Ladies & Gents, the SL Shakespeare Company’s long-awaited open-ended run of Twelfth Night, Act 1 premiers this coming Sunday, March 1 at 1 PM PST! Subsequently, performances will be occurring weekly every Sundays at 1 PM PST, and every Tuesdays at 6 PM PST, at the SL Globe Theatre, sLiterary. For further details, please check out Lora Constantine’s press release.

P.S. We are going to announce a photography contest with L$100,000 in prizes – soon!

P.P.S. See Twelfth Night Playbills here!

Interview with Artistic Director Ina Centaur on Twelfth Night, Act 1—The Open-Ended Run
by Lora Constantine

What is your vision in directing the play?
“This production attempts to be as true and pure to the play as possible… This is the only one of the Bard’s plays that is not under suspicion from various bad quartos editions, so there might be some insights to be divined if we try to dramatize it based on a close reading—independent of the shackles of any era interpretation.”

What is your artistic vision for this production?
“The best metaphor to describe its visual appearance might be the phrase I conjured up for our Fall 2008 preview season: the play looks like it’s from the ‘generic past.’ This also avoids the politics and extraneous notions connected with modernity. In general, the seen elements aren’t bound to a particular era or interpretation—but serve to help embellish the intrinsic elements of the play.”

Could you elaborate on that?
“The characters basically look like their epithets, and the sets and props are designed to help flaunt and dramatize the intrinsic story and text, as well as the character relations.”

How do the sets help dramatize the play?
“For example, in scenes where class and persona differences play a thematic role, multiple levels are created in the scenic design: Orsino’s balcony is clearly set off-access from Viola, who beseeches him as a servant on the main stage level, emphasizing both their different status and outlook—Orsino’s flamboyance and Viola’s incognito-as-a-servant ‘obedience’. Similarly, the set for Scene 5 also contains different levels, but has stairs within view, allowing for Viola to easily climb up to Olivia, and the other way around—and, indeed, in stark contrast to the Orsino-Viola scenes, something intimate is passed between Viola and Olivia in that scene.”

And, costuming?
“Costuming was chosen to convey archetypes of each of the play’s main characters. Orsino looks like a duke, but there’s a certain reckless abandon in him—he looks like a guy in love with the concept of love itself. Olivia is of gray eyes with flaxen hair, but there’s a sadness in her expression—yet she can look like one who would entertain an old clown ‘for want of other idleness,’ or a sister and daughter in mourning—a certain quintessential valley-girl-ism. Viola for Act 1 is portrayed as clever, though innocently naïve—what other kind of character would choose to go incognito as a boy without expecting such complications?”

What brought you to work with character archetypes instead of a traditional era interpretation?
“A duke in love with the concept of love itself, a shipwrecked girl incognito as a boy eunuch, and the fair but young Lady Olivia in mourning—they contrast sharply with the irreverent man-adolescent Sir Toby Belch, the arrogant but sulking Malvolio, and the scolding but lascivious busybody Maria. In the middle of all this in Act 1, you also have Feste, the fool-uncertain-of-his-wit, and the witless Sir Andrew Aguecheek. While you can put them in era outfits, these characters are timeless, and it’s really their personality and role, as created by Shakespeare’s text (and which I’ve tried to summarize in epithet-esque above), that makes them who they are.”

How would you keep the fans who come to every single show excited for the entire open-ended run?
“Those fans typically know that our plays evolve through the course of even a typical run. But, starting in April, we plan to show ‘Variations’ of the play—such as an all-female production and switched-gender productions. Same words, but played by very different people. We’ll see what happens!”

How do you plan to keep the “Variations” together? Would the “Variations” be telling the same story?
“Twelfth Night, Act 1 is about the formation of love triangles… There’s a salient love triangle that evolves through the act, connecting Viola, Olivia and Orsino, and a subtle relationship triangle that forms between Maria, Andrew and Toby in Scene 3. That’s like the unmoving pivot that connects the ‘Variations.’ Our goal is to be able to vibrantly convey these archetypal relationships in both our main ‘traditional’ production as well as our ‘Variations.’”

