Love's Labor's Lost Performance Analysis, Revisited

BYU's 1940's version of Shakespeare's Love's Labor's Lost was intriguing on many levels. The play pointed to the similar social ideals between the original setting of the play and the adapted setting of the play, mostly on the level of how relationships and wit function in both. By placing the production in a 1940's setting the director made the play more accessible to a modern audience. Although the 1940's isn't quite like our 2012 society, it is much easier to relate to than Shakespeare's 1500-1600 setting.

With the Shakespearean language still in tact, the characters changed accents, speech patterns, and upped the body language to help the audience get the gist of what was being said. Because the original language wasn't changed the wit translated across in a way that no translation could. The original script became even more understandable when spoken colloquially as the characters often did. The Shakespearean  wit also served as a commentary on relationships throughout the play and helped the audience to understand that the relationships weren't necessarily based on anything of great depth but on flirtatious exchanges. If I could use just one phrase to describe the characters in the play it would be "fools in love." Nothing gets too serious or heavy until the end. The supposedly deep love sonnets are written and expressed whimsically and the exchanges between the men and women consist only of good-hearted banter. When the play ends and the "lovers" depart, it isn't a tragedy because it is not a once in a life time kind of love....yet. If the men survive the year without their lovers it just may become that but who's really to say.

The staging of the play was simple but effective, portraying a WWII club/bar/radio show effectively and humorously. Chelsey Roberts did a fantastic job with the costumes and they truly captured the essence of the WWII era quite well.  The hair styles fit well with the costumes and both helped to get the audience into the right mindset (the suspension of disbelief mindset as Keats would say). They actors/actresses were well caste and each fit their part well. Rosaline was a particular favorite of mine. The minors characters of the play, while not given many speaking parts, were great performers and added greatly to the sort of party-like feel of the play.

While overall, the director did a great job of capturing the essence of the Shakespearean comedy, several of the smaller details were lacking. These details didn't take away from the overall quality of the show but were things that could be improved on for great audience enjoyment. I feel like they would have been helpful to anticipate before seeing the play.  First, the play went a little bit longer than many anticipated which wouldn't be a problem if the length was known ahead of time, but becomes a problem when audience members have different expectations. I felt that some of the banter could have been removed and some minor scenes were interesting but unnecessary. The program explained several concepts apparent in the play but I felt it should have discussed the decision to change Moth to a female character so that it was clearer in the play and so the audience didn't expect a romantic ending for her.  Many in the audience also seemed to be surprised by the abrupt ending and separation of others, which I felt they should have prepared us for.

While the play had some flaws, none of them were tragic and the play was generally well-received and enjoyed by audience members. The interactive nature of the play (talking to members of the audience, inviting audience members to come on stage during intermission, etc.) made it very unique and memorable. This play, like many of BYU's, certainly did not disappoint and is sure to leave adults, students, and children pleasantly surprised.

Market Study Continued

Alright so here is a list of several of the teacher's I've emailed to help us get a grasp on what problems we need to address. I decided that if I don't hear back from them I'm just going to go to their offices at Timpview and asking them.

1.  David Sutherland - Honors English
M.A. St. John’s College 2009       B.A. BYU-English Teaching 1993
18 years at Timpview
"Teaching keeps me reading and learning and that keeps me excited about teaching. My favorite and frequent experience as a teacher is engaging in student-centered, in-depth, focused, text-based discussions about meaningful ideas encountered in great literature. "

Mr. Sutherland is really into traditional teaching methods - as you can probably tell from his "About Me." I'm hoping that we can get his feedback on classroom problems and help to remedy those problems through less traditional methods.

2.  Jeana Rock - English, Media Literacy
B.A English M.A. Theatre and Media Arts
Spanish Fork High School 1993-95     Timpview 1995- present
 "I love to read, write, garden, knit, crochet and sew. I love teaching teenagers because they help me stay young and always learning"

Mrs. Rock is way into media and way into using it in the classroom but not all of her students were ready for it because her lack of introduction. We had to blog in her classroom and many students were uncomfortable with that but I think with some help she'd be able to better ease them into it. I'd like to interview her about her experiences with media and about any resistance she's encountered. She's said that she'd be willing to help us in our project.

