Today we tackled the lengthy Act 2 Scene 2, breaking it into smaller chunks to work through. “This is half the play!” one woman said as we all flipped through the long scene we were about to undertake. Kyle G. proceeded to give us a quick synopsis of the scene before we dove in with the entrance of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Polonius discussing Hamlet’s madness with the king and queen.

One of our newer members piped up almost immediately after lowering our ring, suggesting that we “start from the beginning [of the play.]” Nodding heads around the circle seconded her idea, as one of our returning members began strategizing how we should go about doing that. She remarked that last season, “we ran the scenes three times–it was the magic number!” She smiled and added, “but for me, it’s two.”

What with the PCAP art show and winter sickness working its way through the facilitators, it was a small group of us today. The energy seemed a little subdued, as is wont to happen around the holidays, and no one was really interested in playing a game.

We started out with a check-in. One woman was very excited about Thanksgiving this week and the opportunity to decorate the Christmas tree that will be going up in her unit. Another woman had some of her drawings accepted into an art show! Good news all around.

Tonight’s session was the first time we met since finishing our initial runthrough of the play! At our previous session, we put the final scene of the play on its feet (and had some fun with pretend sword fighting). Our game plan for the next few sessions is to hop around in the play, giving newbies a chance to get to know some of the characters better and allowing everyone the opportunity to explore roles they may be interested in. With the temperature outside dipping, we may also try to incorporate more games to shake off some of the cold.

After the first big snow storm of the season on Tuesday canceled our session for us, both the ensemble members and the facilitators were itching to get back into the play. After we all settled and checked in with each other, we took a moment to celebrate that, as of last week, we had finished reading through the play! Hamlet is a loooonnngg play and Act 5 is a loooonnngg act, so it was quite an accomplishment to get through it as quickly as we did.

We started by reading Act 5, Scene 2. One woman told the group that “this is a good story!” and that she never studied it in school. When we put the scene on its feet, the same woman acted out Gertrude. Her feedback to the group was that the words are hard. This was a good opportunity to explain to the new people that it’s okay to slow down reading. If the sentence is difficult to say, then it is probably meant to be read slowly anyway.

Tonight was our first “real” session since adding about ten new members to our ensemble, and dang was it a good one! We all circled up in the auditorium, reminding one another of our names as we got ready to check in. One of our returning members quickly told a new member what these check-ins are about: a time to informally update the group on how you’re doing, with no pressure to participate if you don’t want to. After lowering the ring and getting a few quick updates, we got right down to business.

Today a number of new members were added to the ensemble! We started out by doing our usual orientation, playing a name game, them teaching them The Ring exercise. In traditional new-member form, we then asked each person our three questions: What brings you to Shakespeare? What do you hope to get out of the experience? What gifts do you bring to the group? Many people said they wanted something new to do, and were looking to get out of their comfort zone. One woman has a background in literature, and another is just a big fan of Shakespeare. This is looking to be an invested group of new members!

“He uses words that exercise your brain and your mouth—it’s amazing.” Today we picked up where we left off in Act 3 Scene 3 and dove into reading Act 3 Scene 4, where Hamlet confronts his mother.

“How will this fadge?” I whispered to myself as I made my way to the programs building. Tonight marked a big milestone for me: it was my first time acting as a solo facilitator! The sensation could be equated to the first time riding a bike without training wheels—the action is all there, it’s just a matter of perfecting your balance. Part of finding that balance, for me, meant taking very lean notes and focusing on helping to guide the group’s activities. As a result, today’s blog lacks the usual quote-age that I try to include. Thank you, dear readers, for your understanding!

For the first time in more than a year, I went in as the sole facilitator tonight. The participants afforded me the same generosity as always, with veterans stepping right up to the plate and making sure I was up to speed on the group’s work on Hamlet. In many ways, it was one of those quintessential Shakespeare In Prison nights I’ve had a hundred times before.

After Kyle and I answered the traditional three questions, we jumped back in where the group left off on Friday with Act 1 Scene 5. We read the scene once to remind ourselves what was happening, and then several ensemble members jumped into the center of the circle to act out the scene.

During tonight’s check in, a longtime member began, “This is a supportive group.” She said she’d had a conversation with a newbie earlier, and she’d asked if she could bring her concerns to the ensemble. This new member is concerned that her anxiety is preventing her from participating in the way she’s “supposed to.” This is very normal, and the returning member who brought it up asked the ensemble to share their insight. “It’s hard,” said the newbie, “because I really want to participate, but it’s like I don’t know how. How do you guys know to do that [performance stuff]? I don’t have that creative side yet.”

Check-ins began quietly. Our circle was composed of many returning members and a handful of new faces. After a few veteran members spoke about how their days were going, one new member chimed in: “Today, my silver lining is being here and having my escape from reality for a minute.” Around the circle, heads bobbed silently in agreement. We then stood up to lower our first Tuesday night ring of the season.

After a great orientation for new ensemble members last week, it was time to officially kick off SEASON NINE! Wowza. We always begin with our traditional Three Questions (more on that below!). But first, we decided to get up on our feet loosen up a bit.