Theater in the Park

Dinah Bradford -- Leonata

2010-03-31T02:12:00.000-07:00

Dinah Bradford has lived in Spanish Fork for the last 19 years. She is the set director for the Spanish Fork Community Theater and has performed in The Beauty and the Beast, The Secret Garden and Singing in the Rain. She has done a few local commercials and particpated in two 48 hour film festivals. She sings with the 7th Street Blues Band and The Amorphous Blues Band. She was also named The Grand Champion for acting in the World Championships of The Performing Arts 2008.

March 6th Rehearsal and Production Meeting

2010-03-09T01:57:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

In the production meeting we discussed a few tentative and solid dates for performances.

Aug 6th Salmon Supper Payson 20 min blurb

Sept 3rd Covey Park Provo 20 min gallery showcase

Sept 11th Payson Matinee Full Show

Sept 17th & 18th maybe 20th Harvest Moon Hurrah Spanish Fork Friday 20 min blurb, Full Show on 18th

Sept 27th or 28th Salem Pending

Aug 20-21st Pending Springville

Pending Mapleton

Marie spoke with a contact of hers about getting group rates for the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City.

We also discussed 20 min "green" shows to lead our full shows. Green shows are for local talent who can bring some people out to the show.

We also discussed possible attendance in parades for Payson and Springville

Production Leadership:

Rebecca -- President

Dinah -- Vice President of Production

Jason -- Vice President of Planning and Development

Lindsey -- Stage Manager

Melanie -- Secretary of the Board

Darin -- On the Board

Marie -- Director

Nathen -- Sales and Marketing

Dinah is looking for synthetic plants like the ones we used on the little theater. If you know where to get a deal let her know.

Alyssa Christensen -- Lady Conrad

2010-03-04T02:47:00.000-08:00

Alyssa Christensen, a New Hampshire native, caught the acting bug at age 7 while playing a munchkin in “The Wizard of Oz.” At age 11, she took a Shakespeare on Stage course and fell in love with Shakespeare’s words. Over the next few years she was in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” twice, “As You Like It,” and “Macbeth.” Other favorite shows from Alyssa’s childhood were “Annie,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and “Pink Floyd’s, The Wall.” Although it has been many years since she has been on stage, she has always integrated theater into her job as a teacher. You have to be an entertainer to keep the attention of 26 1^st graders! After seeing “Romeo and Juliet” at Shakespeare’s Globe last summer, she was inspired to pursue the stage once again! Alyssa is thankful to her husband, Michael, for always pushing her to follow her passions, and for her parents who supported her love of acting from the beginning!

Brighton Sloan -- Beatrice

2010-03-04T02:42:00.000-08:00

Brighton is delighted to have an opportunity to play her favorite Shakespearean character, Beatrice! A Theater Arts Studies major at BYU, Brighton has performed in a number of shows, playing roles such as Susannah Cibber in Joyful Noise, the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Mina Harker in Dracula, Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof, and Momma in Gypsy. Last year, Brighton made her directing debut with Spotlight Production's Pride and Prejudice, and will be directingJane Eyre this summer.

Jason Wilkinson -- Claudio

2010-03-01T00:24:00.000-08:00

This is my first stage experience in theater. In recent years I have found a love for the art of theater and have attended performances at Pioneer, Kingsbury Hall, Salt Lake Acting Company, Plan B and Hale Center Theater. I was first turned on to Shakespeare by a performance of Midsummer Nights Dream at Snowbird many years ago, and I also loved the 1996 film Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes and the 1999 film Titus with Anthony Hopkins. I also saw an amazing performance of As You Like It at Pioneer Theater. I'm having the time of my life learning theater and I am very exited about all the amazing theater talent in our group. We have spirited, energetic, knowledgeable and dedicated players, directors and managers.

