Shakespeare, Second Life—The Metaverse Shakespeare Company (MSC), formerly SL Shakespeare Company (SLSC), next Tuesday will open its long-awaited 2010 Main Canon production of Twelfth Night, Act 2—“As you will it!” in an open-ended run to occur every Tuesday at 6 PM SLT (PT), and every Sunday at 1 PM SLT (PT). Set to occur at the 4-sim SL Globe Theatre (http://visit.mshakespeare.com) in the virtual world of Second Life—this live theatrical performance, available anywhere with an Internet connection, continues the troupe’s 2009 production of Twelfth Night, Act 1—but, with a fresher, riper take, and its own amalgam of the year’s innovations in virtual theatre.
Archive for the ‘SL’ Category
Today, March 13, 2010: Metaverse Shakespeare Company will be presenting at VWBPE - Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education at 2 PM PT (VWBPE East) and giving a tour at 6 PM PT (VWBPE Central).
Abstracts:
2PM PT: The Performance of our Innovations in Virtual Theatre
The Metaverse Shakespeare Company (formerly SL Shakespeare Company) recounts and briefly analyzes a number of its innovations in virtual theatre—what worked, what didn’t work, and what evolved into something totally unexpected. Several crucial areas in virtual theatre will be discussed in context of past productions: virtual theatre for supplementing existing RL courses; reaching out to a global audience, especially those in rural and inner city areas; SL as a platform for virtual theatre; enhancements made to SL as a platform for virtual theatre; and socioeconomic insights in running a professional virtual theatre that is self-sufficient without external funds.
6PM PT: Efficient Information Conveyance in Virtual Historical Reconstructions and Museum Settings: Touring Shakespeare sim and Primtings Museum
The Shakespeare sim features virtual reconstructions of architecture of note in Shakespeare’s lifetime. Primtings Museum exhibits “prim’d paintings”–3D interpretations of 2D paintings. Whether conjectural historical replicas or interpretations of currently existing RL designs, these virtual venues and artifacts contain built-in educational or research information modules: for example, Shakespeare sim uses both display boards and inline “incognito” discovery objects; Primtings demonstrates how a large virtual museum with dozens of exhibits can feature both RL traditional placement in locational galleries, and SL optimizations, such as TP directories. In addition to highlighting methods of information dissemination that fully utilize the 3D nature of SL, we will also discuss activities at these venues, as well as techniques used in building both accurate buildings and prim-efficient builds on Second Life. The itinerary starts at the Blackfriars Theatre, in the southwest part of the Shakespeare sim in the first part of the tour, then heads north to the 4-sim SL Globe Theatre, before finishing at Primtings Museum. While primarily aimed at educators, librarians, and museum curators, this tour should also be an enjoyable experience for the curious public.
Here is the powerpoint for my 2 PM VWBPE Presentation:
The Performance of Our Innovations in Virtual Theatre - Metaverse Shakespeare Presentation @ VWBPE
View more presentations from Ina Centaur.
(Much of the first session will also take data from these previous SL Shakespeare/mShakespeare presentations:
Virtual Theatre and the SL Shakespeare Company
View more presentations from Ina Centaur.
Historically Accurate Buildings In Virtual Environments: The Architecture of Shakespeare's Era in Second Life
View more presentations from Ina Centaur.
SL Shakespeare Company: The SLCC Introduction
View more presentations from Ina Centaur.
sLiterary, Inc. MiniOverview
View more presentations from Ina Centaur.
)
If you miss these sessions, you can still take a look at the Metaverse Shakespeare exhibit booth at VWBPE South - anytime before the VWBPE conference is over.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2010
Contact: Lora Constantine
mShakespeare’s SOS Campaign Becomes Save Our Shakespeare:
Shakespeare, Second Life: The Metaverse Shakespeare Company (MSC), formerly SL Shakespeare Company (SLSC), today refreshes the MSC SOS Campaign, its grid-wide network of donation kiosks. The running total is still displayed instantly both inworld and on the web, but the SOS Campaign website has been updated at http://sos.mshakespeare.com and SOS has evolved from “Save Our Sims” to “Save Our Shakespeare.”
