At theater yesterday, I was with a friend of mine rehearsing our single scene for next month. We're doing the individual scene Romeo and Juliet Act Three Scene Two. This is the most emotional scene in the entire play, by some reckonings, and I unsuspectingly volunteered to play Juliet.
A mistake, you might say.
In the first part of the scene, I'm acting the lovestruck person. As the scenework director says, "You are radiant with joy. And you're acting like an idiot." Then I think the nurse says that Romeo is dead, then that Romeo and Tybalt are BOTH dead, then I hear that Romeo killed Tybalt and have a moment of relief and shock at the same time (Wow, Romeo has some BAD characteristics?!). Finally there's the moment of "ROMEO IS BANISHED, THIS IS AWFUL!" We have extrapolated from some of Juliet's lines at the end of the scene that she is feeling suicidal by then. Quite a change from the beginning of the less than ten minutes long scene.
The interesting part came with some of the questions the scenework director asked. "Wouldn't it be great to know someone so perfect you would give up everything for him? Imagine that." and "What makes you the most joyful, the most thrilled, you're so happy and so excited?"
I do know someone that perfect. His name is Jesus, and He is the only one who will always always be there for me, and can even be perfect. And He's the one that gives us joy. True joy.
On the other hand, I need to act like an idot for the scene. The scenework director did some demonstration and some explanation. "You would swing around a pole if there was one...bounce around, big doofy smile..." Act nutsy, forget any concepts of dignity. This should be fun, if it's possible to pull it off.
A mistake, you might say.
In the first part of the scene, I'm acting the lovestruck person. As the scenework director says, "You are radiant with joy. And you're acting like an idiot." Then I think the nurse says that Romeo is dead, then that Romeo and Tybalt are BOTH dead, then I hear that Romeo killed Tybalt and have a moment of relief and shock at the same time (Wow, Romeo has some BAD characteristics?!). Finally there's the moment of "ROMEO IS BANISHED, THIS IS AWFUL!" We have extrapolated from some of Juliet's lines at the end of the scene that she is feeling suicidal by then. Quite a change from the beginning of the less than ten minutes long scene.
The interesting part came with some of the questions the scenework director asked. "Wouldn't it be great to know someone so perfect you would give up everything for him? Imagine that." and "What makes you the most joyful, the most thrilled, you're so happy and so excited?"
I do know someone that perfect. His name is Jesus, and He is the only one who will always always be there for me, and can even be perfect. And He's the one that gives us joy. True joy.
On the other hand, I need to act like an idot for the scene. The scenework director did some demonstration and some explanation. "You would swing around a pole if there was one...bounce around, big doofy smile..." Act nutsy, forget any concepts of dignity. This should be fun, if it's possible to pull it off.
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