The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Thursday, December 6, 2012 - 3B

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, December 6, 2012 - 3B

America loves
the royals

In order to question and challenge gender roles, director Malcolm Tulip cast many of the actors in cross-gender roles.


1
S

MIDSUMMER Hermia.
From Page 1 B Tulip explained the reasoning
behind cross-gender casting as
entwined in logistical and his-
Trippingly off the tongue torical roots.
"One (reason) is that it's prac-
Despite these non-traditional tical, because then we don't
hues, the basic script remains restrict students to roles in
almost entirely true to the origi- Shakespeare," he said. "(The
nal. According to the cast, being play) was originally done for
involved in a Shakespeare play Elizabeth I, and she never mar-
requires a slightly different pro- ried. There's this idea that she
cess than that of a contemporary was a man-woman. She had to
play. be a king even though she was a
"When you work with Shake- queen. There's that gender-role
speare, you have to come to it mixing in her role as queen, and
with a really open mind, because I thought that would be an inter-
there's so many ways to inter- esting reflection, knowing that
pret it," Myers said. the play was maybe even com-
Actors in the play view their missioned for her."
performance in Shakespeare as He added that cross-gender
both an obstacle and an exciting parts illuminate modern-day
opportunity. gender issues.
"Shakespeare is challenging "In the 21st century, who gets
because it's so foreign to a lot of to marry who is a big issue,"
us," said MT&D senior Jon Man- Tulip said. "If it's a play about
ganello, who plays Demetrius, marriage, why not find a way to
one of the four lovers. "(It) is def- echo (that) in the current argu-
initely difficult - at least for me ments?"
- just towrap my mouth around, Actors find Tulip's gender
but it's also easier in many ways switching appropriate for the
because it's got a rhythm to it." play.
Kevin Collins, an MT&D "Part of the reason why 'the
freshman, emphasized the dif- show still lives and breathes
ficulty of working with Shake- today is because of all the issues
spearean script. (Shakespeare) wrote about (that)
"The language is tough," are still current," Collins said.
Collins said. "It's in verse, and For Collins, playing a cross-
people don't speak that way gender character was a com-
anymore. So in order to begin pletely new, experience - one
to memorize what you're say- that took a bit of adjustment. But
ing, you have to figure out the 'he said the experience changed
essence of what you're saying the way he views the play, as
first." well as himself.
"Gender norms are weird
Gender what? to even think about, because
people are people," Collins said.
Tulip's casting of "A Mid- "Everything that happens to
summer Night's Dream" added Hermia has happened to me in
another contemporary twist: some shape or form, and how she
Several actors were cast in cross- chooses to deal with it is how she
gender roles. In fact, two of the chooses to deal with it - not how
four lovers play cross-gender a woman deals with it."
characters, with a female play- Collins further pointed out
ing Lysander, and a male playing the irrelevance of gender norms

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ern society. moves," he said.
e essence of a person Whereas Collins originally
idicative of their gender," began his acting process using
d. "It's who they are. It's a high-pitched voice, he now
cause they're a man or understands more about his
ian. It's because of their cross-gender role.
tn and their background "I wanted to acclimate my
here they come from." voice to how I thought a woman
should sound, so I originally
Playing dress up upped my pitch quite dramati-
cally," he said. "I think what
cross-gender casting also I've learned now, especially
rd the costume design. For with my costume that I have, is
designing cross-gender that women carry themselves
es was a matter of fash- because their weight is distrib-
outfits that would suit the uted differently than mine."
tion's carnival tone and Collins added that he now
ce the audience's grasp of believes his acting has incorpo-
y's message. rated the core perspective of a
didn't want to get into woman, rather than a stereotyp-
ld where it was drag ical female viewpoint.
s," she said. "I feel like my "It's about playing the essence
to forward the produc- of that being," he said. "I don't
o is (the audience) going to think that gender roles are
some of the clothes? Sure. assumed in this show."
of them are lighting up For actors, involvement in "A
tristmas trees," she added. Midsummer Night's Dream" has
t I don't want the (audi- drastically altered perspectives
to notice (the fairies) on Shakespeare and the world
e they're lighting up. I around them.
them to notice because For the cast and crew, the
iries) are supporting the play has involved many changes,
ts of the show." including adjustments in stage
the cross-gender cos- direction and costume through-
Myers incorporated tac- out the entire rehearsal process.
hat helped actors better Tulip explained this constantly
stand their characters, as evolving nature of the play as an
s propose answers to the essential part of his direction.
nges that gender switch- "It's like being an archeolo-
ates. gist," Tulip said. "You have to
can stuff a bra with bird- mine the text for the echoes that
o give it a sense of move- are hidden inside what relation-
nd weight like real breasts ships are there."
Myers said. She also noted Tulip described changing the
se of bust-binders and lovers's positions in onespecific
jeans for the actresses scene.
g men. "The lovers fall asleep towards
mia's costume helped the end of the play next to each
y Collins's understanding other," he said. "It's only when
character. they wake up that they end with
te costume) definitely the one they're going to marry,
my movement, which and I realized by reading the play
me a lot of information just this week (that) when the
my character. My dress is court comes into the forest the
'sponsible for how Hermia whole sound wakes the lovers up."
Tulip emphasized scouring
the text for details such as these.
Myers underwent a similar
last-minute adjustment in her
costume design.
Close to her design presen-
tation, she thought Hermia's
costume was incorrect. "I com-
pletely redesigned one of the
characters last-minute based on
balance and on the cast."
For Tulip and Myers, such
moments do more than enrich a
production - they're inherent to
the rehearsal process.
"I see it as a scientific process
in that you have a hypothesis,"
Tulip said. "You have an idea
about what you think (a play)
should be. You devise an experi-
ment. You run a rehearsal. You
observe the results. You come
to a conclusion, and you get new
information constantly chang-
ing that conclusion."
Myers described her costume
design asa gifting process.
"There's always a shift and I
actually love that moment where
I feel like I'm passing a baton,"
Myers said. "It's been my design,
and it becomes (the actor's), and
then it's not mine anymore."
Collins, meanwhile, likens the