Artistic Director Ina Centaur two years ago eloquently expressed the greater significance of the Metaverse Shakespeare endeavor, “Our goal is to create a good within Second Life for the world to thrive from—because it is possible… [this] truly humanitarian cause that we are fighting for—to bring theatre to the farthest reaches of the world, to give Shakespeare to those who would not have had the chance to experience his words in the live and intimate form they were written for, to use this nascent medium to bring the most quintessential culture to the metaverse and beyond.”
In light of this abstract value which the sims have been platform for, those contributing to the cause will be effectively saving more than sims—they will be saving Shakespeare on Second Life, with its potential to unite the world. Perhaps phenomenal for a project of its scope, the Metaverse Shakespeare Company is completely independent of any external funding, resident-supported and resident-funded.
Anyone can help support the MSC SOS Campaign by donating to or rezzing a donation kiosk, available by clicking on any of the current kiosks at the SL Globe Theatre, or by visiting one of the kiosks listed at http://sos.mshakespeare.com
Launched in December 2008, the SOS Campaign, through the support of over a thousand residents, has raised over L$1.5 million in funds to help the Metaverse Shakespeare Company cover tier fees for three of its four island sims. In February 2010, the third sim—Primtings—became self-supporting due to Primtings Campaign, but continues to donate a corner of its sim space to MSC to maintain the 4-Sim SL Globe Theatre.
The SOS is now responsible for raising tier for just two island sims—Shakespeare and sLiterary. As with previous years, unused funds will remain in the MSC Endowment until needed. Any and all uses of publicly raised funds through the SOS Campaign will be reported to the MSC Transparency website at http://transparency.mshakespeare.com
Related PR’s:
SOS Campaign Launch - November 2008
SOS Campaign January 2009 Update
About the Metaverse Shakespeare Company (mShakespeare)
Headquartered in the virtual world of Second Life (SL), the Metaverse Shakespeare Company (MSC) is the flagship project of sLiterary’s Virtual Reality Shakespeare Initiative (VRSI). MSC is a professional virtual theatre company that embraces the best of what the metaverse has to offer. While it is primarily known to provide quality live Shakespearean theatre available to anyone in any location, MSC is also the curator of the most historically accurate theatres and architecture in virtual worlds relating to William Shakespeare.
Website: http://mshakespeare.com
Press Center: http://mshakespeare.com/press
Blog: http://blog.mshakespeare.com
Playbills: http://playbills.mshakespeare.com
Programmes: http://programmes.mshakespeare.com
About sLiterary
sLiterary, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering literary and artistic endeavors in Second Life and other virtual worlds.
About Second Life
Second Life is a free online virtual world imagined and created by its residents.
Neither the Metaverse Shakespeare Company nor sLiterary is affiliated with Linden Lab. Second Life is a trademark of Linden Lab. No infringement is intended.
This Act 2 poster is based on an unedited SL snapshot of Feste the Fool in the Metaverse Shakespeare Company’s design of the set for Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 4: Orsino’s Court - Mezzanine.
A2S1, A2S2, A2S4
A2S5
A2S3 Settings:
The earlier post on the AP2 playscript is actually slightly flawed–done in haste, prior to a full close-reading. Here’s the actually updated *good* playscript–with most of the blocking we’d use, and more! pdf here and celtx here.
Analysis aside, here are some neat effects and such to look for:
Continuing our tradition of introducing a new technological innovation with each show —
- we will showcase physically accurate effects onstage…
- whizzing urine a la Sir Toby Belch;
- classic apple physics, but with a bout of booze, a broadsword and a bit of bondage…
- on-stage a flower whose petals slowly fall, even as it wilts
- a grandiose shadow AO - befitting a self-smitten Malvolio;
- avatar shape changes during a show to vividly change expressions
- and, moving hair! - in Scene 4, Orsino’s hair turns skittish, as it blows/moves in the sea wind.
