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Macbeth

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Hi my name is Jason. I'm on the stage crew for the brand new high school in utah, Syracuse High. There I am sortive like the head tech, and im the head flyman too.
 
Welcome aboard! Looks like a pretty nice space for a high school, from what I can see on the school's website.

I'm packing up to head back to school right now, so I'll let someone else do the lengthy welcome schpeil.
 
From a fellow Utahn, hello and welcome to CB! We have lots of info to share, and we hope that you do too! Make friends with the search feature as it is quite useful (but we will always answer a question even if it has been posted a thousand times, we just give you crap about it!). Ask anyything, and offer up any answers you have, and you may find that you will never leave this site!

and btw... if you happen to be interested, i will probably need more crew people for oue last show of the season, and for next season! So send a PM or email!
 
I think I am going to welcome you from down under but I'm not happy with the ID.
(I am very superstitious)
 
Welcome, Macbeth. Your screen name doesn't bother me a bit. I can't whistle, but if I could, I'd do it onstage. Superstitions are fine, but I don't think anyone can give the exact origin behind saying "the Scottish play" in the theatre.

The Davis Country School District site seems to be having issues at the moment, so tell us some more about your facilities and your show schedule. Will you be among the first seniors graduating from the school?
 
Welcome to the Booth "Mac"! If you are wise you will all over Icewolf's offer and P.M. him immediately.

Get to know the search function... it's your friend!
 
I'll add my greetings as well. Hope your new theater is resplendant with all the latest (or at least newer) toys. There's lot of neat things about starting in a new theater, but be patient as all the bugs work themselves out of the system.

I think your name is apropo here, but I'm Scottish, so feel akin to that one particular play. Not particularly superstitious about the usual things, but we did have a run of bad luck after singing several "Fiddler" tunes during a run of "Nunsensations" - anything is possible in the theater...

Charlie

P.S. pay attention to that search feature advice. I've already been razed twice because of it...
 
I choose my screen name cause im the only one that freaks out when one of our crew members say it so it just has became my nickname. I have been doing stage crew since I was in 9th grade and now im in 11th. Plus im part of the first graduating class from my school.
Tonight is our closing night for B.B.B.
And it has been hard setting up a new theatre, but our crews have managed and the other high schools around us are very impressed.
I have some pictures that I took of our cast and the auditorium. so once I can get them uploaded ill show everyone.
 
Our Makeup girl for this current production's last name is "Macbeth". So everyone calls her "Scottish play".
 
.......but I don't think anyone can give the exact origin behind saying "the Scottish play" in the theatre.
.............

I think I posted it on here once, but I'd be happy to repost it here in a welcoming thread.
The Story of the Scottish Play:
As told to Van by someone he can't remember who.
Shakespeare wrote the Scottish play while James was on the throne, not Elizabeth. As many people know king James was responsible, or rather, inspired the compilation of the "King James" version of the Christian Bible. This was not because he was an incredibly devote Christian but more because he was a devote student of the Occult. James was facisnated with anything pertaining to the occult, Magic, WitchCraft, etc. Now most people know that characters in the Scottish Play were inspired by actual ancestors of James, Banquo, I believe. This was an attempt, on Shakespeares part, to legitamize James' claim upon the throne of Scotland, but beyond this obvious flattery there lay another more subtle form. Since as we all know the Scottish Play begins with the scene of the witches, and since Shakespeare was well aware of James' fascination with all things Occult, the story goes that he, Shakespeare, visited an actual coven of witches, ostensibly, to get background info for the characters. In actuallity, he was taking notes so he could incorporate some "real" witchcraft into the script he was working on. When James originally saw the production he was fascinated by the inclusion of obscure ritual. The Witches, however, were not. As a result of betraying their trust in allowing him to observe thier rituals, they cursed his play. Shakespeare, in an attempt to remove the curse, changed the text and inserted the now famous," Boil,Boil, and cauldron bubble...." nonsense. It did not work however, and the script remains curse to this day.

