I'm actually getting through this stuff. In the past month, I have read more about the beginnings of gas lighting and its effect on Shakespearean acting, Measure for Measure and its craftsmanship, and the ideals of modern Shakespearean performance than I ever thought I would. (Did you know the reason that modern lighting fixtures are hung on pipes is a carry-over from the days when gas was pumped everywhere in the theater to light the stage? Yeah, I didn't either, but now I'm full of those kinds of strange facts.) I'm kind of enjoying this stuff. It's reading a lot when you wade through metric tons of useless factoids, which eventually sticks around so that you can bore people at parties with your crappy "Did you know...?" rantings. I've actually surprised myself at how boring some of the stuff is that I find interesting. For instance, Henry Irving, who was a great Shakespearean actor in his day (the late 19th century) was one of the first great lighting designers, and sort of brought about modern stage lighting and set designing as we know it today. He was the mentor of E. Gordon Craig (who practically worshiped Irving), and was the father of the grand spectacle of the stage... I think I can go so far as to blame him for the sensationalism of modern cinema, and the realism of modern acting theory (though I'm sure Stanislavsky bogarted that dubious honor before Irving could release a book about it.)
Bored yet? Yeah, this is the stuff I find fascinating. Don't invite me to your parties.
I'm midway through the research I have assembled for one of my papers. I've mostly written another one of them. I haven't yet tackled the smallest paper yet, at all, and I've got some of the research (yet none of the transcribing) done for the last one. I've got about a month to finish it, and next week I go to Paris for a week. The library and the Institute are closed for Good Friday and Easter, and we've finally got internet again at the house (don't bother ever signing up for BT, it's worth paying for Sky TV/Broadband if you can swing it, if only for the American TV shows.)
After my papers are due, I'm production designing yet another show, Much Ado About Nothing, and tech-ing A Yorkshire Tragedy. I'm one the IT people for the BritGrad conference in June, the tech-guy for the undergrad summer school at the Shakespeare Institute, and, oh yeah, they've asked me to teach a few classes next year in Lighting and Sound for the Shakespeare Institute. (Just classes, not full modules. For you Americans, we would call them sessions. I think.) Who said I wasn't biting off waaaay more than I could chew with this PhD-thing?
At the moment, I'm procrastinating the reading I have for Measure for Measure, and even though it is one of my favorite Shakespearean plays, who actually wants to read the source material that Shakespeare used to develop this play... well, I kinda do. Sort of. Really, never invite me to parties.
Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale
Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man. -- King John, III.iv.
Year 1, Day 187 -- Words Written: 5,200. Words Stolen from Other Writers via Quotes: 15,000 (I'm not even kidding.)
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