I am thinking especially of Othello (a play I usually flee from) in the intimacy of the Barn, of being so close to the players and the language. The pleasure Iago takes in manipulating words like he manipulates people was never as clear to me; the laughter that the recurring mention of 'honest Iago" provoked in the audience, binding us together and relieving the tension for a moment--I hadn't experienced that before. The power of a lie and sticking to it, the power of evil ... and all the while, we couldn't help admiring the evil architect, the smartest person on stage (and the young man who played him). It's infernal! For the first time, I accepted that Desdemona prefers dying to life without Othello, without his love--she makes a choice. What a society... The misogyny and the racism in the play were so clear, so appalling. I appreciated, too, how important Amelia's standing up to Iago is at the end--she expresses our outrage and grief. 

I loved how seductive Titania was with jolly Bottom. Silly Thisbe moved me. The pedants at the beginning of Merry Wives have nearly always bored me, but this time, they were fun and funny. It was a pleasure seeing different students pop up in more than one role in a play and then again in a different play. of course. It was wonderful how DIVERSE the class was! Talking with them after, their joy, sense of accomplishment, and wonder reminded me of the lovers in Midsummer, after their experience in the wood. 

How did y'all do it? Well, I know the answer to that--hard work! And Madge, the Barn was cooler than in the past. Thank you for that!! Thank you for all of it. 

I bow before you and the students.

Love,

Mary