So begins the end of term, where papers, presentations, and performances seem to all fall together into a perfect harmony of crap. As of now, I am preparing for one short presentation (the aforementioned Q1 of Hamlet research), two four-thousand word essays for assessment, one weekend of performance of Edward the Second with the Shakespeare Institute Players (I'm doing the lighting... what else is new?), writing out my thesis proposal for a Scholarship application, and five seminars each for Textual Studies and Shakespeare's Legacy (the two classes I have this term.) Though this will make no sense to anyone that is not a part of the Institute, it helps to write this stuff out so that I know exactly what I have ahead of me.
So, to complete the status update...
1. Five-minute presentation -- Q1 Hamlet: To what extent a theatre text?
Mostly finished this, though will need to cut down the text for the presentation to about eight minutes (currently at 9:10) so that when it gets to game time, I've got some breathing room. Still need to finish the PowerPoint presentation for this.
2. Two Four-thousand Word Essays
a. Textual Studies Essay Topic: "In what ways, and with what justification, has an awareness of theatre influenced the modern conceptualization and editorial treatment of Shakespeare's text?"
b. Shakespeare's Legacy Essay Topic: "What is an 'adaptation' (or an 'appropriation'), and is it the best word for what other artists 'do' with Shakespeare? How can we distinguish between a production of a Shakespearean play and an adaptation/ appropriation of it? Explore with reference to 2-3 adaptations/ appropriations (of any play, from any time, from any place).
3. Lighting for Edward the Second.
Need to completely familiarize myself with the lighting board, so that tech for this show will go smoothly. Don't think the design will be more than "lights up, lights down" but it can't hurt to know how to do all the fancy stuff.
4. Thesis Proposal.
Not normally would I need to do this until next Summer, but since I need the money and the University needs to know what I am planning to do in order to give me the money... I gotta do a two-page version of this right now.
5. Five seminars for Legacy & Textual Studies.
Lots of reading. Lots. Of. Reading.
This is the stuff I am hip deep in thinking about right now. Along with planning the Shakespeare Institute Film Night, an idea that was devised by myself and a lovely compatriot in study by the name of Kate Mueller. The first night of this is this Friday at my house, and we are showing Shakespeare Re-Told: Much Ado About Nothing. I've never seen it, so with the help of alcohol, popcorn, and cake, I should be able to get through it no problem.
I wish I could say that I'm thinking deep, original thoughts about Shakespeare and that I'm awesomer because of it... however, I think a great deal of my journey here is going to be spent indoors, reading and writing everything I've ever learned down on paper, and then defending it to a jury of people far more qualified to write about such topics. The *fear* seems to be settling in again as today I read the Textual Companion to the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (or just some of it) and my professor (John Jowett, by name) was mentioned a bunch of times by the author of the companion. I gotta write something amazing by the end of this term or I'm just gonna get an office filing job somewhere in the middle of America... it's an either/or thing for me right now.
Back to work.
"Take you me for a sponge my lord?" -- Hamlet, Act IV, Sc. II
Year 1, Day 45 -- Words Written: 1545, Term Paper Topics: 2.
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