play to straw punch candy.
"Originally it has that bite." he
said. "It has that flavor in your
mouth that you don't know what
to do with, but after you suck
on it for a while, you let it really
embody you."
"It's a good taste, it's a good
feeling - I'm tempted to say
sweet. It is a comedy, so every-
TERESA MATHEW/Daily thing ends up being 'sweet' at
festival in Nevada. the end."

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as in the midst of royalty. and fortune - with political
could feel their presence power but no direct political
n the sidewalks of Kens- issues affecting us. They're our
Gardens, outside Buck- Brad-and-Angelina-mixed-with-
n Palace and as their faces Barack-and-Michelle across the
ered Atlantic, minus the fiscal cliff.
cups, Like with most Hollywood*
nd celebrities, we celebrate in their
asses joys. Kate Middleton's preg-
d nancy announcement is sweep-
:t me ing the Hollywood gossip scene,
ist even trumpingthe latest story
I had on People about Lindsay Lohan's
teach HALEY latest fisticuffs in a club. And, we
came GOLDBERG can't forget to find the drama.
chron- GOLDBERGKate's recent hospitalization for
The morningsickness is gracingthe
ng," front pages of many gossip mag-
g in hundreds of identical azines. The "Guess the Baby's
of them on the balcony Name" game has already begun,
:ingham wavingto the and People even compiled a gal-
below, and the infamous lery of past royalty's maternity
hot of Pippa, the brides- fashion, begging the question:
was that girl. The one in Will Kate borrow the tunic flap-
n, scouringthe winding per dress the Duchess of York
for any sign of the Duke wore in 1926?
chess of Cambridge, the And these sites aren'tbring-
ouple: Prince William and ing in the politics when they
tiddleton. discuss the royals. The photo
woman with perfectly galleries examine the couple
out brunette hair, nude under a different lens, focusing
nd a bright trench coat on style and appearance. This is
e Kate. A slightly bald- different from POTUS and FLO-
1 man ina well-fitted suit? TUS. Most of the time, we're
William. seeing President Obama's face
on CNN along with the chatter
of political analysts, not a photo
gallery dissecting his every
The mostblazer
Avaited baby The royal couple has a special
place in the hearts of Americans,
lce Blue Ivy. and the royal bun in the oven
will surely make his or her mark
as well. And maybe, this celebra-
tion of royals is steeped in tradi-
re's something about tion just like the monarchy itself.
a's deep fascination with Royals have always been the
al family, and I'm a prime focus of gossip and admiration,
le of that phenomenon. but today's society is creating a
-ying to write this column fan culture around them. With
stopping every five min- the advent of Twitter, Facebook
scan through photo gal- and the always gossiping E? Net-
come across of the royal work, we have more access to
(and yes, Kate's style the lives of the royals than ever.
vetting better and better). before.
n I talked to Londoners And maybe that's why I
heir view of the royal sought them out in London.
however, they didn't It would be like going to Hol-
te same fascination. Many lywood and keeping an eye out
about how they didn't for Britney Spears. To most of
need for a royal family, us, the royals are celebrities, not
that the royals served as leaders of a nation. America has
teads, takingimoney from painted the couple in thisway,
ing public services, like and many ofus - think of those
g hospitals. But here in who woke up inthe night to
a, most of us don't have watch the Royal Wedding with
ew of the royal family. tea and crumpets in hand - are
n we gawk at the photos happy to view them as such.
visiting Hollywood in They're royal celebrities; the top
that gorgeous lavender tier of Hollywood, New York
dec McQueen gown, we and beyond. And we're happy to
'orry about money coming welcome them into our gossip
he pocket of the United circus.

)m to purchase the dress.
chs merge everything we
out Hollywood stars -
:z and glamour, fashion

Goldberg is searching
everywhere for Kate. To help,
e-mail hsgold@umich.edu

I

Parts of the set design for 'Midsummer' were inspired by Burning Man, the modern-day art

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