Melanie Adams -- Hero

2010-03-01T00:05:00.000-08:00

Melanie Adams is a local native with a flare for creative expression. She's been only casually involved in theatre since her high school's production of Brigadoon (a decade ago - yikes!), and has been in but one other production since: The Promised Land: Lehi's Journey, at Provo's Covey Center for the Arts in 2008. Though she spends her days as a grown-up, being an in-house paralegal for a library software company, she finds great satisfaction in her alternate life as a player on the stage. Her family can attest that it is a good outlet for the dramatic storyteller within her. While she has performed wholly in musical theatre, she's no stranger to Shakespeare and is very excited to take to the stage as Hero with one of her favorite Shakespeare plays, Much Ado About Nothing.

Nathan Lowe -- Benedick

2010-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

I began my theater involvement with the Villa in Springville. the first production I was in was A Christmas Carol. I was one of the solicitors at the beginning of the story. The following summer I was cast in the lead role for "An American Girl" after that I have done nothing with theater until this production. I am honored to be a member of our board and I look forward to a lasting relationship with Theater in the Park.

Spanish Fork Arts Council Showcase

2010-02-28T23:33:00.000-08:00

We performed the garden scenes in the Spanish Fork Art Council Showcase Saturday. We worked the scenes furiously over the past week and made some excellent progress. We got some laughs and had some fun at the show. I missed a line but all-in-all, not bad for our first experience in front of an audience. Great job everyone! There will be a mention of us and our group in the Spanish Fork Press, including a picture of us on stage (so I was told by a pressman at the show). Carob is leaving for Seattle this week and will be greatly missed. Becca has been named as board president and we will have meetings in the near future to delegate opportunities for board members to help move the group forward. Bio's for our players will appear on the blog as I receive them from the players. Rehearsals will now be at Becca's house, see you there!

Marie Knowlton

2010-02-23T04:12:00.000-08:00

Marie Knowlton has been involved in theater since elementary school. She has a BA from Southern Utah University in Communications and Theater Arts, and is currently working on a BA in English from UVU. She has served on the boards of Art City Community Theater, the Villa Institute of Performing Arts, and is currently on the board of Springville Playhouse. She has acted, directed, and been otherwise involved in dozens of shows, including "Midsummer Night's Dream," "The Crucible," "The Diary of Anne Frank," "The Wizard of Oz," "Dracula," "Harvey," "Once Upon A Mattress," and, currently, "Scapino," which runs March 5-27 at the Springville Playhouse. She has also had poetry, short stories and speculative fiction published and her work appears in the National Gallery of Writing. We are very pleased to have her join our group!

February 13th Rehearsal

2010-02-14T20:15:00.001-08:00

Expect to see a bio here on the blog next week for our new Director Marie. Marie is working on Scapino for the Springville Playhouse but has generously taken on directing our group as well. She is a professional and knows how to keep us moving from where Carob and others have brought us. At our rehearsal Saturday she worked blocking exercises for several scenes where some physical comedy will bring smiles and laughter... She had some great ideas for our live statues who will show some actions and emotions to mirror and interact with characters and audience. Anyone else have a skinned knee? After Carob loosened us up with some animal impersonation exercises and Darin shared oranges and bananas, most of us were ready to let loose. 'Bigger' was the most frequently put advice. I heard a 'less feminine' in there more than once. So men, man up and ladies and gentlemen get more physically emotional, energetic and powerful. Since we are at a distance from much of the audience, facial expressions, while essential in helping us feel the emotion and convey emotion in our voice, will be hard to see. Since much of the language is unfamiliar to our modern audience, expressions in physical and audible emotion are our best tools for telling this story. My first experience with Shakespeare I was fascinated by and found respect for the playwright because I felt a shared humanity in a 400 year old story. The human emotional range of the characters while lifelike and believable as played by some great actors, was also 'big' and obvious. Once we understand the emotional content of our lines, we can start thinking about 'big' physical ways to convey how our character feels. Carob's assignment for us this week was to watch Fame. This is drama!