That and more, all revealed in the playscript above! For further details, see my Director’s Notes.
12
Oct
ODR FAQ
Here are the Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers) regarding our new On-Demand Run (ODR) program.
Q. How does the On-Demand Run program (ODR) work?
A. The On-Demand Run is a program that lets audience members demand the time for the show they’d like to see, while helping to spread the love of SL Shakespeare across the grid, and beyond. Audience members can choose a date and time, and the show will be guaranteed if either a quorum or impensa is met; in other words, to have a show “set in stone,” an audience member can sign up enough friends who will see a show, or pay a fee to help us make back the costs involved in putting on a production.
Q. Is this free, or is it in the same “Pay As You Will” spirit of SLSC shows?
A. Yes, providing that you can reach Quorum. Otherwise, you would still get your show on the date you want it if you pay a nominal fee, as specified above.
Q. Can I request a show at my own venue?
A. This program only addresses shows at the SL Globe Theatre, Blackfriars Theatre, and the Shakespeare and Primtings island sims. For shows at other venues, please see http://offsite.SLshakespeare.com
Q. What if I would like a private show at the SL Globe Theatre?
A. You can specify your Quorum or Impensa session (see above) to be private or public, per your will. If it is private, only the avatars on your list will be allowed entrance to the event.
Q. Which plays will you put on?
A. We are planning to start with your choice of (any) single-scene production of Hamlet, Twelfth Night, or King Lear; or entire-act performances of Twelfth Night. We may also do encore performances. 
Q. Can the SL Globe Theatre accommodate at least 100 avatars?
A. Yes. The SL Globe Theatre is located in the confluence of 4 private island sims. Each private island supports up to 100 avatars. The SL Globe Theatre can accommodate up to 400 avatars.
Q. How would performance be affected by a large audience load?
A. Linden Lab asserts that recent updates in server architecture should make live performances with large audience counts on this level more efficient than in the past.
Q. This is a lot of work to gather all those avatars; will I get my effort’s worth?
A. You and your guests will get to experience the SL Shakespeare Company magic for no cost, if you meet Quorum. Plus, your guests will all receive limited edition ODR goody packs! So, what’s not to love about rounding people up to share the love of Shakespeare in live performance on SL?
Q. Will you be performing shows in a regular season?
A. In the past, so many people miss our shows due to timing problems — and, for the few who have seen shows from our main Shakespearean canon, you’ll know that once you miss it, it’s gone. To try avoiding this problem, we would really like our favorite fans to set their own dates using the ODR system.
Q. Do you plan to perform the rest of Twelfth Night?
A. We hope to! As long as we can get enough of an audience… The play doesn’t seem to draw as much as a solid tragedy like Hamlet. Help us put on Twelfth Night by rounding up a crowd for your own ODR session!
4
Oct
On-Demand Run Tryout
Timing and publicity are two very important parts of a live performance, and yet, sometimes we feel as if we’re impoverished in both aspects. We’re a resident-supported endeavor and we put in just so much love into every production (too much!), but it’s always such a pity that the timing and publicity doesn’t reach. For those lucky enough to see a SL Shakespeare main canon production (so far, only Hamlet or Twelfth Night), you know exactly what I mean when I say that we endeavor to create the most memorable of experiences — and yet, the show itself is as ephemeral as any live theatrical performance is, and though many see it, so few see it! Once it’s over, it lives only in people’s memories. Alas…
So, endeavoring to solve the problems of timing and publicity… Timing - it seems like us setting dates just doesn’t work, so we’ll let you do it. Publicity - it seems there’s a certain limit to our grassroots network, so in exchange for you helping spread the love of SL Shakespeare, we’ll perform exactly when you want it!
