So, over the past couple months (since November, I think), my activity level has become outrageous. I like to keep busy--there's so many fun and interesting things to do, and when I have free time, I normally just go on Tumblr a lot--but this has gotten ridiculous. So far this year, I've been on two school sports teams (cross-country and swimming), worked on four shows (One-Act Festival, Pippin, The Taming of the Shrew/The Tamer Tamed, and this year's Sarah Play, which will be performed in March), graduated from a conservatory, written for the press team of the SMOB's Student Advisory Council, stayed on top of academics, and (mostly) got enough sleep. Mind you, I wouldn't take back on of that--it's all been incredibly fun--but I also haven't gotten to hang out with my family or friends very much, make dinner, or exercise as much as I'd like to (once the sports teams were over). Come April, however, I'll have significantly more free time, as my only commitments will be to school and the press team (as well as to Richie Yarrow's SMOB campaign--VOTE FOR RICHIE!)
I still have a lot of goals for this spring, because I have a lot of stuff I'd like to do, so I'm going to think of myself of being no less busy, but being busy with different things. Because, as I mentioned earlier, if I think I have free time, I spend all of it on Tumblr. So, here are some things I'm planning on doing in the spring:
1) Exercise every day. This past fall, I did cross-country for the first time at Blair, and I loved it. I've come to the conclusion that I am naturally slow, but it doesn't matter to me, as I just like running, and the Blair XC team is really supportive and nice (and weird). I'm looking forward to being able to get home and go for a run every day after school. On Saturdays, I'm going to go biking (probably mostly to Bethesda, because a) there's a Barnes and Noble and b) one of my best friends lives there). On Sundays, I'm going to go to yoga at the Y. It'll be great.
2) Learn how to play the ukelele. I asked for and received a ukelele for my birthday, which was in October, but haven't had much time to mess around with it since. I've learned the basics, but would really like to develop my skills, especially my strumming, because for some reason I'm really bad at that. I've promised to serenade certain members of my family for their birthday gifts, so I have to do that, and also I just feel that my life would be significantly better if I could play the ukelele. I can kind of play 'Only the Good Die Young', as well as some folk songs, but that's it.
3) Cook more often. Last year, I started making dinner twice a week, and I'd like to get back to doing that. I bake a lot (and would like to bake more), but also need to develop my cooking skills, because most things that you bake are either dessert or bread (both of which I love, but which aren't the core of a healthy lifestyle). I like feeding people, and would like to start pulling more of my weight in my house. Also, me and Milena used to have a weekly Friday playdate where we made dinner, and I want to start doing that again. And I want to learn how to make bread.
4) Hang out with friends and family more. I'd like to start hanging out with friends at least twice a week, because I think having an active social life is important to the well-being of every person, and there's a lot of really cool people in my life that I do not get to see enough. I'd also like hang out with my parents and grandmother more often--go for walks and hikes and stuff--and go visit my sister at college in North Carolina.
5) Sleep. I don't think I know anyone in high school who gets the full 8.5-9 hours that teenagers need. I will aspire to this standard come April. Sleep deprivation is incredibly bad for your brain in ways we can't even begin to fathom. Messes with the circuitry and all that. In order to get 9 hours of sleep, I need to be asleep by 9:15, so I can wake up at 6:15. This would mean I'd need to be getting ready for bed by 8 or 8:15, and turn off the light at 8:45, as it takes me a while to calm down for sleep. It'll be hard, but I think I can do it.
Another exciting thing beginning in April is the season for professional women's soccer! In January, the National Women's Soccer League was officially formed, and the Maryland Soccerplex, located in Germantown, is now home to the Washington Spirit. I hope to attend many games, as the Washington Spirit holds some of my favorite USWNT players, and most of their games will be against teams that hold MORE of my favorite USWNT players! Wheee. So excited. I'll post an introduction to the teams and players soon.
Basically, I'm just really excited for spring.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
The Taming of the Shrew/The Tamer Tamed
So, for the past two months I've been working on a cool little show called "The Taming of the Shrew/The Tamer Tamed" at Blair. Most people would recognize the first half of the title as a pretty famous play by a pretty famous guy, but the second half is considerably less well-known. "The Tamer Tamed" is a play by 17th-century playwright John Fletcher, who, though he doesn't enjoy the same name-recognition as Shakespeare nowadays, was one of the most influential dramatists of his day. It's a sequel and a counter to the decidedly sexist message of "Taming of the Shrew": in "The Tamer Tamed", Petruchio (the male lead, who 'tames' Kate, the female lead and the 'shrew' of the title) marries again after Kate's death, and is shocked when his new wife, Maria, refuses to obey him, and goes to considerable measures to tame him. Once he is tamed, however, she promises never to rule over him, and the message, stated in the epilogue, is to "teach both sexes due equality."
Which is a pretty great message, yeah? When I auditioned for the play, I'd never heard of "The Tamer Tamed", but now I can't imagine performing "The Taming of the Shrew" without it--partially because it's really fun, really well-written, and generally terrific on its own, but also because the ending of "The Taming of the Shrew" really does make one cringe. Kate's final speech is a sermon of obedience, describing a husband as "thy lord, thy life, thy keeper," and stating that women are bound to "serve, love, and obey." Eeeww. It just doesn't feel right to end like that. Art is, for me, the ultimate portrayal of the human condition. You learn so much about being a person, and, if you are successful in your portrayals, the audience does, too. Ending with an expression of unfeminist values and gender roles makes me feel (or rather, would make me feel) like I had just communicated that I support that, even if just for entertainment. Thinking about it, I'm kind of surprised that people do still perform "The Taming of the Shrew" as it is.