February 6th Rehearsal

2010-02-09T02:19:00.000-08:00

We had an important discussion about the future of our group with Carob and Bjorn. Bjorn, President of the Spanish Fork City Arts Council, expressed his support and excitement about our group and would like to see us succeed. He felt like the rest of us, that such a theater group would be a meaningful addition to the communities in Utah Valley and he hoped to get us some additional funding. He also believed we could be a part of the annual Harvest Moon Hurrah in August likely to be held at the library park in Spanish Fork. This is a great event with lots of activities, there will be a good crowd, perfect for our debut year. We all had a chance to show Bjorn our commitment. There was a positive feeling in that meeting about our group's future. After the meeting we split up into focus groups and practiced some of our scenes. Wont it be great when we can get off book! Keep up the good work!

Carob's Coaching

2010-02-02T01:59:00.000-08:00

Give Carob the chance to give some personal coaching for your character. She's great at asking the questions that will help you understand the character and can help improve understanding of the emotional content in your lines. Set up an appointment with her next rehearsal if you haven't already. Be sure to do your homework and have your scene analysis completed. You'll have a great time, develop your acting skills and Carob will have the chance to express her artistic talents in direction. Also check out this discussion on our facebook page on the definition of blocking.

January 30th Rehearsal

2010-01-31T23:12:00.000-08:00

Wow! Isn't Meg great! Carob knows how to find talent. We were blocking at a furious pace at rehearsal Saturday under Meg's direction. She really knows this play and knows how to set a scene. She asked us to take good notes during our rehearsals, so it's up to us to make sure her creative vision isn't left out of the play. Remember she gave us some great pointers on how to do scene analysis and create notes. She used an example from Othello. Refer back to the example sheet to prepare your own notes in your script. We also tried on some of the costumes for the ladies. These are lovely simple dresses which resemble period fashion. Great work Carob!

First Theater Rehearsal

2010-01-26T04:11:00.000-08:00

Hello friends!

We had a great rehearsal on Saturday at the Little Theater at Spanish Fork High School. We started some blocking exercises at the direction of Carob and Meg. We also covered some basics about the stage layout, which will help us take direction in the future. We are learning the language of theater! Exciting! We are just warming up and are about to hit our stride. We have some exceptional and energetic talent leading us who have experience and vision. We have a great group of players and we are starting to get comfortable and loosen up. As we warm up to each other and get comfortable and friendly with everyone in the group, our acting will become natural. This is the debut show for Theater in the Park and we get the chance to make first impressions in our communities. We want the families who attend to bring their friends back next year! In the future blog entries will be added at least once a week on Sunday evenings and will include a recap of our Saturday rehearsals, a summary of our board meeting discussions, updates on funding, venues, schedules and costumes.

If anyone has friends and family, bring them in for a visit to a rehearsal and maybe we can convince them to join us as an extra! We are also looking for anyone with carnival talent to join the show, i.e. juggling, unicycle, acrobats, tumblers, fire breathers, sword swallowers, minstrels, the works! (Kidding about the sword swallowers!)

New Read-Through time

2009-11-04T08:57:00.001-08:00

Due to scheduling conflicts, this Saturday's read-thru will be from 8-10 instead of 9-11. It will still be at the church on Main Street in Spanish Fork, directly across from the library.

Read Throughs

2009-10-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

We will have read throughs on November 7 and December 5 from 9-11 am. Both days are Saturdays. They will be held at the LDS City Center Building in Spanish Fork -- directly across the street from the library.

It would be great if you could all pick up a copy of "no fear shakespeare" or bring your laptops and read it online. Used book stores may have it as well I'll check tomorrow in Orem. If not enough we will just read from the script.

We will meet just inside the south doors of the church in the relief society room. Please be on time! My goal is to have you back with your families by noon!

It's really important that each of you is attend.

CAST LIST!!!

2009-10-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

After seeing the incredible amount of talent available, we decided to double cast a few roles. Please note, these are not understudies. We plan for them to do the same amount of shows.

