t stepping into violen!ce. Nevertheless, in some ways we foundourselves doing exactly the things that we saw in the films. Forexample, once performing, it was not difficult to see elements of thecharacters we play in us; specifically, we more often than not felt andappeared like the "Rude Mechanicals." We were not unlike them, comingtogether with nothing but a script, none of us actors. (Heather theGrant Writer, Tricia the Administrator, Giselle the Grader, Matt theDirector, all of us students.) Beginning with nothing but bareShakepearean text, we assigned roles, gave out scripts, rehearsed, andperformed. At Swanton Ranch, "The Dream Team" stood in a forest topractice our play, hearing Puck recite, "A crew of patches, rudemechanicals, that work for bread upon Athenian stalls, were met togetherto rehearse a play." (Act III, Scene ii, MND) We were much the same.We even had some hard-hat rude mechanicals accidentally appear in thebackground as we spoke! Even before we arrived, though, a place wassought out f!or us, our director no doubt having thoughts much likethese: "Pat, pat; and here's a marvail's convenient place for ourrehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn brake ourtiring house." (Act III, Scene i, MND) Once done, like the lovers inthe scene, we return to the real world, away from the forest, back tothe realities of work and school: "When they next wake, all thisderision shall seem a dream and fruitless vision, and back to Athensshall the lovers go." (Act III, Scene ii, MND) And so we did.Although we for the most part succeeded in building our own version ofthe play, some similarities like these could not be escaped: I could nothelp but notice that the actions taken in the play were mirroring whatwas going on in reality.Through Shakespeare s ability to createa-play-within-a-play-within-a-play, I found being a rude mechanical broadening to my overall impressions of the play-buildi!ng experience.Seeing our for...
