Now, Macbeth, that was a challenge.

Goneril: Oh you mean the guy who’s afraid of a little blood? (pause) Or was that, knocking?

Titania knocks on the table and Juliet stops her. Titania looks at her questioningly.

Everyone freezes except Titania.

Titania: She’s always talking about how strong Macbeth is. Woops, not supposed to say it, cause of the curse. (sarcastically) Okay… (laughs sarcastically). I’ll curse her.

Everyone unfreezes.

Juliet: Seriously though, I’m the only person at this table who’s given their life up for love. Because I believe in the power of love.

Everyone rolls their eyes. Goneril makes a “blah blah blah” symbol. Titania shushes Juliet.

Titania: Ladies, do you want to know what I do when I am feeling a little bit angry?

Gertrude: Fall in love with a donkey?

Goneril turns to her and says: Oh my God!

Gertrude: I know!

They start to laugh. Titania joins in sarcastically.

Titania: Ha ha ha ha, no. I go out, and I dance, a ringlet to the whistling wind.

Juliet (to the audience/to herself): I don’t even know what a ringlet is… Do you know what that is?

They begin to argue once more. Gertrude slams her hands on the table and stands up.

Gertrude: Ladies! Okay, Queen of the fairies, you are not the only queen at this table!

Titania: Um… okay?

Gertrude: I’m the best damn Queen this canon has ever seen!

Titania: Gertrude, seriously, once more time and I will come to your house and I will cause a storm on it.

Lady Macbeth: Yeah, Gertrude, you went a little too far with that one.

Titania: You think it’s rotten in Denmark now? Just wait until the nine men’s maris is filled up with mud… with mud. I will do that. I’m not scared to do that to Denmark. ‘Till the crows are fated with the murinflock.

They begin to argue again. Suddenly Goneril begins banging her hands on the table.

Goneril: I am the favorite! I am the favorite! I am his favorite!

She gets up and pushes the table over. Everyone stops and stares as Goneril runs off crying.

Gertrude turns to the audience, while in her chair.

Gertrude: And I thought Hamlet had daddy issues.

Everyone walks offstage. Then, after a few seconds, Lady Macbeth comes back on and sits down.

Lady Macbeth: I have a really big heart. A really big heart, and nobody gets it. Everybody thinks, “Oh I’m evil”, “Oh, she’s evil.” (she gets choked up) But there’s a lot going on inside here. There is a lot going on inside.

Juliet comes back out, sits down and begins to cry dramatically.

Titania walks back out and starts laughing.

End.