3. Alison Van Orden - AP Language and Composition, Journalism
M.Ed University of Phoenix – Education Counseling      B.A.  Brigham Young University–English Teaching
16 Years at Timpview High School AP English Language Instructor Thunderbolt Advisor(Timpview’s student newspaper) English Department Chair Member of Timpview’s Community Council
"I Love My Students!"

I didn't have Mrs. Van Orden in high school but she's one of the most well-respected English teachers. Her husband teachers German at the school as well. We could even interview him and ask about his thoughts on what we're doing. Or interview them together.

As for where we're looking to channel our work...

Our main focus is on UCTE as of right now because we feel it could be a really positive outlet for our work and something really appropriate and do-able. We could very feasibly present our ideas.

I also really like the idea of Classroom 2.0 because it seems like something where we could just channel a written version of work without having to tailor it too specifically to one audience because it seems like what they're doing is pretty broad. Which is very appealing.

We could also present at the UEA conference (Utah Education Association) in October as they have workshops on teaching methods, etc. I feel like their information is a bit more ambiguous, however, so I feel more comfortable working with the UCTE idea perhaps in conjunction with Classroom 2.0

As far as the whole teaser, trailer, content thing goes I think our teaser will be our miniature videos we've recorded. Our trailer will be a more polished video concerning student's wants/ needs in a teacher and the content will be our actual written document. or maybe a more mixed media approach as Alicia discussed.

Also I thought maybe for our teaser content we could do something like this..(obviously super rough)...and direct them to our blogs/link or something

Love's Labor's Lost Performance Analysis

Alright here's what I thought about everything.

I really really really liked the staging of things. I liked how they made the characters part of the audience at times and the audience a part of the play (especially when they pulled the guy from the front row to take the character's pictures and during intermission when they invited the audience up on stage). I thought it functioned well to help the audience feel engaged in what was going on. I like how characters would speak in the direction of the audience when discussing their emotions. I liked how some of the men/women would flirt with audience members via winks, waves, etc. during the play. I also really liked how they had so many entrance and exit points it kept it interesting. Probably one of my favorite staging moments was when the men were overhearing each others love letters, that was pretty great, and Biron's face was priceless.

As far as setting goes, I was really into the WWII setting and I loved the props on the stage. I thought the very beginning was brilliant when we could catch a glimpse into the dance hall through the opening and closing doors at the AFO canteen. I thought the set up of the bar/club/radio station was very well done and I thought the dressing room scenes added a lot.

Costuming. I actually know the costume designer - Chelsey Roberts - and I thought she did an excellent job.  I wished the dresses and hair styles of Jacquenetta, the Princess, and Rosaline would help separate them from the other women. The men's uniforms were well done, and I like how Costard's set him apart from the other men.

I definitely agree with Alicia that one of my favorite parts was the live band, it wouldn't have been the same. I was super impressed with how the band would get quieter when the AFO screen would come down, knowing it wasn't the screen that was making them quieter.

Casting. Costard was one of my favorites but probably just because what he was saying was funny and how he said it was even better.  I had a love hate relationship with Biron because I liked him a lot in some scenes but not as much in others. I thought Rosaline did a great job as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed the play though it did get a bit long towards the end. I think perhaps just because I knew what was coming and wanted to get it over with (does any body really like the ending?) And I know Dr. B addressed this in class so I did take what he said into account but I feel like the ending was less of a party and more of a tragedy than I expected...we'll just say I wanted to cry (but I didn't).

Part of the Market Study

Below is a copy of the email that I sent to all the English teachers from my high school. I know it may seem odd that I didn't branch out to other schools (yet) but my reasoning is that since I went to high school in Provo, like right up the street from BYU, it would be fairly easy to interview some teachers for our video and that way we can get not only ideas from students but we can understand the problems that many teachers are facing. I'm hoping that by having teachers in our video it will be more relate-able to our audience, not just a bunch of students making demands and whining about what's wrong with their classes (it wouldn't be that anyways). So here's the email, I'm hoping at least some of them still love me enough to write back.

