Musings from last summer
Just like that, it’s over. The costumes and props are in a paper bag ready to be returned to storage. The script is set aside: no last minute brush up on lines required. The cast party hangover has subsided and it’s back to life without rehearsals. What an interesting journey.
It began when I learned that Sierra Classic Theatre was going to mount an outdoor production of Merry Wives of Windsor. What a great feeling to know that the company I had abandoned over “creative differences” was going to back to its roots. Then, I read the play – certainly not Shakespeare’s most erudite work, but, oh ho! -- funny pranks! And three really nice comedic roles for middle age women – a rarity in any play, let alone an Elizabethan one. But since legend has it that this play was written for Queen Elizabeth’s birthday, the theme of funny, smart women outwitting their unsuspecting male cohorts makes sense.
So I impulsively auditioned, not knowing whether I’d be cast, but wanting to try. Especially given that the newly found director had professional experience and might be someone I could learn from. When only three of us showed up at the first call, I knew I had a pretty good chance of getting a role.
So Mistress Ford I became. A woman so convinced of her charms that I questioned my ability to exude her confidence. A set of giant fake boobs helped my cause and soon I was giggling, swooning, winking and mugging like a cross between Lucille Ball and Anna Nicole Smith. Our patched-together cast attacked the massively edited play with gusto. Per usual, the final week of prep came all too soon, and we were terrified of opening night.
This was not made easier by the fact that 150 people showed up to view our little farce! I can’t remember ever feeling so ill before stepping out to deliver my first line, but naturally, I got through it, got some laughs and didn’t mess up anything. Each performance got easier and it became fun to be on stage, ham acting to the max and gazing out on a sea of smiling faces. Not a bad way to spend Mosquito Month.
It began when I learned that Sierra Classic Theatre was going to mount an outdoor production of Merry Wives of Windsor. What a great feeling to know that the company I had abandoned over “creative differences” was going to back to its roots. Then, I read the play – certainly not Shakespeare’s most erudite work, but, oh ho! -- funny pranks! And three really nice comedic roles for middle age women – a rarity in any play, let alone an Elizabethan one. But since legend has it that this play was written for Queen Elizabeth’s birthday, the theme of funny, smart women outwitting their unsuspecting male cohorts makes sense.
So I impulsively auditioned, not knowing whether I’d be cast, but wanting to try. Especially given that the newly found director had professional experience and might be someone I could learn from. When only three of us showed up at the first call, I knew I had a pretty good chance of getting a role.
So Mistress Ford I became. A woman so convinced of her charms that I questioned my ability to exude her confidence. A set of giant fake boobs helped my cause and soon I was giggling, swooning, winking and mugging like a cross between Lucille Ball and Anna Nicole Smith. Our patched-together cast attacked the massively edited play with gusto. Per usual, the final week of prep came all too soon, and we were terrified of opening night.
This was not made easier by the fact that 150 people showed up to view our little farce! I can’t remember ever feeling so ill before stepping out to deliver my first line, but naturally, I got through it, got some laughs and didn’t mess up anything. Each performance got easier and it became fun to be on stage, ham acting to the max and gazing out on a sea of smiling faces. Not a bad way to spend Mosquito Month.
posted by Lesley at
11:47 AM
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