Benedick................Alex Hansen and Dan Hoffman
Beatrice..................Brighton Sloane and Chelsea Pyle
Claudio...................Jason Wilkinson
Hero.........................Melanie Adams and Beki Diamond
Don Pedro..............Darin Bartholomew
Don John................Matt Moody
Lady Conrad.........AJ (Alyssa) Christensen
Borachio.................Chris Laird
Leonata..................Dinah Bradford
Ursula.....................Becca
Margaret................Krista McClellan
Antonia...................Serena Bennish
Dogberry................Nathan Lowe and Brian Sheets
Verges.....................Sarah Allen
Friar........................Richard Robbins
Watchman #1......Andrew Cannon
Watchman #2......Ty Jacardis
Watchman #3......Brianna McKell

Cast List

2009-10-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Due to still needing to cast some of the male roles I have not posted the cast list. However if you auditioned tonight there is a personal email for each of you ladies. Guys you will know on Thursday who has which part.

Thanks so much the auditions were a success and I think we have a great cast. I have to say you guys did what I asked as far as "Bringing it" and people I hadn't really considered surprised us!

I hope you will all accept the roles offered I'm excited about the cast, the show, and working with each of you.

And now at last, I am going to bed!

Carob Bartholomew

2009-10-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

Carob Bartholomew, founder and director of Spanish Fork's Theater In The Park, is excited to bring this opportunity to the people of Utah county. After moving to Spanish Fork in March 2009 Carob fell in love with the library park and found it to be the perfect venue for such a production. Carob loves to teach and loves to learn. Her passion for theater and creativity is second only to her love of people.

Carob has been acting since the age of 9 when she starred in weekly vacation bible school skits. During high school she was very involved with a small Shakespeare company not unlike Theater In The Park. In Her junior year of high school she was accepted into Cornish College of the Arts. She completed her education at the Northwest Actors Studio in the conservatory program. Carob has worked with many of Seattle's prestigious theaters. She has also written, acted and directed for various fringe theaters and church productions. Carob has most recently become a member of the Spanish Fork Community Theater Board and the Spanish Fork Arts Council.

Carob believes that theater should be fun, accessible and open to everyone! She is a big believer in inclusion theater and strives to cast productions with diversity in mind. She welcomes everyone regardless or age, race, religion, ability or disability to come be a part of the show!
When Carob is not involved in theater she loves to entertain friends and spend time with her two princes Liam (aka the Monkey), and Adam, the most supportive husband ever! (He'd have to be to let her do this.)

Meg Grierson

2009-10-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

Meg Sherman Grierson will be working closely with Carob on several aspects of Much Ado About Nothing. She graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Theatre Education and Direction from Brigham Young University, receiving additional collegiate training in scriptwriting, acting and stage management. As a certified secondary teacher, she taught theater at Orem High School, assisted with the Spanish Fork Youtheatre, and has also appeared as a guest acting instructor in arts workshops for both children and adults. Her most recent directorial credits include SFCT’s 2008 production of Seussical the Musical, BYU’s The Clearing, and OHS’s Pfeiffer’s People, as well as a music director credit for BYU’s Oroonoko. Meg has also enjoyed appearing onstage in several Utah Valley productions, most notably the Hale Center Theater in Orem’s Diary of Anne Frank in 2002 and Miracle Worker in 2008. She has also spent countless hours volunteering for both the Spanish Fork Arts Council and the Springville Arts Commission.

In her spare time, Meg enjoys classical piano and harp, tap dancing, performing in plays (particularly Shakespeare), playing air guitar to her classic rock CDs, and continuing her quest to read every book ever written in the history of time. She works freelance as an award-winning writer of scripts and short fiction, and currently lives in Springville with her husband and two young children.

Lindsey Penner

2009-09-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

Lindsey Penner is more than thrilled to be Stage Manager for Much Ado About Nothing. Originally from Phoenix Arizona, Lindsey graduated with a degree in Costume Design and Technology from Northern Arizona University, where she also gained a strong background in stage management. Lindsey has made and styled wigs for Arizona Theatre Co. and The Utah Shakespearean Festival for three seasons. She most recently designed and styled wigs for The Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley, UT. Lindsey spent three years in the Boston area working as the Wardrobe Supervisor for North Shore Music Theatre, an award winning regional theatre in Beverly Massachusetts. Lindsey has a strong passion for the arts and is eager to be part of such a fabulous production of Much Ado About Nothing.

