first Meditation

So it's a perfect day in California the waves are high the sun is out and I have of course chosen to spend hours in a dark theatre with the works of a dead white guy known as the Bard,looking up words no longer in the basic dictionary.

I am taking this class because I am enough of a dork to have have researched, acted in, and directed Shakespeare for fun (although I often still spell his name wrong) and I still am hungry to learn more about him and theatre in general.I like theatre history because theatre needs people to stay alive. If you understand a play you can actually revitalize it, create a time machine of sorts ,mabye it won't be exactally the same but I like the idea that theatre needs you . Once a movie or a painting is created that's it. You can enjoy the work but you can't be the artist. Theatre lets you particpate.

AC has a great collection of books on Shakespeare my knowledge is from that and a number of other sources including an amazing actor/dramaturge I met two years ago during "As You like It" who I am currenlty blanking on the name of.I also like http://www.shakespearehigh.com/library/surfbard/ and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series) (Paperback) by William Shakespeare, Giorgio Melchiori (Editor) is the best scholarly work I have ever read on anything.It answered so many questions of mine about the background and inspiration of Shakespeare it was astounding.

Also I like http://www.m-w.com/ to hear words out loud.My knowledge of the orgin of theatre officially is that Thespis a Greek steped out of the chorus and the play as we know it was born.i learned this to perform a "dance" for Thespians.But I know there's alot before and after Thespis in Theatre history.Personally I think the orgin of theatre is bordeom I once saw a play called Pagent that was created by a bunch of guys stuck in a log cabin after a snow storm.That to me is how all great plays start "I'm bored tell me a story, I'm tired of only hearing you I want to be in the story too, lets have costumes lets add .... into the future.

P.S. I learned habitual elipses use and much of my theatre knowledge from Joe Powers.

P.P.S. The picture is a break backstage of Merry Wives it reminds me of "American Gothic."