Tuesday / February 21 / 2023
Written by Kyle Fisher-Grant

We were back in the auditorium today, and we welcomed more new members. Almost every new member from last week returned, even those who’d said they didn’t think they would, so it felt like a full house and like the program is really expanding. As of now, there are only a few members who have taken part in SIP prior to this year, so with each activity there is a great deal of explanation, and although there is a lot of enthusiasm and buy-in, it takes some energy to get everyone on the same page—both in the figurative and literal sense of the word!

We started, as we always do, with a check-in and the ring exercise. Two ensemble members reported that they played the improv game from Friday in their unit and tried to teach others the rules. After the ring, we played a name game that was very active and high-energy. One member struggled with the silliness; sometimes that can serve to derail the exercise, but the ensemble did really well in letting her participate at her own pace. She said that next time she would try to really commit to the game. It was a real win for the ensemble. They have done a great job creating a safe space in a short amount of time.

It was unanimously decided to start reading Hamlet, and we started with Act 1, Scene 1. The ensemble members who have been attending for a month now were very patient while reading over the scenes they’ve read several times already, and they got a special shout out and some well-deserved recognition. We read through the scene for comprehension first, and a few new members admitted to struggling with the text. They said they didn’t really understand the language, and didn’t know what really happened in the scene. It was their first night in the program, and they were met with an overwhelming response from the ensemble that this is normal. It was a great moment because it gave a few other members in the ensemble a chance to admit they didn’t exactly understand it either, and it gave the veterans a chance to explain that this is all part of the process. It seemed like the new members thought they might be out of place for not understanding the text on the first read, but they were met with a lot of reassurance and were encouraged to watch a few members read the scene on its feet, and to use copies of the No Fear edition.

Next we tried performing the scene in the circle. We were able to stop and adjust our “staging” several times, with most of the adjustments centered around the ghost’s entrances and exits. Each time, there was a chorus of ideas about how we could make the scene work better. Some members were focused on the current iteration of the scene, some thought in terms of a fully staged production at the facility, and some proposed ideas based on whether we were professionals with unlimited time/budget. It was great to hear all the creativity, and it was difficult to write down all the ideas that were shared. Everything from shadows, to scary music, to lighting effects and ziplines got play from the ensemble. It's also worth noting that the members who read the scene on its feet were really working on making some acting choices, even though we haven’t really delved into the acting technique just yet. Still, we did a redo of certain sections, with ensemble members giving and taking some constructive criticism. 

This was all very new to most of the ensemble and took a bit more facilitation from the volunteers than is typical. The ensemble is really taking shape, and is already feeling safe and supportive. One member who played the ghost admitted, only after she performed, that she had never performed in front of that many people before. The ensemble cheered for her, in typical SIP fashion. The ensemble members who had shared that they didn’t understand the text when reading said it was an entirely different experience watching ensemble members do the scene on its feet. This is also typical in SIP. Getting the scene on its feet feels like more than just the comprehension of the text crystalizing, it feels like the ensemble is coming together and finding its feet this season.