We started the night with one ensemble member speaking about how much the program has meant to her so far. It was a great way to start the evening, and we jumped into the work in short order. We’ve gotten into a good rhythm of starting each evening with performances that the ensemble has been working on in their units. 

Tonight we started reading Act II, scene ii of Hamlet. It is a very long scene, and in a professional production’s rehearsal process it would be divided up into three or four smaller sections because of the text’s density. So, needless to say, there was quite a bit to get through; some of Shakespeare’s most advanced and celebrated writing, so we quite deliberately took it slow as we made our way through the scene. 

Tonight was a great night at the Valley in SIP. We completed a long running SIP tradition of asking the ensemble the “Three Questions.” They are the same three questions we have asked every ensemble at the start of the season since the program’s early days, and, as per usual, it took up the majority of our time together.

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 had another great night this Tuesday after having canceled Friday’s session due to opening night of The Peculiar Patriot at Detroit Public Theatre. At only seven ensemble members, the group is strong. There is an extremely high level of engagement, and an unusually high level of willingness from the ensemble; it feels as though we’ve worked together for years.

Every night that we get to facilitate the program feels more and more like no time has passed. There may be new faces, but the core of the program remains the same as ever. We have a small but very dedicated ensemble so far, and they are eager to dive right into Hamlet. I’m encouraged by how participatory the group has been during check-ins, and how well the group seems to be bonding. This is owing in no small part to one of our veterans, who has really done well in getting the ball rolling in conversations about the text and in performance. It makes such short work of encouraging the new ensemble members to have such a great example in the room.

We are back! Tonight we had six participants, and all six were ready and eager to participate. While going through the orientation packet, one member already said she wanted to play Hamlet if and when the time came to perform the play. One of the returning members played a real leadership role in explaining the program to the new members. “I’ve seen a lot of girls come in in September and they’re in their shell. By the time March rolls around, they’re in it! On their feet, having fun, and then you see them bloom” I told her that was beautiful, and to slow down so I could get the exact quote. She replied, “Oh yeah, BLOG THAT!”

You have probably heard that, as part of efforts to keep Michigan’s incarcerated people as safe as possible during this pandemic, the Michigan Department of Corrections has temporarily closed all facilities to visitors and outside volunteers—including SIP facilitators. (Please click here for more information from MDOC.) Though we are not able to be in the same space with our ensemble at this time, we are working diligently to ensure that we are ready to go the moment the crisis is past.

It’s getting to be that time in the season where we need to start figuring out show logistics–chiefly, costumes and props. Maria and I went in with a plan to have one-on-one discussions with each ensemble member about costume ideas. As we circled up, folks seemed enthusiastic about this phase.

Fair warning, dear blog readers: today’s session was spent talking. It’s that time in the season where we need to start hammering out logistical details including costumes and props, which means a lot of discussion. After quick check-ins and raising the ring, we started talking about themes.

Today we continued our design conversation from last week, briefly going over how to do some script analysis to help determine what props and costumes are called for in the show. We then asked, “Why do we think that Shakespeare didn’t write the Ghost into the final scene?” We’ve been toying with the idea that the Ghost might play a larger role in our performance.

We jumped right in to work tonight. “What scene are we doing?” our Hamlet asked the group after we raised the ring. “1.3,” another ensemble member filled her in. Hamlet responded, “I might not even need my script.” We just cast the show a few sessions ago! If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: these actors don’t mess around!

As a stage manager, one of my favorite things is to get into the nitty gritty details of logistics. This is one of the magical things about theater that doesn’t really seem glamorous but still takes artistic talent to accomplish. People come together with lots of ideas and experience to make a show happen, and as you whittle away, the concept of the show starts to come into view and something beautiful takes shape.

Tonight’s session was all about strategizing from the get-go. One of our first-season members approached me with a question as soon as I sat down in the circle. This member, who will be playing Horatio, shared that she has been spending a lot of time with her script and was having trouble deciding what Horatio would be doing during some longer breaks when he doesn’t speak but is onstage. She said that she has been thinking of things she can do to be active and present without dialogue, but it’s a challenge for her. I suggested that she pay attention to how she’s feeling when we run those scenes in rehearsal, to write some of those feelings down in her script, and come back to them later.

Today we added some new members to the group. Even though we cast the show last week, there are still plenty of roles that are available both for people who want to step into something larger and for people who want smaller roles with less lines.

It’s good to be back! Due to the holidays, Kyle G, Maria, and I had not been present at a session for a few weeks. We were greeted by a full ensemble, brimming with excited energy. One woman even danced her way to the ring, doing an impression of Farley’s Maniac from “Tommy Boy”. Everyone was ready to put the pedal to the metal.

We began the session with a chat about cuts to the script. A couple of women had concerns regarding some proposed cuts, so as a group we discussed those and how they would or would not be missed in the final script. Since this can be difficult work, we followed it by playing a couple of games.