Diary of an actor

I'm so excited to be in this production of Hamlet. I've been quoting Shakespeare since I can remember. As a toddler I was only vaguely aware of what I was saying: "I eat the air, promise crammed. You cannot feed capons so..." My parents opened the door to literature that many young people don't have the privilege of entering.

In grade one I went out for Halloween as Hamlet. That was during a strange, brief time when superheroes had classical names for no apparent reason: Donatello, Raphael,...So, naturally my neighbours thought I was another Ninja Turtle! Instead of 'Trick or treat?' I cried, "When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw!" Now I'm in grade eleven and involved in a professional production of Shakespeare's fascinating play. In preparation for my audition I absorbed the lines and realized what a riveting play I had been quoting.

Jonathan

Last spring I auditioned for the Player Queen. Women's roles were traditionally played by the youngest male in a troupe of traveling players. In Hamlet the players perform the "play within the play". (Women were not permitted to perform in Shakespeare's time.) Normally I would hear about an audition through my agent. In this case I knew the director, Marti Maraden, from working with her before and she asked me to consider the role.

A week before, I had been given the scenes I was to read for the audition. I prepared by repeatedly reading the script. First I read it for comprehension so the story was clear in my mind. This can be very hard work with Shakespeare's texts. Then I read with a view to my character's motivation so I would know what he was thinking and feeling in the scenes. Then I began to learn it. I find working with someone helps me memorize because I'm an auditory learner, and the person reading opposite me can also add input into my performance.

Once in the audition, time flew by and I was out! It had just been Marti and me in a room, talking about the play and the play within the play. A few weeks later I received a call from Marti telling me I got the part. I was so anxious for December to come and for rehearsals to begin, but I still had more than seven months to anticipate and prepare.

Jonathan

My excitement on the first day of rehearsal was almost overruled by nervousness. But once I was in a room full of actors who were equally excited to begin a journey, the anxiety quickly faded.

I had prepared by reading the whole play though and becoming especially familiar with the scenes I am in. I tried to keep a clear idea of what I had done in the audition eight months earlier because that was what the director thought suited the character.

On the first day of rehearsal the cast and crew and members of the theatre's administration are all gathered. After brief introductions, everybody sits around tables and the actors read the play. Afterwards there is a discussion. A play like Hamlet could be discussed for days. The points that were raised were really interesting. (Relevant to me was Marti's idea of elaborating on the theme of acting in the play. As the Player Queen I will be showing my connection to the real Queen early on, appearing as my character shadowing Gertrude, before the players actually arrive in Elsinore.) It was indescribable to witness the coming-together of so many minds with vast collections of knowledge about Hamlet and Shakespeare in general. I can't wait to continue working on this awesome play with so many talented people.

Jonathan

The voice specialist, Louis Spritzer, is incredibly helpful to me. I have to speak convincingly like a woman. Louis works through techniques with me to lift the pitch of my voice and help give me a more feminine inflection. I find it amazing to be in a session with him and feel how he is able to manipulate my voice. Louis' knowledge is beneficial to many in the cast. Michelle Monteith, who plays Ophelia, works with Louis to bring out a singing voice that, in the 'mad scenes', sends shivers up the audience's spine.

The movement coach, Jo Leslie, also helps me a great deal. The players have a bigger role in Marti's production. We come in and out between scenes, ushering along the play. Jo coordinates these movements. She helps me come up with feminine mannerisms. She always has to remind me to stop doing "guy" things. I am working on dropping my shoulders and loosening my fingers.

It is a privilege to work with Louis and Jo. I attribute much of my performance to their input.

Jonathan

Hamlet has been given a five-week rehearsal period. In professional theatre that is a long time. Three and a half weeks is more common. Normally a few weeks are allotted to work on the text and blocking. This is usually done in a rehearsal hall somewhere while the set is being constructed. The week before performance is referred to as 'tech week' because all of the technical things like lighting, sound effects, music, and wardrobe are being implemented. The workdays in tech week can be twelve hours long! The extended rehearsal period for Hamlet means the production can start working in the real theatre sooner. We are able to have a whole extra week to work out kinks.

Today we made the transition from the flat rehearsal space where we used tape to outline the shape of the stage, to the real thrust stage we will be playing on, complete with balcony and stairs. It is my first time working on a thrust stage. On a conventional stage you have to worry about things like turning your back on your audience too often. But on a thrust stage I encountered something totally different. I had new things to take into consideration. Exits called 'vomitories' (voms, for short) go into and under the audience. Most of the time in this production I will be flanked by the audience on both sides so the 'don't turn your back to the audience' rule becomes less important. A new thing I have to think about is whether I am blocking someone. To fix that problem on a thrust stage, you put yourself at a diagonal from your fellow actor so that the only part of the audience that can't see the character you've blocked would be sitting where the voms are. I am working with experienced actors for whom this is second nature and they are encouraging me.

It was breathtaking to walk out onto the finished set for the first time today and once again anticipate performing in front of an audience. A certain energy is present. It's an indescribable feeling.

Jonathan

Our first audience was a matinee for high school students. I was worried about that performance because it was an audience of my peers. I didn't know how they would react when they saw someone their age playing a woman. You know how teenagers can be. In fact, the show went very smoothly and I felt good about my work. In the first few scenes the crowd was a little difficult: making noises with their papers, talking, throwing small things onto the set... But within minutes, Tom Rooney had them eating out of his hand and you could hear a pin drop.

Two nights later was our official opening. Again I was nervous because I knew lots of people in the audience. Backstage, Ben Carlson (who played Horatio) reassured me that opening was just another performance and nothing to get stressed about. Many of the seasoned actors in the cast echoed this sentiment. Actors try to keep the hype about opening subdued but there is an undeniable magic that surrounds it. That feeling rushed through the show and the cast felt good about the performance.

Jonathan