Dear English Teachers of Timpview,

My name is Mallory Stevens (previously Peterson) and I'm an English Major at BYU. Many of you I had as teachers while I was at Timpview, and many of you I didn't.  Right now I'm working on a collaborative project in my Shakespeare class and we're trying to get together a sort of how-to guide for teachers who are looking to incorporate technology into their classrooms. Sort of the basis we're working on is that if teachers don't bring technology into the classroom, their students will. I'm not talking about having your students bring laptops to class but about encouraging teachers to play on their student's technological strengths to help them study difficult material like Shakespeare. In my own Shakespeare class my professor has encouraged us to use blogs, social media, and online articles to help us understand difficult materials. The benefit of this is that students can't slip by without doing their reading, they can't just depend on spark notes because what they're being asked to do requires actually reading and following up on that reading. I have a lot I could say about this but that is the basic idea. What I'm wondering is if any of you could just help me pinpoint some of the problems you have in your class room (whether they're technology-based or not) so we can know what teacher's concerns are as we continue to work through this project. The problems can be anything from students texting in class to them not doing their reading/homework, just anything that comes to mind. I'm anxious to hear back from you, I know you're all great teachers and I really value your opinions.

Best Wishes,

Mallory Stevens

Collaborative Work

Okay, so we've been trying to brainstorm some ideas and I thought it might be helpful to make our Google Doc viewable to the class so we can get some feedback... also, I've been thinking about the Market Study and I'm contacting some Teachers from my high school to see if what we're trying to do would be useful to them. I think it would also be helpful to interview them and ask what issues in their classroom need to be addressed.

here's the link...https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m7bmlyLjLujp_bNtN6zyoXJlmMB5MJPn8ju34cPpIik/edit

My Reserach in 90 Seconds, less actually.

Prototype(s)

Okay, so I haven't put the how-to-teach-with-technology business together yet but that is one idea for a new medium for my paper to be put into. We're wanting to work on a step by step guide to teaching in a new age and with a new sort of student (aka the kind of student that is knows how to use a computer). I think it will be important to explain that we know not all students want to do their reading on a kindle and swap in their printed pages for web pages BUT there are ways to incorporate technology without digitally drenching every part of the class. I think the how-to guide should point this out.

Part two consists of putting together a video of students explaining what they want in a teacher slash a little segment of what students resort to when they don't have the sort of teacher they're looking for. For example, this would be the type of things people may say. (Also, these aren't all necessarily true of myself but are things that I've heard actual students say)

I bring my laptop to school so that I can play solitaire when class gets boring.
I check my Facebook in class.
I want a teacher that will start a class discussion and actually listen to what I'm saying.
I get A's without doing the reading.
There is nothing worse than realizing your professor is the type of teacher who just stands at the front of the class and talks for an hour.
I want a teacher who realizes that reading a book isn't just about understanding the text but being up to date with the conversation.
I want a teacher who will help me do more with my education.

These are just some examples and I'd love to hear about others that you may have. I haven't made a prototype video yet because I'm wondering what format you think would be most effective? How should this be done? I'd really love feedback on this :)

Also...research paper in 90 seconds should be in just a little while, keep an eye out for it.

Peer Papers

Okay, so I did comment on Alicia and Tara's posts but I did so with the anticipation that we would be discussing more in class, not sure why I thought that. Anyhow.

In Reading Tara's paper I was really interested in what she said about the importance of breaking Shakespeare into bits - maybe not reading his whole plays but breaking them down into smaller units. I think this is a great approach to teaching because it engages students more proficiently and makes the information more digestible for the average reader. In discussing this idea with Dr. Burton he brought up an idea of John Donne's. He explained that when gold is in brick form it only has potential value but when it is broken up into coins it becomes of great worth because it is exchangeable, a form of currency. I think the same idea applies to Shakespeare's works. Trying to read his complete works is like trying to read the dictionary but when you break it into sonnets, sections of plays, and even the critical work of Shakespeare it becomes digestible. The idea of universality that I discussed in my paper plays into this because it is that global access to Shakespearean commentary that will help teachers make their lessons "bite-size" this is a perfect bridge into Alicia's paper because...

