Scene Breakdown/Bible

When working with the structure of the play, and how the scenes go together, I often find with Shakespeare that it becomes prudent to combine some scenes.  This can help to make the show move easier.  With Merry Wives of Windsor, I am stunned at how many 10-20 line scenes there are--4 or 5, at the minimum.  Many of these take place in the same location one right after another (at the end in the park).

So what I have done is create a show bible that groups scenes together and keeps the actors/staff aware of how the show will flow.  At this point I plan to take an intermission after our Scene 8, Shakespeare's Act III, Scene 3, or the first assignation/buck basket scene.

Here is the bible for Merry Wives:

Where is The Merry Wives of Windsor?

The "where" of a play helps fine tune a production and can make all the difference.  We have all seen productions where not nearly enough was done to physically manifest the storytelling; you get a bunch of people saying lines with feeling but there is no sense of place and the play just sits there.  I've also seen productions (Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, for example) where the settings overwhelm the storytelling, minimizing it.

Finding that delicate balance is one of the chief jobs of a director as he is responsible for the visual storytelling of a production.  Too often, a director lets this slide, and the production is hurt for it.  A really good technical director is a must for any director--one that understands visual storytelling and does what he or she can to make the director's visions a reality.

The director must have a clear vision and be able to articulate that vision.  He needs to not only set the course but be willing to take input that will make the vision better.  A director that sets himself up to honor only one point of view fails not only the production but the process and the craft.

With Merry Wives of Windsor we need to examine the specific places that the script calls for and then figure out how we might adapt them for our production.