Shakespeare's festive comedy combines classical Athenian characters (Duke Theseus and his conquered Amazonian bride Hippolyta) with four contentious lovers, a forest full of quarreling and mischievous fairies and adds a dose of amateur theatre for good measure. ( Summary by Elizabeth Klett )
Is there a deadline?
We ask that you submit your recorded sections within 1-2 months of placing your claim (or by the target completion date, whatever is sooner). Please note that to be fair to the readers who have completed their sections in a timely way, if you haven't submitted your recording(s) after two months, your sections will automatically be re-opened for other readers to claim, unless you post in this thread to request an extension. Extensions will be granted at the discretion of the Book Coordinator. If you cannot do your section, for whatever reason, just let me know and it'll go back to the pool. There's no shame in this; we're all volunteers and things happen. The target completion date for this project is 2012-Mar-01 .
How to claim a part, and 'how it all works' here
To find a role to record, simply look at point 5. below at the sections. All the ones without names beside them are "up for grabs." Click "Post reply" at the top left of the screen and tell us which role you'd like to read. Read points 6. to 8. below for what to do before, during and after your recording.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: For this project, we are going to try to produce an interpretation of Shakespeare's text that is consistent across all the characters. If you would like to participate in this project, you agree to do the following: read the text in its entirety (not just your role - hence we're using the Gutenberg version and not Open Source Shakespeare), participate in the discussion thread for this project, and record your role with the discussion and interpretation in mind.
Please claim roles (the numbers in the first column below)! Please note: All Librivox recordings are in the public domain. When you submit your recording, you will be placing your recording in the public domain as well.
If this is your first recording, please let me know under which name or pseudonym you'd like to appear in the LibriVox catalogue. We can also link to a personal website/blog.
Set your recording software to:
Channels: 1 (Mono)
Bit Rate: 128 kbps
Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz
Submit one file per act.
Please leave 2-3 seconds between each of your lines for ease of editing.
Make sure you add this to the beginning of your recording: [Role], read by [your name].
If you are reading stage directions, please include for each file: At the beginning: Act [#] of A Midsummer Night's Dream , by William Shakespeare . This is a Librivox recording. All Librivox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit Librivox dot org.
At the end: End of Act [#]. At the end of the play, add End of A Midsummer Night's Dream , by William Shakespeare .
Please remember to check this thread frequently for updates!
AFTER recording: Save files as 128 kbps MP3 midsummernightsdream_role_#.mp3 (all lower-case), where # is the act number. ID3 V2 tags: Not needed for individual parts.
Transfer of files (completed recordings) Please always post in this forum thread when you've sent a file.
Also, post the length of the recording (file duration: mm:ss) together with the link.
Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader: http://upload.librivox.org
(If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin)
You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: ek - gloriana
When your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread.
Please note the special instructions for this project, above in red. And please let me know if you have any questions about how this project will work!
I've actually performed Egeus on stage! It was a high school production, so all the other actors were students, but the director had the inspired idea that it might be fun to have the old codger Egeus performed by a real old codger — a staff member — and offered me the role.
I love this play. I just can't resist asking to be Puck/Philostrate? If you think another role would be better for me, I would happy to have that.
This sounds like a wonderful way to do the project. Do you mean that everyone should record the whole play?
Thanks,
-Amy
In the mind, or consciousness of the Earth this flower first lay latent as a dream. Perhaps, in her consciousness, it nested as that which in us corresponds to a little thought.--A.Blackwood
beeber wrote:I'd love to have a shot at reading Egeus.
I've actually performed Egeus on stage! It was a high school production, so all the other actors were students, but the director had the inspired idea that it might be fun to have the old codger Egeus performed by a real old codger — a staff member — and offered me the role.
Bruce
Well, I too demand total verisimilitude, so thanks. I'll put you down for Egeus.
I love this play. I just can't resist asking to be Puck/Philostrate? If you think another role would be better for me, I would happy to have that.
This sounds like a wonderful way to do the project. Do you mean that everyone should record the whole play?
Thanks,
-Amy
That would be great, Amy, thanks! I'll put you down for Puck. I played that role in grad school and really enjoyed it.
As for the process, I'd like everyone to read the whole play and participate in the discussion before recording their role... but you still only have to record your part. I'd just like to have everyone aiming for a unified interpretation when they go to record. Let me know if that doesn't make sense.
I have loved this play since junior high (actually got to perform a few of Puck's lines waaay back then, and fell in love with the entire play as a result). Might I request the role of Fairy?
~ Tiffany
"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." ~ G. K. Chesterton
Absolutely, Algy - the stormier the better, as far as I'm concerned!
Feel free to start posting thoughts about Oberon/Theseus in the discussion forum. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about how the two characters compare - and any thoughts you have about the two relationships (Oberon/Titania and Theseus/Hippolyta).
And that goes for everyone else who's signed up so far - please feel free to visit the discussion forum and start posting!
Just wanted to cheer you on! It'll be interesting to hear the differences between this version and the other one, since our "interpretation" that time was to see if we could do the whole thing, first post to final cataloging, in two months. (Answer: yes. ) So much fun.
I won't claim a role because it's only fair to let a new set of readers have a chance this time round, but IF you happen to find yourself with a poor unwanted unclaimed part later on, I will be happy to help out!
chocoholic wrote:Just wanted to cheer you on! It'll be interesting to hear the differences between this version and the other one, since our "interpretation" that time was to see if we could do the whole thing, first post to final cataloging, in two months. (Answer: yes. ) So much fun.
I won't claim a role because it's only fair to let a new set of readers have a chance this time round, but IF you happen to find yourself with a poor unwanted unclaimed part later on, I will be happy to help out!
Thanks, Laurie Anne! I think you should totally claim a part if you'd like to be involved.
I'll put you down for Egeus.
It'll be interesting to hear the differences between this version and the other one, since our "interpretation" that time was to see if we could do the whole thing, first post to final cataloging, in two months. (Answer: yes.