Do you believe the archetypes would carry through with each “Variation?”
“Totally. I don’t think gender would change a character’s essential essence in the play—if you speak Stanislavsky, we’re talking about his or her super-objective, and I think that would not be transient with gender. Of cousre, you might wonder in a reverse-gender situation, why Violio would choose to go under-cover as a girl Cesaria—but I think it would be for similar reasons; Violio is effeminate, and would rather not want to get beat up in this new land of Illyria, similar to how Viola would choose to go incognito as Cesario to avoid being the more helpless gender… I believe, at least, it’s realistic to have a duchess or countess in love with the concept of love itself—and with Second Life’s high population of Aspie’s [those with Asperger’s Syndrome], I’m sure, for some, the meaning will carry through to heart!”

Would you be changing the characters’ appearances for your “Variations”?
“I think we’ll just switch the voices around for the switched-genders Variation. But, it might be interesting if the characters were explicitly their other gender, with Lord Oliver and Violio incognito as Cesarina. We will be replacing the male avatars with distinctly female avatars (and slightly re-cast) for the all-female production. We’ll have Duchess Orsinia and Lady Andrea Auguecheek and Malvolia! It’s not just an exploration of the play’s famous androgyny… It’s also be fun!”

How long do you think the open-ended run might last?
“I don’t know! We’ll see, I guess!”

Tags: interview

The SL Shakespeare Company’s long-awaited open-ended run of Twelfth Night: Act 1 opens in about a week and a half on Sunday, March 1. The performances will occur Sundays at 1 PM SLT (GMT-8) and Tuesdays at 6 PM SLT (GMT-8). To help sponsor the event, and to invite you to take part in this historic event, we are offering advertisement space in our play program!

This is your chance to grab an ad or special message space in our programme booklet to be distributed both at the show, to various inworld groups, and also on our blog and website! Below is an example of a web-based programme booklet:

AP1: Twelfth Night, Act 1 (pdf 3 MB) or Issuu

Get your own – Open publication

Our four-sim venue with 3-sim audience seating is generally packed with ~300 avatars for each show in our main Shakespearean repertoire. The SL Globe Theatre is in Showcases/popular places and receives a fair amount of natural traffic on non-event days. Our website receives hundreds of thousands of views per month. We’re #1 on a Google search on several keywords for our main repertoire – here are just some examples: Twelfth Night open ended run, Twelfth Night director’s interpretation, Twelfth Night playscripts, Twelfth Night scansion, Twelfth Night credits.

Please click here for more details on ordering an ad–or that ultimate message to that special someone!

Tags: ads, advertise, SEO

There will be a silent actor rehearsal this Friday at 5 PM SLT. All prospective silent actors, please try to make this rehearsal.

We are still seeking Silent actors. Details here.

For reference, the playscripts we are using for OEP1: Twelfth Night, Act 1 are available below in different formats. The main script is from the first folio, of course.

The scansion playscript with syllable count linemarkers: (pdf) (docx)
Director’s scansion with copious interpretation notes: pdf

Director’s notes & interp on each character: Orsino | Valentine | Curio | Viola | Captain | Toby | Maria | Andrew | Feste | Olivia | Malvolio

The OEP1 playscript : (pdf) (celtx)
The OEP1 playscript and (highlighted)

Tags: blocking

Happy St Valentine’s Day! A book & rose for you !

As Duke Orsino might put it, “I have unclasped / To thee the book e’en of my secret soul. (Twelfth Night: Act 1, Scene 4)” Equivalently, I give thee a programme booklet of our past production of Twelfth Night – and an invitation to you for your message (or ad) to appear in a new programme in our upcoming production of Twelfth Night to open March 1.

Drop by the SL Globe Theatre, sLiterary and click on a Programme Sponsorship vendor for a free rose & more details!

