Session 6, Nov 20 (final session)

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In attendance:

  • David

  • Dale

We spent the evening coming up with ideas for the final masque/pageant that comes out of nowhere at the end of the show.

First, I outlined the steps of RITUAL (as I’ve defined them in Lichtenbergianism: procrastination as a creative strategy):

  1. Invocation

  2. Drawing the Circle

  3. Taking the Path

  4. Numen (the Divine/Universe/Unknown)

  5. Breaking the Circle

  6. Benediction

In Act V.4, the characters begin to gather, called together by Ganymede’s charges (Invocation).

He/she elicits confirmation from all of them that they intend to follow through with their vows (Drawing the Circle).

The pageant begins with the appearance of Hymen, the god of marriage. He leads them through an affirmation of their vows. (Taking the Path, Numen). There is a song of praise.

Enter Jaques de Boys, the youngest brother of Orlando and Oliver, delivering all the offstage news of conversions and repentances. It is time to leave the Forest and return to a kinder, gentler Court (Breaking the Circle).

The play winds down, and Rosalind, now fully a woman again, delivers the Epilogue (Benediction).

What it’s going to look like probably.

What it’s going to look like probably.

So what could this pageant look like?

We want something that will surprise and astonish the audience, that breaks into their consciousness as we imagine was Shakespeare’s intent. (Also, wake them up, perhaps.)

David brought up a version he had found online where Hymen was a puppet made of rocks/twigs. I linked that idea to the Green Man, the Spirit of the Woods—what if we use Corin to play Hymen, and then “back-date” the idea by having Corin “stage manage” the Forest, e.g., changing the colors of the leaves, putting out new flowers, etc.?

David also had a gonzo idea: what if Hymen were three people? As Corin/Hymen intones his lines, the others could come down and bring together the couples. Hand-fasting was mentioned.

Electronically modulate Hymen’s voice.

Make Hymen’s appearance a showstopper with smoke/lasers, like an EDM concert.

Lots of good stuff.

David is now going to work on the set design, and I am going to get serious about directing the show.