In order to get those bite-size pieces teachers must be willing to incorporate technology in their teaching approach. By sending their students to the internet before they send them to the text they place the students in a comfortable environment where they have control of their learning and can pursue their own interests concerning the plays they choose to study. The vast expanse of Shakespearean commentary online, I think, will prove crucial to successful studies. I commented on Alicia's post that if teachers don't bring technology into the classroom, students will, and we all know it. I read a rate my professor review of a teacher that said "great guy, really smart, but come to class prepared with a laptop to browse the internet or play solitaire." The dynamics of university class rooms are changing whether it is the teachers or the students that initiate it.  The benefit of the teachers initiating it is that they maintain control of their class rooms. Given all this information though I can't help but feel obligated to do something with it. I don't know if we're allowed to do our own sub-projects beneath our big final project but if we are..here are a couple suggestions.

The first thing I thought of doing is creating a YouTube video with clips of students (selected randomly throughout BYU campus or from our own classroom) explaining what they expect from their professors (in class discussions, fairness, exciting classes, etc), and just sort of explaining how they want to be taught and engaged in class. I feel like we're at a point where all the professors are telling each other how to teach but what if, as students, we told them exactly what we want/need from them? Dr. B...from your standpoint, would it be helpful if your students told you what they wanted? I guess my thought process is that if professors could hear us saying that we want this sort of switch and that we learn best through this medium, that maybe they'd see more value in it. So that's thought one.

Thought two is to compile a how-to guide for teachers who are stuck in the margins and feel that traditional and technological teaching sit as polar opposites. We could help them ease into a new type of teaching and explain the benefits this teaching will have for their students. Many teachers (I think) resist this change because they would have to surrender some classroom control to make the change. Our guide would ideally address their anxieties and help them to move in a direction that will help their students.

Link to final final paper and some thoughts

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13nUCyQoI5mpcWXyq5AGvKT657RR4h140F4wFAc6XdGg/edit

Alright so as far as audience is concerned I'm wanting to perhaps address those teachers/professors that are hesitant to make the shift to utilizing digital media in the class room. I feel that traditional teaching methods and methods that involve digital media are seen as being polar opposites with no mediating middle ground. I think it is this large gap that prevents teachers from utilizing digital media. I also think that many professors/teachers feel their students are more proficient in their technological abilities so bringing digital mediums into the class room would force many instructors to surrender some control for the benefit of their students.

I want to reshape my ideas a bit to think about how to convince teachers of the importance of utilizing new mediums. By discussing a renewed idea of the universal Shakespeare as something that is globally discussed and easily accessible it almost becomes irresponsible of teachers to shun these new methods. Trying to chip away at the Complete Works of Shakespeare is like trying to read the dictionary - it is too dense for modern audiences. By thinking of Shakespeare's work like a brick of gold (the analogy is credit to John Donne in many ways) we see that in the brick form it has potential value but by breaking it into coins it becomes an exchangeable currency, Shakespeare's work functions the same way, as a currency. In that it is current and exchangeable and that it is useful. Even when the currency is exchanged (aka translated) the root still exists and the exchanged currency is tied to that root. Teachers who refuse to use this type of currency (which largely consists of the more digest-able digital media of our day) are negligent in their teaching and are not pushing their student to their full potential. Utilizing digital media takes a strength that students of this generation seem to have inherently and allows them to work from that strength rather than being forced to fit a traditional, generic mold.

Something that I think would be useful is to run with this idea of a redefined universality and create a sort of program for teachers who want to utilize this medium but don't know how, it could help them ease into it and provide convincing evidence that it is what their students need, just a thought.