Look there...look there.

If you take a look around, you will see that I have changed my blog somewhat. This is because I have changed from this time last year. But now I must talk about King Lear and its aftermath. That was AMAZING. Everybody gave it their all on Friday night. The Merchant of Venice was a marvelous experience, to be sure, but the intensity of King Lear blew it away. We had a few hiccups (what production doesn't?), but covers were so effective the none of the audience would have noticed unless they already knew the play really well. There were so many magical moments, from that sexy badass Edmund to Oswald's stammering in the face of a seductive Regan (which I'm not even sure was acting *smirk*) to the songs our director added to our vagabonds to...I could go on forever. I have not used any names or titles yet because at the cast party titles were assigned or assigned anew:

Strident (Kent): Loyal

Squeak (Gloucester): Slasher

Mysterious (Edmund): Sexmeister

Me/Lear 1: Progress

Ridiculously Cute/Lear 2: Sunshine

Cornwall: Rose

Albany: Knight

Goneril: Elusive (may change)

Fireball (Regan): Seductress

Cordelia: Pixar

Closet Goof (France, Servant): Loquacious

Burgundy, Messenger: Everyone

Impulse (Egdar): Bedlam

Man (Oswald): Whaaat??? [I am not drawing a blank. "Whaaat???" is his title.]

Fool: Song

Penguin (Gentleman, Old Man): Gentleman

Presence: Atlas. Huge props to Atlas for putting so much work into the play even though he couldn't get into the camp proper!

Our incredibly helpful and insightful intern: Lantern

Omnipotent: Softy

As with last year, the cast party took place at Bedlam's house. Lantern even showed up! *hugs* After some munching and chatting we filed outside to the trampoline for the Circle of Happiness. This year everybody had so much to say about everyone else that the Circle lasted till (past?) midnight. I couldn't possibly put it all here, so I will just say that you all were and are such amazing people and it was truly a gift to work with you. We retreated inside for more talking (encouraged to do so by sprinkler activation) and tucked in around 1:30 in the morning.

*4-7 hours of sleep, depending on who you are*

A lot of people had to leave during the earlier night (if that makes sense). Those of us who were still there in the morning had breakfast (has it been said enough times that Bedlam's parents are GODS? No, it hasn't.), watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame (forgot how excellent that movie is), picked hundreds of cherry-plums, played a memory game, and, of course, talked about nearly every subject imaginable. I honestly don't know of any people other than Venetians and Riotous Knights from whom I can derive so much pleasure just by talking with them.

Furthermore, Bedlam answered a question that has plagued me ever since she sked it on my blog last year: Why do I act? During the Circle of Happiness, she said that acting draws me out of my shell. I thought about this later: I have made closer friends under dramatic conditions than anywhere else, I became heavily tied to acting near the end of freshman year, when my shell was at or near its thickest, and when I am on stage my sel-censorship relaxes incredibly. She's right. Acting takes me out of my shell, and, particularly over the last year, has broken it up. This is why I act!

The last 24 hours (26 going from the start of the performance) have made the happiest day of my life for these and other (what am I to say on something as casual as a blog? In any event, I think everybody who reads this knows already) reasons.

I have to go.