"You must say paragon. A paramour is, God bless us, a thing of naught."

Throughout the week of Shakespeare Camp, we'll surely be throwing around a lot of terminology. We've compiled a listing of jargon here. We try

• Actingarea :: Area within the stage that the actors can be seen from the audience. This includes everything from the angle leading into the wings to the aisles of the audience. Anything that is seen from the audience is an actingarea.
• Aisles :: Open passages between the seating within the audience.
• Apron :: Section of the stage that extends into the auditorium.
• Backstage :: Area that remains unseen to the audience.
• Blackout  :: Turning out all stagelights and throwing the stage into darkness.
• Blocking :: Arranging the movements made by the actors throughout the scenes. The term of "blocking" originated with William Gilbert, who would plan out each step of his performances using small blocks made from wood.
• Cue :: A prompt of sorts for lines and actions.
• Downstage :: The area of the stage nearest to the audience.
• Dressrehearsal :: Complete run through, with everything and anything.
• House :: The audience and auditorium.
• Houselights :: Common lighting which is often faded before the performance.
• Offstage :: The area that is not on stage.
• Props :: Any item or object that isn't part of the scenery or costuming.
• Spotlight :: Light that solely shines down on to a given area of the stage.
• Stage left/right :: Sides of the stage dependent on the actors view.
• House left/right :: Sides of the stage dependent on the audience view.
• Projecting :: Speaking loudly without yelling or screaming so the audience can hear you.
• Stagemanagers :: Responsible for charging and arranging all actors and props.
• Runners :: People charged with working through any necessary tasks.

If any of you know of any other terms that we didn't detail here, please share it with us and leave a comment!!

"...You speak all your part at once, cues and all!!"

Year by year, we give out the lines, and year by year, we expect everybody to memorize their lines. But in some ways, we also expect you all to take your role within the play and your responsibility to memorize your lines a step further.

When you speak your part, you are not only expected to act with your body, but also your voice. We've seen dozens of actors merely read their lines out, speaking in a bland tone and taking no time to pause and ease through your lines.

Although it's not always easy, it's best if you consider how to pitch and tone how you speak your lines. It's not easy to explain, but always remember that it's much more interesting to hear a statement that mixes it's volume and raises it's tones.

Take pauses in during moments of frustration. Gasp or grunt out some words. Emphasize different part of your lines. Be sure to speak each word carefully, highlighting in a way the words that have the most importance. If any of your lines are particularly long or particularly dull, give it some thought; try to think out how you could make the line more interesting!!

Quick Script Tip!! Accent your words!!

If all goes well, you won't be needing your script to remember your lines by the time August comes rolling around, but that shouldn't mean you won't be referencing it at all throughout Shakespeare Camp!! Throughout the week of camp, it's recommended you maintain, customize, and personalize your script!!

You can't just roll through your lines, squawking them out in the same dull tone of voice; you have to shake things up and modulate how you accent each word and phrase to keep each sentence new and exciting. Underline your script with jagged edges to show words that you could stress while reciting.

Quick Script Tip!! Translate your lines!!

If all goes well, you won't be needing your script to remember your lines by the time August comes rolling around, but that shouldn't mean you won't be referencing it at all throughout Shakespeare Camp!! Throughout the week of camp, it's recommended you maintain, customize, and personalize your script!!

Write out the literal meanings and definitions of any phrases or words that are archaic or abstract. No Fear Shakespeare and Absolute Shakespeare are great resources for reference, but in the end, try to put it all into your own words.

Quick Script Tip!! Highlight your lines!!

 If all goes well, you won't be needing your script to remember your lines by the time August comes rolling around, but that shouldn't mean you won't be referencing it at all throughout Shakespeare Camp!! Throughout the week of camp, it's recommended you maintain, customize, and personalize your script!!

Highlighting your lines throughout the script is great for finding your lines in the mess of words that is Shakespeare. You can easily find your scenes at a glance without having to strain through the page. You may even want to number your lines for referencing your script.

"There is not one word apt"

During his writings, Shakespeare invented more than a thousand words and phrases now commonly used throughout our language. Scattered throughout his plays and poems were words which at the time were entirely new and weird, but are surprisingly common within our day to day conversation.

One example of this is from our own Midsummer's Night Dream, where Oberon is talking with Puck in Act III and Scene II. The earliest recording of the word "eyeball" is when Oberon commands Puck to "take from thence all error with his might // and make his eyeballs roll with wonted sight."

But obviously there are all sorts of other archaic words that didn't age quite as well. Some are just uniquely uncommon, while others are entirely unheard of in this day and age. In Act II and Scene I, the fairies continually wax on about different flowers, from "cowslip" to "woodbine" and "muskroses" with "eglantine." And even more later on, in Act III and Scene I, the mechanicals use all sorts of crude language, with Bottom singing about all sorts of nonsense such as "ousel-cocks" with "orange tawny bills!!"

But what about you guys? Do you have any particular lines that use any sort of weird word? Share it with us in the comments!! (If you want, grab that archaic dictionary or pull up a searchengine and find out it's definition!! Some of them have some very interesting history!!)