Sounds good? Then…
Behold… the details of this experiment (and, do please participate!):
The On-Demand Run (ODR) Program lets audience members designate their own dates and times to see a live SL Shakespeare Company production — as long as a QUORUM of 100 is met, the show will be set (and will be free as in beer - though you may pay as you will) on said date, at least 3 weeks in advance of when quorum is met; if a party would like to see a show with fewer than quorum, they may pay (or split to pay) an IMPENSA of L$100,000 to set the show.
Please post a thread to this ODR forum with the time, date, and choice of your play - then get all your friends to reply to it to meet quorum! (If you choose to pay the impensa, please state so somewhere on the thread.)
AVAILABLE PLAYS for inaugural ODR Season:
Any scene from Hamlet
Any scene from Twelfth Night, or Twelfth Night Act 1
Any scene from King Lear
Back for ONE HOUR ONLY, encore performance of SL Shakespeare Company’s April Fools Multi-Parody SUPER SPOOF 2009 - that parodizes some of the memorable pop culture icons in 2008, while analogizing them to characters from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Act 1:
- Scene 1: Still Popular in 2008 - Star Wars in Duke Jar Jar’s Court … with Duke Orsino played by Jar Jar Binks (Duke Jar Jar); Curio played by Amidala; Valentine played by Darth Maul… and a small battalion of R2D2’s piping a spacy-techno-variation of Thom Dowd’s “Music is the Food of Love.”
- Scene 2: Popular CG 2008 - Wall*E in a not-so-barren wasteland (coast) of Illyria … with Wall*E played by the Captain, and Eva played by Viola
- Scene 3: Popular Politics 2008 - Outside a tavern in Illyria … with Hillary as Maria; GWB as Sir Toby Belch; Obama as Sir Andrew Aguecheek!
- Scene 4: Cult Film 2008 - Twilight in Duke Orsino’s Court … with Duke Orsino played by Edward Cullen and Viola (as Cesario) played by Bella Swan
- Scene 5: SL Popular 2008 - Rezzable Greenies in Olivia’s Household … Wherein… nearly the entire cast of Twelfth Night (Feste, Maria, Malvolio, Olivia, Sir Toby Belch, and Viola) is replaced by… a slew of Rezzable Greenies
Sunday, May 3 @ 1 PM at the SL Globe Theatre
LAST CHANCE to see our super satire, beyond Shakespeare, super spooooofed! SSSSSSSSSSS!
Free show; seating is first come first to squat.
Be there early! Sunday, May 3 @ 1 PM at the SL Globe Theatre
P.S. The Darth Maul, Queen Amidala, and R2D2 avatars shown in the poster above will be given away for free at the event! Come for the show, go home with memorable freebies!
The Twilight Bella Swan and Edward Cullen skins are also available at the Twilight SL Shoppe with 100% donation to support the SL Shakespeare Company — for Shakespeare and live theatre on Second Life!
This isn’t our usual — but just for fun — kind of our version of the Simpson’s tradition of parodies on Halloween — but earlier in the year for us! Join us for this free-for-all medley on SL!
The Super Spoof plays @ 5 PM on April 1. ONE DAY ONLY. We are going to multi-parody a whole bunch of things from 2008, and see if they flow with Twelfth Night–that is, this is our “Twelfth Night - Popular Culture Analogues” Edition.
Everything summarized by the playbill above. Please feel free to link. This is a strictly unofficial fan production; our SPOOF-esque version of Twelfth Night just for April Fools Day 2009 - join us at the SL Globe Theatre at 5 PM PST (GMT-8).
Please note that we do have a L$100,000 koinup photography contest going on in conjunction with our open-ended run of Twelfth Night. We also have a special contest category JUST FOR today’s show. In this mini-contest for this show, there’s over L$5000 worth of cash and prizes up for grabs for your winning photo. Drop by the show. Take pictures. AND WIN!
Draft 1 of MultiParody 2009 Playscript is here.