Shakespeare Challenge

Miss Erin has a challenge. To set up some kind of Shakespeare goal for yourself. Here is mine:
...to read all of Shakespeare's plays. Tragedies, Comedies, and Histories. No Deadline. But, there is a catch. This time around. I will be reading translations of his work. Still the play, just in simpiler english. I would like to understand it if at all possible. I will then choose 1 or 2 of my favorites out of each catogory and read the orginal play.


The list is below:
Crossed out=I've read it
Bold= plays I have either been in or seen a film/live production of.

On the right of the plays, I have written the role I would love to be in that play.



Comedies

All's Well that Ends Well
As You Like It
Comedy of Errors
Love's Labour's Lost
Measure for Measure
Merchant of Venice (Portia)
Merry Wives of Windsor
Midsummer Night's Dream (Hermia)
Much Ado About Nothing (Hero)
Taming of the Shrew
Tempest
Twelfth Night(currently reading)
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Winter's Tale

TRAGEDIES
Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
Hamlet
Julius Caesar (my dream role would be Brutus, but since I'm a gal, I choose..Calphurnia)
King Lear
Macbeth
Othello (currently listening to)
Romeo and Juliet(Juliet)
Timon of Athens
Titus
Andronicus
Troilus and Cressida

Histories
Cymbeline
Pericles
Richard II
Richard III
Henry IV, Part I
Henry IV, Part II
Henry V(currently watching)
Henry VI, Part I
Henry VI, Part II
Henry VI, Part III
Henry VIII
King John

Penelope Bailey Takes the Stage

Penelope Bailey Takes the Stage
by Susanna Reich
Reviewed by Acting Gal

Penelope Bailey is an 11 year old girl who is absolutely obsessed with acting.
She lives, thinks, and talks acting. If you haven’t guessed already her dream is to be a famous actress on stage.

Penelope and her best friend, Cassie are planning on practicing scenes from Romeo and Juliet over the summer to perform at their school in the fall. But, Penelope’s mom decides to go and help her dad on a scientific experiment and sends Penelope to live with her aunt and three cousins.

Penelope is horrified. She can stand her bratty cousins, but not her aunt. Her aunt thinks that anything and anyone to do with the theater is vulgar and shouldn’t be on the earth. Penelope doesn’t think she will survive. Then she befriends a girl at her new school, a professional actor next door, and a flamboyant dancer/actress who has a totally different life style then Penelope has ever seen or heard of before. With their help and encouragement Penelope learns to follow her dreams and to never ever give them up.

Named by Scripps Howard News Service as One of the Best Kid’s Books of 2006, this book is definitely one of my favorites. I am an aspiring actress and this book was perfect for me. It gave me encouragement, self confidence, and even some useful tips on acting. I believe any performer, actress, dancer, or singer will eat this book up just as much as I did. I applaud Susanna Reich.

Also posted on Flamingnet Books.

MCT

(first picture) L. as a Mime in the Merry Band
Last weekend, my sisters (A, L, and K) took part in Missoula Children's Theatre production of Robin Hood. MCT comes down once every year and puts on a play in a week. I didn't participate this year, because I am already in a production..(more on that later)

Also, I was able to get my friend, Irishdancer to audition too. She signed on as the Skunk Wrangler. (kept the little kids in line)

A. was Asst. Stage Manager and Sound Effects (sadly, I wasn't able to get any pics of her), L. was a Mime in the Merry Band, and K. was a skunk.

Far Left-Spike(offical mascot..), Next to him-K., Center-Irishdancer, Far Right-unidentified skunk.

Bridge To Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia
By Katherine Paterson

I heard a lot of different opinions on this book from sad and depressing to a must read book. I wanted to see for myself……

Eleven year old, Jess Aarons has a pretty boring life. At home he’s the only boy besides his dad in a family of 5 girls. His two older sisters are vain and don’t care about anyone but themselves, his two younger sisters are unbelievably annoying, and his mom is over­­worked. At school he gets bullied around and almost all of his teachers bore him to death. His only two comforts are running in his family’s field early in the morning and his music teacher who is the only person who appreciates his unique love for drawing.

However, when Leslie Burke moved in next door and beat him in a very important school race, Jess didn’t think his life could get any worse. Oddly, his life changes when he unexpectedly befriends her. She shows him how to have fun by using her great imagination and creativity. She is a great example of a life loving human being. When Jess thinks their friendship couldn’t get any more wonderful, she starts an imaginary world and dubs them King and Queen.

I have read one other book of Katherine Paterson’s, The Master Puppeteer.
I wasn’t surprised when I found out that it won the 1977 National Book Award. I really enjoyed it and was looking forward to reading Bridge to Terabithia.
I have to say Katherine is a very amazing author with a great way of writing! She made me laugh, smile, and cry my eyes out in her book. Although, this book was very sad, it reminds you that life doesn’t always have happy endings and that memory isn’t a bad thing.

I enjoyed this book, but I recommend it for children over 13.

Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Moon

Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Moon
by Sally M. Keehn

Magpie, as named by the moon, is on a mission to save her dad. But, when it all comes down to one, she really is on an adventure to save her family, her world, and fulfill a prophesy given to her before she was born. A cute, slightly werid story. This is the kind of book you have to be in the right mood for...