Alyssa May

2009-09-29T00:49:00.000-07:00

Carob's assistant for the show is her friend Alyssa May. Alyssa has been involved in a few church-related production throughout her life. She's always wanted theater to be a part of her life, but always seemed to be too busy to make it happen. While her life hasn't slowed down any, (she's got three callings, two kids, and one on the way!) she recognizes that if she doesn't make the time for theater now, she'll never have the time.

Alyssa will be assisting Carob with much of the publicity for the shows, namely blog upkeep and press releases and articles to local news organizations. She'll also be at rehearsals, taking notes and acting as a sounding board for Carob when the need arises.

Sparknotes link and sides

2009-09-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

We've found a link we love. It's a sparknotes/modern vernacular versio n of scenes from Shakespeare. We'll be using scripts similar to these for some of the practices.

Links for:
Men's Sides

Women's Sides

In the News

2009-09-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

As of now this is just an idea but we are thinking of increasing the number of shows next summer. We are going to look into taking the show to Payson, Salem, and Springville as well as our 6 performances here. We really feel breaking up the performances is not fair to the actors and this may allow us to cast understudies.
We would have to obtain local sponsorship though and this is why for the moment it is simply an idea, but you all know where little ideas can Lead :)

We have had a busy week submitting articles about Theater in the Park to all of the local papers. We even found enough (crunch) time to make a commercial for the Spanish Fork Channel. Our final push before to promote before auditions will be tomorrow at the Arts Councils Harvest Hurrah if you see us (togas as greek statues) stop and say "hi!"

The most exciting news without a doubt is that Margaret Grierson of Springville (previously Spanish Fork) will be joining our crew. Meg has been involved with many shows including being the director for Seussical the Musical for Spanish Fork a couple of years ago and we are excited to have her help us make our idea of ITALY come alive!

Auditions are NEXT WEEK! At the risk of sounding superstitious we want to say "Break a leg" to all those trying out!

Rehearsal Schedule

2009-09-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

I've been getting a lot of questions about a projected plan for rehearsal schedules. Although I can set nothing in stone until the production is cast, here is a brief idea of what our schedules will be like:

Auditions will take place on September 22nd from 5-8 PM. Because we've had such an overwhelming response, we have scheduled a second day for auditions. They will also be Saturday, Sept. 26 from 12-6 PM. (See sidebar for more details.) Call backs will follow within a week of final auditions. In October I plan to have one read-through of the full play and all cast members need to be there! I will give brief character notes after the read-through and then schedule a second read-through for late October or the first part of November. We will take a break for the holidays. (There is a chance of doing some sort of benefit performance at Christmas time for the Arts Council but at the moment this is merely an idea.)

I will expect everyone except for Beatrice and Benedick to be off book when rehearsals commence in January. Rehearsals will then be once a week for no longer than two hours. If you are not in the scenes and we are not doing acting exercise that day you are not required to be there, but anyone is always welcome to come and watch. During the winter and spring months we will block and work the scenes. We will dedicate some time to working monologues and improvisation work that will include doing the play in your own words. (THIS IS JUST AN EXERCISE). We will also have an opportunity to perform selected scenes at Utah's Renaissance Faire in May.

In June we will cast our extras and LIVE STATUES. We will take another semi break to allow people in the summer musical to focus on that. At the end of July we will begin full run-throughs.

The play will go up mid-August and run Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays. We will perform again for the Harvest Hurrah on Friday and Saturday in mid-September. (Saturdays may include 2 performances.) I hope this gives you all some idea of how things will work. Don't let a grueling schedule keep you from auditioning!!! IF YOU'RE CAST, WE WILL WORK WITH YOUR SCHEDULE!