(Incidentally, reading through the 'Controversy' section on the Wikipedia page of "Taming of the Shrew", two interesting arguments pop up: first that Shakespeare is not promoting female submissiveness, but rather arguing against the mistreatment of women by exaggeration. In other words, Shakespeare intentionally makes Petruchio and the other men as cruel and awful as possible so that the audience is repelled by their actions. He investigates misogyny, and comes to the conclusion--as does, presumably, the audience--that it's bad. While this argument is nice to think about, I have difficulty believing it, primarily because Petruchio wins, everyone celebrates, and it is acknowledged to be a comedy because it has a happy ending. If you sympathize with someone, you'll probably sympathize with the person whose burden you most identify with, and for most 16th- and 17th-century men, that would probably be the guy with the crazy wife. I don't think Shakespeare was subtly arguing the opposite of what his play is blatantly stating. The second argument is that the play is neither anti- or pro-women, but rather an more-or-less accurate portrayal of what Shakespeare saw as the relationship between men and women, and while I do think it's almost impossible to give a fictional portrayal of something without adding your own opinion or stance on the issue, I think this is the most likely argument--that Shakespeare wasn't against women (indeed, he has some remarkably strong heroines in other plays), or against women (despite what Kate's final monologue would suggest), but rather was just telling it like it was).
Anyway. "The Taming of the Shrew/The Tamer Tamed" is basically just an incredibly fun show. I play Hortensio, and am wretchedly abused throughout the whole thing--a guitar is broken over my head, I have to eat a lot of food really fast, and a bowl of water is thrown on me. It doesn't really matter if you don't especially like Shakespeare--the show is hilarious and very fast-paced, and, as Ms. O'Connor likes to say, would entertain a five-year-old. Ravyn, Christina, and Conor are also in it. If you haven't already, you should definitely come see it. The four of us are all in the Red Cast (BLOOD!), and our last two performances are Thursday at 3:30 and Saturday at 7:30. If you can't come to either of those, the White Cast is also really good, and is performing on Friday at 7:30 and Saturday at 2. See you there!
Which is a pretty great message, yeah? When I auditioned for the play, I'd never heard of "The Tamer Tamed", but now I can't imagine performing "The Taming of the Shrew" without it--partially because it's really fun, really well-written, and generally terrific on its own, but also because the ending of "The Taming of the Shrew" really does make one cringe. Kate's final speech is a sermon of obedience, describing a husband as "thy lord, thy life, thy keeper," and stating that women are bound to "serve, love, and obey." Eeeww. It just doesn't feel right to end like that. Art is, for me, the ultimate portrayal of the human condition. You learn so much about being a person, and, if you are successful in your portrayals, the audience does, too. Ending with an expression of unfeminist values and gender roles makes me feel (or rather, would make me feel) like I had just communicated that I support that, even if just for entertainment. Thinking about it, I'm kind of surprised that people do still perform "The Taming of the Shrew" as it is.
(Incidentally, reading through the 'Controversy' section on the Wikipedia page of "Taming of the Shrew", two interesting arguments pop up: first that Shakespeare is not promoting female submissiveness, but rather arguing against the mistreatment of women by exaggeration. In other words, Shakespeare intentionally makes Petruchio and the other men as cruel and awful as possible so that the audience is repelled by their actions. He investigates misogyny, and comes to the conclusion--as does, presumably, the audience--that it's bad. While this argument is nice to think about, I have difficulty believing it, primarily because Petruchio wins, everyone celebrates, and it is acknowledged to be a comedy because it has a happy ending. If you sympathize with someone, you'll probably sympathize with the person whose burden you most identify with, and for most 16th- and 17th-century men, that would probably be the guy with the crazy wife. I don't think Shakespeare was subtly arguing the opposite of what his play is blatantly stating. The second argument is that the play is neither anti- or pro-women, but rather an more-or-less accurate portrayal of what Shakespeare saw as the relationship between men and women, and while I do think it's almost impossible to give a fictional portrayal of something without adding your own opinion or stance on the issue, I think this is the most likely argument--that Shakespeare wasn't against women (indeed, he has some remarkably strong heroines in other plays), or against women (despite what Kate's final monologue would suggest), but rather was just telling it like it was).
Anyway. "The Taming of the Shrew/The Tamer Tamed" is basically just an incredibly fun show. I play Hortensio, and am wretchedly abused throughout the whole thing--a guitar is broken over my head, I have to eat a lot of food really fast, and a bowl of water is thrown on me. It doesn't really matter if you don't especially like Shakespeare--the show is hilarious and very fast-paced, and, as Ms. O'Connor likes to say, would entertain a five-year-old. Ravyn, Christina, and Conor are also in it. If you haven't already, you should definitely come see it. The four of us are all in the Red Cast (BLOOD!), and our last two performances are Thursday at 3:30 and Saturday at 7:30. If you can't come to either of those, the White Cast is also really good, and is performing on Friday at 7:30 and Saturday at 2. See you there!
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