May Love Outweigh Fear.

King Lear: Blocking Day 8 & 9

The ladies of Lear could rival any harpies Homer ever dreamt up. Though they say there are few strong female roles, Shakespeare was not one to hold off on his ladies. Jenny Rohn (Regan) and Melissa Lourie (Goneril) are constructing beautifully the twisted sisters, daughters of Lear, and convey their ambitions so truthfully it is frightening. I would not want to be on these girls bad side.

Heather Nielson is building our fearless Cordelia with no less passion, yet much less wrath and darkness. Being so fervent in her passion to her father, she gives us a moral signpost to gauge all characters against. Heather's construction begins with her own kind hearted nature and gives us an honesty that makes us love her Cordelia all the more. She is certainly someone you can believe people would rally around.

As our apprehension as actors grow, the message Mark has conveyed becomes more pertinent and remains a stalwart theme the cast can hold tight too. Each day we are exploring further the complexities of the show and finding behavior that informs our characters. Of course, it has not all been smooth sailing. There have been several disagreements over content and intention that threatens to drive wedges between actors.

Mark started the day by reiterating the theme of love and how we may not always see eye to eye, but that we are all on the same team. If we keep our common goal in our minds, no amount of disagreement can come between us. In that way, a cast can be the purest working relationship in the end. Complimenting each other in a way that makes everyone perform to their full potential and a working environment where employees are not afraid to take chances nor be vulnerable to one another.

As we moved through the second half of the show we charged headfirst into some of our major roadblocks. The second half of the show poses some of the largest challenges. Along with one of the longest duels I've ever seen, we have a Duke to blind, a sister to poison and Edgar to frame for it. We're swamped! When the smoke clears we have at least nine dead (not including the countless soldiers in battle not seen) and a throne unclaimed. Our hope is to confront these obstacles with clear directions to convey the universal messages Shakespeare set forth about 400 years ago. We will leave it to our audience to decide.