Philosophical

It's been a long week, which has paradoxically flown by. I've decided on The Merry Wives of Windsor for Delhi, and done a preliminary edit for fifteen actors doubling nineteen proper roles plus assorted servants and fairies. It's not bad, but needs more work, and I'd better be quick about it because we're auditioning on the 17th of this month so that we can have a read-through with the full cast before we break for the summer. BTW there are several good Shakespeare sites, some slanted towards Shakespeare as literature, some as blueprint for action (plays!) and still others full of those essays that get the lazy and foolish kids every time. Every year someone plagiarises and gets a zero - fortunately, usually in their first year of the GCSE course, and I make a huge fuss, and the whole year group decides that it's not such a good idea. Unfortunately, the occasional twit will do it with final coursework, and get a zero on that. How not to get a good grade. OK Back on track.

I used OnlineShakespeare.com , first for synopses to help me choose a play, and then to download scenes for editing, after which I could print when I was satisfied. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm more comfortable with a hard copy and a pencil, than a screen. I've had kids in for briefings, and done letters for parents - and why am I writing all this? All I meant to say was, my brain hurts so I've been re-reading Gone-Away Lake, a childhood favourite by Elizabeth Enright. (Can't be bothered to link, but it's on Amazon).

And I liked this bit:

Mrs Cheever's kitchen was calm and cool. Mr Payton, in a chair by the window, was reading a very old newspaper. "Old news is more soothing to read about," he said. "You know that you lived through it all right."