)(( hannah mello ))(

shakespeare.

last night i volunteered at shakespeare santa cruz up at ucsc. absolutely ridiculously wonderful. i took tickets for 45 minutes with an elegant woman joanne-- early 60's, a poet, origninally from the north of england. between welcoming people, she told me about her interests (handmaking books, travel sketches, nature journaling) and tidbits about her life. when the show began, i was free to sit and enjoy.

all this was completely IN THE REDWOODS. ucsc's outdoor glen. a sloping ampitheater surrounded by green-- with dirt and forest turf underfoot. everyone brought baskets brimming with their dinners. organic foods, the popping of wine corks, the sound of vino's flow into glasses. people clutching coffee. sitting in chairs-- on blankets... the almost-full moon peaking in between branches. such a santa cruz night. timeless.

"king lear". 3.5 hours of complete captivation. 8pm to 11:30 pm. darkness fell dramatically in seam with the plot. the set was subtle but effective. the sound was crisp. the "storm" (just before intermission and after) felt alive as the play climaxed emotionally with character development and the look (made by extraordinary lighting) of wind tossing the trees, clouds forming and moving, and thunder that sounded completely real. everything veiled in darkness. the actors' natural voice projection echoing from time to time in the chilly oceany air. i couldn't handle it. totally unexpected too-- the accessibility of how it was presented... the actors' passion, professionalism, and humor. the language came alive more and more with every clock tick.

it's actually year 25 of shakespeare santa cruz. they did "king lear" opening year, so i've been told. ... and the themes throughout it were so relevant... control-at-all-costs being the doorway to madness, ultimate selfish trickery masked by fake emotion, fools being the dearest companions of insanity... so much. so good.

hmm... that's all. just had to share the joy. i can't wait for my second day of it. in a week, i'll be ushering for "as you like it". a matinee. -- >> they still need volunteers for this month i think... you could totally sign up! they even have a show every week at the downtown nic theater. go check it out online if you want...

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and just for fun >> here's some good quotes:

This is the excellent foppery of the world, that, when we are sick in fortune, -- often the surfeit of our own behaviour, -- we make guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon, and the stars: as if we were villains by necessity; fools by heavenly compulsion; knaves, thieves, and treachers, by spherical predominance; drunkards, liars, and adulterers, by an enforced obedience of planetary influence.
King Lear, 1. 2

You are not worth the dust which the rude wind blows in your face.
King Lear, 4. 2

When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools.
King Lear, 4. 6

Nothing will come of nothing.
King Lear, 1.1

Love is not love when it is mingled with regards that stand aloof from the entire point.
King Lear, 1. 1

'Tis the times' plague, when madmen lead the blind.
King Lear, 4.1

Striving to better, oft we mar what 's well.
King Lear, 1.4

Get thee glass eyes; And like a scurvy politician, seem To see the things thou dost not.
King Lear, 4.4

posted by )(( hannah mello ))( @ 1:05 AM