Monologue help

2009-09-08T08:33:00.001-07:00

If you plan to audition but aren't quite sure where to find a monologue, here are a few links to help you.

Classical Men's Monologues

Classical Women's Monologues

Live Statues

2009-09-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

We would like to have live statues in the play -- actors in body paint. We also hope to advertise the play and it's auditions in Spanish Fork's Harvest Moon Hurrah with a few people dressed as live statues and handing out fliers.

If you'd be interested in either of these options, let us know!!!

Great News !

2009-08-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

With just a little over a week since the idea for Theater in the Park was conceived, we are joining Spanish Fork Community Theater. This means we are not merely a shot in the dark but have some valuable experience to glean from. It also means we are eligible for grants and other types of funding. ( It does not however mean that we can pay our actors! or anyone else). My goal for this first production is that it is self sustained and that no moneys come out of our own pockets. We are fortunate to have been offered the use of SFCT costumes. This will at least come in handy for the carnival scene.
I am mulling around in my head ideas for a set that will suggest Italy artistically but not be a huge expense. I'm in need of a large garden fountain and a swing!
I have been invited to join the boards of both SFCT and the Arts Council and am excited about both opportunities! I don't know what I'll be doing exactly but I'm delighted to get deeply involved with theater again.

"For All"

2009-08-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

I want to encourage everyone to try out for this play. I think a lot of people don't audition due to the idea that they think the director already has the cast in mind. I don't. I am quite simply looking for talent. This should go without saying but in case it doesn't, our goal is to be an open company, welcoming to ALL, regardless of race, religion, or body type. If you have "always wanted to act", come audition -- we would love to have you!

The Plan

2009-07-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Our first large production will be "Much Ado about Nothing" Shakespeare's comedy about love and mistaken identity, it's lighthearted and familiar enough without being too familiar. I didn't want to do a play that most people have seen live like Romeo and Juliet because it is our debut and I think we should represent fresh, exciting, and accessible!

We will not perform until next summer 2010 because well....it's Shakespeare and to be REALLY REALLY good -- we should take our time. I want to start with a couple of read-throughs and improv sessions in which we will do the scenes with modern language. We will Not perform this way however. (Shakespeare's works are meant to be done using his words not my interpretation of them)Because we will be taking so long to prepare the show, rehearsals will not be very imposing of your time. I'm also hoping that we can perform scenes in schools. If we are able, perhaps we can add a production of A Christmas Carol before hand.

I know it is a long time to ask people to stay committed and if you can't, I would suggest that you wait to audition when we cast extras in the spring. I can not offer pay, but I can promise you will have a great time. This is the only time I expect to have such a duration. If all goes as planned in the future we will do two plays each summer -- a comedy and a drama -- and maybe even progress to more contemporary works.

For the first production it is at the moment bare-bones. Not unlike Shakespeare's time our set will be our surroundings. (This may change depending on grants.)

If the company has merit we stand a chance of having funding and becoming part of the community theater. Doing Shakespeare fills a market that people will watch, it's intelligent theater and it's a blast to do!

It began on Monday

2009-07-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

Monday morning I woke up and thought, "I wonder if Spanish Fork Community theater does any non-musicals?" I had just seen an enjoyable performance of Singing in the Rain by the Spanish Fork community theater that weekend) I went to their site and could not find anything that said they did. Then I looked up the Arts council. I sent a brief email asking that question and if not how I would go about starting a theater company. Not two hours later I received a response (Go Spanish Fork!) with quite a bit of enthusiasm I was encouraged to try it!

That same day I placed an add on craigslist just inquiring as to the amount of interest a theater company might draw. Currently I have two costumers, a volunteer for tech, and advertising. and several interested actors!

I have audition space and a venue. I have a concept for the play. I have a friend with a masters degree in grant writing. And I have at least some idea of what I'm doing.

I'm pretty much going to learn by experience, though I have acted in several Shakespeare plays, and been in fringe and little theater. I've written and directed, and performed for some pretty big names.