Ladies and Gents… Can you believe we’ve broken and exceeded the L$1 million mark in our SOS Campaign? We are at 75.1% of our mark—that’s right, we have less than 25% more to go to meet our Campaign goal! A few short weeks ago, when we broke our 50% mark, we had raised enough to sustain tier for three sims for six months. Our Campaign date was extended in hopes that we might meet our 100% mark—and we are so close to it!

I’m going to extend the deadline one last time—because we are so close, and because it would mean so much to us… When we reach the 100% mark, we would be able to sustain tier for three island sims for an entire year. This would allow us to plan for things in the long term. In the past, we’ve struggled with our fundraisers to make tier, but we have never come so close to making it. I think the difference would be tremendous. Just think about all we’ve done in the past year even with the onerous number of tier looming over us—and all the time lost, when we had to go off a tangent to fundraise. So much more could be possible without the necessity to break our creativity to raise the remaining needed for tier for an entire year!

We have just 25% more to go to raise the funds necessary to pay tier fees to Linden Lab for three island sims for an entire year…

For the Primtings, Shakespeare, and sLiterary island sims—three islands, each with its own potential for creating what Second Life can be, and each equally pivotal in helping to sustain the premier Shakespearean theatre venue in virtual worlds—the 4-Sim SL Globe Theatre.

These are three public island sims, where all are invited to share in, to explore, to hold events in, and to help expand. We need your help to make it possible—to fund tier so, together, we can realize what dreams may come… It wouldn’t be possible without you.

Please, please continue to donate.

Let’s see if we can make full circle by Pi Day (3.14) – March 14 – our final Extended Deadline for the SOS!

Tags: SOS. Pi Day

The SL Shakespeare Company is seeking silent actors (actors with non-speaking roles) to perform in its upcoming open-ended production of Twelfth Night: Act 1. The show opens on March 1, and runs every Sundays at 1 PM SLT, and Tuesdays at 6 PM SLT.

Silent actor benefits include:

• experience and credit in a professional theatrical production,
• avatar skin, eyes, clothing, and props, and
• a small stipend.

Interested actors should be able to commit to at least one (if not both) show dates each week, indefinitely until May. There is a rehearsal at 5 pm SLT on Friday, Feb 20th at the LM above.

Please email production at SLShakespeare dot com with your availability and/or contact Ina Centaur for further information.

 Below is my Director’s interpretation of one part of Twelfth Night, Act 1 Scene 5. For a marked-up/annotated script, see here.

After Viola claims that what she has to say is profanity to all other ears, but divinity to Olivia’s, she gets her time alone with Olivia. The exchange between them changes, from prose to verse, and ultimately, Olivia falls in love with Viola (disguised as Cesario) onstage.

OLIVIA
Now, sir, what is your text?
VIOLA
Most sweet lady,–
OLIVIA
A comfortable doctrine, and much may be said of it.
Where lies your text?
VIOLA
In Orsino’s bosom.
OLIVIA
In his bosom! In what chapter of his bosom?
VIOLA
To answer by the method, in the first of his heart.
OLIVIA
O, I have read it: it is heresy. Have you no more to
say?

At this point, Viola is perhaps starting to get fed up by Olivia’s aloof arrogance–that she would brush off her dear Orsino’s heart so easily as heresy. Next, off comes the veil, demands Viola–things are about to get more personal.

VIOLA
Good Madam, let me see your face.
OLIVIA
Have you any Commission from your Lord, to negotiate
with my face: you are now out of your Text: but we
will draw the Curtain, and show you the picture.
Olivia lifts her veil.
Look you sir, such a one I was this present: Ist not
well done?
VIOLA
Excellently done, if God did all.

I imagine Viola’s annoyance is now evident on her voice; she might sound almost as if sarcastic, definitely incredulous. Olivia, like Orsino, is rather self-centered especially now, and Olivia is already fond of Cesario (to lift her veil) considering the idea that she’s lifting her veil for Cesario, and not the Duke.

OLIVIA
‘Tis in graine sir, ’twill endure winde and weather.