Well that's the way it was told to me. Do I believe it ? Hmmmmm. I don't know.
 
Thank you Van, I'd never heard that story before. The only flaw in the tale is everyone knows Shakespeare's plays were actually written by Francis Bacon, among others. Any scholars of dramaturgy out there?

Aren't you glad you're here, Mac? Hey, whatever happened to "Killer Rodent"?

edit:
...Shakespeare wrote the Scottish play while James was on the throne, not Elizabeth...
QE -I reigned from 1558-1603. WS lived from 1564-1616, though some claim he died in 1604. Still, it's a good story.

Fascinating reading here.
 
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James also wrote a book called Demonologie, which actually attacked many of the superstitions surrounding witches while purporting to explain exactly how to identify them. Interestingly enough he acquitted all women brought to him accused of witchcraft.
He also believed that as the King he had the ability to cure a disease known then as the Kings evil now known to be a vitamin deficiency called Scrofula.
His claim to both thrones was good. he was the legal child of Mary Quenn of Scots of the Stuart line and was the great grandson of Henry VII of England whose daughter Margaret married the then King of Scotland another James. He also had a looser claim through his father Lord Darnley who was descended from an illegitimate child of Henry V!!. Henry the VIII's only children were Mary Tudor daughter of Catharine of Aragon who died childless of complications due to a series of phantom pregnancies and may have had a cist in her womb, Edward the 6th who died very young (son of Jane Seymour) and Elizabeth 1st daughter of Anne Boleyn.
James was the closest to the throne who was also a protestant so they gave him the throne after Elizabeth's death uniting the English and Scottish Thrones.
Shakespeare's plays were written by the Earl of Essex or maybe Christopher Marlowe.
Actually I believe that Shakespeare wrote his own plays but the arguement is for a different time and place.
How bored is anyone did anybody bother to read all of this?
 
I read it, fascinating. James was an interesting person. 'Course His claim to the Trhone of Scotland was only as legitimate as any Englishmans........
 
First of all Hello, M.B. Welcome welcome, I'm a bit of a newbie to the site myself, but "i'm glad to see that you've already started a good discussion.

Second: has anyone else heard the version that the first American Performance of MB involved the death of lady MB, and the broken right arm of the scottish king himself? I've never heard the elizabethinan history, but there were several stories that were made up in the 19th century to add flavor to the history of the Bard, most of these have been discredited.

Third: I belive that the Foio's were edited hevily by those who collected shakespeares writing, but no, the oxfordian theories are a bit of a streach. However, who knows?

Fourth: As long as you you don't say your name in the theater, You should be okay, or you can insist on a shorted form.

Thank you for opening this can o' worms.

- love goph
 
The "Bad Quarto" of Shakespeares plays appears to have been assembled from "sides", that is the parts of the script given to literate actors to help them learn their lines, it also shows signs of having been assembled from memory by actors and prompters. It is the last resort of Shakespearian scholars. It is not complete.
There are also a "Good Quarto" and a "Folio" both of which are considered to be more accurate and to have had at least some co operation from the man himself.
If you've got a copy of either of these and if it turned out to be signed you could probably buy a small country with the proceeds.
 
So, some of the actors here on campus are trying to set up a "Shakespeare on the Lawn" sort of thing. Several of us were talking about it while working the other day along with one of our non-theatre friends (music major if you must know). We somehow got onto the subject of what shows would be good for the coming performances. This poor friend of ours, not knowing any better, suggested the Scottish play. I thought that about half of those present were about to tear her to shreds. It was just one of those humorous moments in the theatre where you realize how much those outside the theatre miss.
 
If you want a comedy for outdoors you have to go with "A Midsummer Nights Dream". All the scenes are actually set outdoors.
Another good outdoor one is "As You like it" but frankly you can do almost any Shakespeare outdoors.
 
Oh, trust me, I know. I'm not really a part of this, as actors in the middle of a grassy lawn on a college campus during the day really don't need lights. I was just remembering the story and laughing when discussing Mac's name.
 

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