Before becoming a mom last year I owned my own business as an event planner and believe me designing and directing a $40,000 dollar wedding is a lot like theater....only more drama.

I have been acting for (gasp) about 20 years. I started when I was 12 so I'm not totally old and out of it :). I have been a paid struggling actor but that is not the life for me. I am passionate about the theater and people, and the idea of bringing good theater to small communities thrills me!

Men Sides

2009-07-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

LEONATO

By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell what to think
of it but that she loves him with an enraged
affection: it is past the infinite of thought.

DON PEDRO

May be she doth but counterfeit.

CLAUDIO

Faith, like enough.

LEONATO

O God, counterfeit! There was never counterfeit of
passion came so near the life of passion as she
discovers it.

DON PEDRO

Why, what effects of passion shows she?

CLAUDIO

Bait the hook well; this fish will bite.

LEONATO

What effects, my lord? She will sit you, you heard
my daughter tell you how.

CLAUDIO

She did, indeed.

DON PEDRO

How, how, pray you? You amaze me: I would have I
thought her spirit had been invincible against all
assaults of affection.

LEONATO

I would have sworn it had, my lord; especially
against Benedick.

BENEDICK

I should think this a gull, but that the
white-bearded fellow speaks it: knavery cannot,
sure, hide himself in such reverence.

CLAUDIO

He hath ta'en the infection: hold it up.

DON PEDRO

Hath she made her affection known to Benedick?

LEONATO

No; and swears she never will: that's her torment.

CLAUDIO

'Tis true, indeed; so your daughter says: 'Shall
I,' says she, 'that have so oft encountered him
with scorn, write to him that I love him?'

LEONATO

This says she now when she is beginning to write to
him; for she'll be up twenty times a night, and
there will she sit in her smock till she have writ a
sheet of paper: my daughter tells us all.

CLAUDIO

Now you talk of a sheet of paper, I remember a
pretty jest your daughter told us of.

LEONATO

O, when she had writ it and was reading it over, she
found Benedick and Beatrice between the sheet?

CLAUDIO

That.

LEONATO

O, she tore the letter into a thousand halfpence;
railed at herself, that she should be so immodest
to write to one that she knew would flout her; 'I
measure him,' says she, 'by my own spirit; for I
should flout him, if he writ to me; yea, though I
love him, I should.'

CLAUDIO

Then down upon her knees she falls, weeps, sobs,
beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curses; 'O
sweet Benedick! God give me patience!'

LEONATO

She doth indeed; my daughter says so: and the
ecstasy hath so much overborne her that my daughter
is sometime afeared she will do a desperate outrage
to herself: it is very true.

DON PEDRO

It were good that Benedick knew of it by some
other, if she will not discover it.

CLAUDIO

To what end? He would make but a sport of it and
torment the poor lady worse.

DON PEDRO

An he should, it were an alms to hang him. She's an
excellent sweet lady; and, out of all suspicion,
she is virtuous.

CLAUDIO

And she is exceeding wise.

DON PEDRO

In every thing but in loving Benedick.

CLAUDIO

Never tell him, my lord: let her wear it out with
good counsel.

LEONATO

Nay, that's impossible: she may wear her heart out first.

DON PEDRO

Well, we will hear further of it by your daughter:
let it cool the while. I love Benedick well; and I
could wish he would modestly examine himself, to see
how much he is unworthy so good a lady.

LEONATO

My lord, will you walk? dinner is ready.

CLAUDIO

If he do not dote on her upon this, I will never
trust my expectation.

