Two casts, two countries, one play
Project report by Martina Baasner, teacher at the German school
What was our aim?
The aim of our exchange was to perform two different drama versions of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew to show each other our different interpretations, discussing our work before and after the performances in workshops and meetings.
The Shrew online
So both sides discussed the play, its themes and characters but didn't know exactly what the respective shows would look like and couldn't rehearse together at all. The Welsh group created a social network on the internet for the partners to meet online, see photos of each other and publish diaries and blogs long before they actually met in Berlin in June 2009. It is called 'The Taming of the Shrew – Berlin / Merthyr': http://taming-bm.ning.com
The show in Berlin
The M Theatre cast and crew rehearsed on the day before their show and met the Berlin students. The performance on June 10th was very well received by the audience who were students and teachers of our and other Berlin schools and the audience that regularly comes to see the Shakespeare Players' shows.
The 'Shakespeare Twins' meet
On the following day the two casts met in a workshop to continue their discussions of the performance, the play and their own roles. The 'Shakespeare Twins' (both actors playing the same part) were especially engaged in their talk, as was the whole group generally with few inhibitions on both sides. The teachers didn't really need to break the ice or get the students to mingle which is probably due to the good preparation via the web forum and the more open and expressive nature of drama students.
Successful partnership
The organisation of the whole project was particularly pleasant as Andrew Thomas and I communicated effectively via phone and email and easily agreed on organising practical matters. It is very gratifying to work with a reliable, helpful and conscientious colleague, especially when attempting a venture of this size.