Olivia begins to reveal more of her arrogance towards her own appearance, saying that her beauty will last as if engraved in stone–through wind and weather (and time).

VIOLA
Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white,
Nature’s own sweet, and cunning hand laid on:
Lady, you are the cruel’st she alive,
If you will lead these graces to the grave,
And leave the world no copy.

Viola here echoes one of Shakespeare’s sonnets, where the argument goes to support that one should have progeny if only to pass on their beauty.

OLIVIA
O sir, I will not be so hard-hearted: I will give out
divers schedules of my beauty. It shall be Inventoried
and every particle and utensil label’d to my will: As
item two lips indifferent red, Item two grey eyes,
with lids to them; Item: one neck, one chin, and so
forth. Were you sent hither to praise me?

Olivia’s irreverence has made her arrogance become blatant, here–as if these aspects of her features are inanimate objects that can be labeled and put away. (But, the interesting part here is that one can interpret it as if she believes that future generations could “re-assemble” her beauty through an inventory listing; this is essentially what bioengineering’s ultimate goal is, and what a steampunk interpretation of this production might emphasize. Olivia and Viola could then be on the opposite ends in a spectrum of humanity, with Olivia appearing more machine-like, and Viola, in contrast, very human. We’re not doing steampunk, btw.)

VIOLA
I see what you are; you are too proud:
But if you were the devil, you are fair.
My Lord, and master loves you: O such love
Could not be recompenc’d, though you were crown’d
The nonparaeil of beauty.

Viola now claims that Olivia’s beauty is basically no match against Orsino’s love. Olivia might reply with a bit of incredulity, at this point:

Olivia: How does he love me?

Viola: With adorations, fertile tears,
With groans that thunder love, with sighs of fire.

OLIVIA
Your Lord does know my mind, I cannot love him
Yet I suppose him virtuous, know him noble,
Of great estate, of fresh and stainless youth;
In voices well divulg’d, free, and valiant,
And in dimension, and the shape of nature,
A gracious person; but yet I cannot love him:
He might have took his answer long ago.

Olivia goes into verse. It’s almost as if she’s reading a form mail of a love rejection letter.

VIOLA
If I did love you in my master’s flame,
With such a suff’ring, such a deadly life:
In your denial, I would find no sense,
I would not understand it.

This incites Olivia’s interest. (Indeed, she seems to have a thing for the underdog–so, perhaps, she’s already developed a fondness for Viola.)

Olivia: Why, what would you?

VIOLA
Make me a willow cabin at your gate,
And call upon my soul within the house,
Write loyal cantons of condemned love,
And sing them loud even in the dead of night:
Hallow your name to the reverberate hills,
And make the babbling gossip of the air
Cry out Olivia: O you should not rest
Between the element of air, and earth,
But you should pity me.

OLIVIA
You might do much.
What is your parentage?

Note that Olivia completes Viola’s pentameter perfectly. Olivia reacts very profoundly to Viola’s words–in fact, she’s fallen in love with Viola on stage. Next, she takes a breath of a pause, catching her wits, testing to make sure Viola’s a good match for her.

VIOLA
Above my fortunes, yet my state is well:
I am a Gentleman.

Viola has to lie a bit, so I imagine she says her second line almost too quickly.

OLIVIA
Get you to your Lord:
I cannot love him: let him send no more,
Unless perchance you come to me again,
To tell me how he takes it: fare you well:
I thank you for your pains: spend this for me.

Olivia tests Viola again. Olivia seems unaware of how rude the gesture appears to be from Viola’s POV

VIOLA
I am no feed post, Lady; keep your purse,
My master not myself, lacks recompence.
Love make his heart of flint, that you shall love,
And let your fervour, like my master’s, be,
Plac’d in contempt: farewell fair cruelty.

Viola’s rudeness is, again, apparent, as she leaves. (Though we know Feste’s impertinence is more to do with his act as a fool, Olivia seems to have a natural affinity towards the rude ones.)

Tags: love, Olivia, Viola