Exeunt DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, and LEONATO

BENEDICK

[Coming forward] This can be no trick: the
conference was sadly borne. They have the truth of
this from Hero. They seem to pity the lady: it
seems her affections have their full bent. Love me!
why, it must be requited. I hear how I am censured:
they say I will bear myself proudly, if I perceive
the love come from her; they say too that she will
rather die than give any sign of affection. I did
never think to marry: I must not seem proud: happy
are they that hear their detractions and can put
them to mending. They say the lady is fair; 'tis a
truth, I can bear them witness; and virtuous; 'tis
so, I cannot reprove it; and wise, but for loving
me; by my troth, it is no addition to her wit, nor
no great argument of her folly, for I will be
horribly in love with her. I may chance have some
odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me,
because I have railed so long against marriage: but
doth not the appetite alter? a man loves the meat
in his youth that he cannot endure in his age.
Shall quips and sentences and these paper bullets of
the brain awe a man from the career of his humour?
No, the world must be peopled. When I said I would
die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I
were married. Here comes Beatrice. By this day!
she's a fair lady: I do spy some marks of love in
her.

Women Sides

2009-07-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

HERO
Then go we near her, that her ear lose nothing
Of the false sweet bait that we lay for it.
Approaching the bower
No, truly, Ursula, she is too disdainful;
I know her spirits are as coy and wild
As haggerds of the rock.

URSULA
But are you sure
That Benedick loves Beatrice so entirely?

HERO
So says the prince and my new-trothed lord.

URSULA
And did they bid you tell her of it, madam?

HERO
They did entreat me to acquaint her of it;
But I persuaded them, if they loved Benedick,
To wish him wrestle with affection,
And never to let Beatrice know of it.

URSULA
Why did you so? Doth not the gentleman
Deserve as full as fortunate a bed
As ever Beatrice shall couch upon?

HERO
O god of love! I know he doth deserve
As much as may be yielded to a man:
But Nature never framed a woman's heart
Of prouder stuff than that of Beatrice;
Disdain and scorn ride sparkling in her eyes,
Misprising what they look on, and her wit
Values itself so highly that to her
All matter else seems weak: she cannot love,
Nor take no shape nor project of affection,
She is so self-endeared.

URSULA
Sure, I think so;
And therefore certainly it were not good
She knew his love, lest she make sport at it.

HERO
Why, you speak truth. I never yet saw man,
How wise, how noble, young, how rarely featured,
But she would spell him backward: if fair-faced,
She would swear the gentleman should be her sister;
If black, why, Nature, drawing of an antique,
Made a foul blot; if tall, a lance ill-headed;
If low, an agate very vilely cut;
If speaking, why, a vane blown with all winds;
If silent, why, a block moved with none.
So turns she every man the wrong side out
And never gives to truth and virtue that
Which simpleness and merit purchaseth.

URSULA
Sure, sure, such carping is not commendable.

HERO
No, not to be so odd and from all fashions
As Beatrice is, cannot be commendable:
But who dare tell her so? If I should speak,
She would mock me into air; O, she would laugh me
Out of myself, press me to death with wit.
Therefore let Benedick, like cover'd fire,
Consume away in sighs, waste inwardly:
It were a better death than die with mocks,
Which is as bad as die with tickling.

URSULA
Yet tell her of it: hear what she will say.

HERO
No; rather I will go to Benedick
And counsel him to fight against his passion.
And, truly, I'll devise some honest slanders
To stain my cousin with: one doth not know
How much an ill word may empoison liking.

URSULA
O, do not do your cousin such a wrong.
She cannot be so much without true judgment--
Having so swift and excellent a wit
As she is prized to have--as to refuse
So rare a gentleman as Signior Benedick.

HERO
He is the only man of Italy.
Always excepted my dear Claudio.

URSULA
I pray you, be not angry with me, madam,
Speaking my fancy: Signior Benedick,
For shape, for bearing, argument and valour,
Goes foremost in report through Italy.

HERO
Indeed, he hath an excellent good name.

URSULA
His excellence did earn it, ere he had it.
When are you married, madam?

HERO
Why, every day, to-morrow. Come, go in:
I'll show thee some attires, and have thy counsel
Which is the best to furnish me to-morrow.

URSULA
She's limed, I warrant you: we have caught her, madam.

HERO
If it proves so, then loving goes by haps:
Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps.