Hamlet wrote: ↑July 16th, 2019, 5:35 am
I just noticed this play was being read. Serves me right for not looking in for a while.
Looks like Asotus is available. I'll take that, if it's okay, please.
you're not signed up here yet ? ok, Asotus it is then, thanks Brad !!! Have fun
Let's see. We've gone from "Every Man in His Humour" to "Every Man Out of His Humour" to "Cynthia's Revels." I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that following this will be "The Poetaster."
ooooh, Gelaia is kinda snippish. An interesting character, very well done, Sandra. Thank you so much. And I see although some ALL lines are missing, those all happen before Gelaia is on stage, so everything is perfect and nothing missing. PL ok
Ahh! I was somehow unsubscribed from this topic, and forgot that it even existed! I am so sorry that I haven't fixed any of my sections yet, and that I'm going so slowly. I will certainly try to finish those up on time, but I might need a tiny extension. We'll see where we are when that time comes... but I'm so sorry I haven't gotten to it yet
ej400 wrote: ↑July 22nd, 2019, 8:40 am
Ahh! I was somehow unsubscribed from this topic, and forgot that it even existed! I am so sorry that I haven't fixed any of my sections yet, and that I'm going so slowly. I will certainly try to finish those up on time, but I might need a tiny extension. We'll see where we are when that time comes... but I'm so sorry I haven't gotten to it yet
KevinS wrote: ↑July 26th, 2019, 10:58 am
Do you ever make an introduction available to the listener? If so, I'd be very happy to do this one. If not, not to worry!
We usually have the reader of stage directions provide some of the introductory material that is part of the PD text. Here the introduction in the text file is not specifically to this play, but rather to all of Jonson's work - so it would be too much. And we will not write and record our own material.
(However, are you volunteering to read the as yet unclaimed stage directions?)
Not to worry about our listeners though - in our catalog there will be links to the text we have used, with its full life of Jonson, as well as a wikipedia link to Jonson.
KevinS wrote: ↑July 26th, 2019, 10:58 am
Do you ever make an introduction available to the listener? If so, I'd be very happy to do this one. If not, not to worry!
We usually have the reader of stage directions provide some of the introductory material that is part of the PD text. Here the introduction in the text file is not specifically to this play, but rather to all of Jonson's work - so it would be too much. And we will not write and record our own material.
(However, are you volunteering to read the as yet unclaimed stage directions?)
Not to worry about our listeners though - in our catalog there will be links to the text we have used, with its full life of Jonson, as well as a wikipedia link to Jonson.
Thanks, Todd
I could read the stage directions, yes. Is there a particular tone adopted. Not a whisper, I would imagine, but a kind of flat sound?
The tone depends on the play author. I am running plays by Pinero, who wants to tell his actors in great detail how, well, how to act. Many modifiers: "sadly" "gloating" "with concern". And every physical action: "with a smile" "with a shrug" "with his hand on her shoulder". There the narrator is so intrusive as to become a full fledged character (and has more lines than anyone else!), and Larry (silverquill) who often reads these directions echoes the emotions that Pinero is asking from the actors in his narration. Sounds good that way. (Sometimes, if the reader clearly communicated the emotion, etc, desired, I cut the narration direction out in the editing rather than have that redundantly heard by the listener.)
The other extreme is Moliere. Either he or his translators have provided almost no directions - essentially just entrances and exits. So a more matter of fact tone might be suitable. (Or maybe not: in one Moliere farce, the narrator conveyed his annoyance at the same people continually entering and exiting all the time, and nicely read the lists of names in the stage directions faster and faster in each scene.) I often take the volume level of such sparse narration down a couple of dB when I edit so it becomes appropriately a (necessary) background to the actors' words.
Like Shakespeare, Jonson slants towards the Moliere end of the scale, with very few and mostly matter of fact directions. But if you do see a good opportunity to echo emotions of the actors, feel free to do so. (There may not be any place in here for that.)
Of particular importance, and not obvious, is that we do need to help out our listeners understand who is doing what. So, if there is a stage direction at the beginning of someone's line, you should say their name and then the action. For example, where the script says "ECHO. [BELOW]" you would actually read "Echo, below:" instead of just "Below" Ditto for "CRI. [COMING FORWARD]" - you would say "Crites, coming forward". (Note this also shows that you use the actor's full name, not the script abbreviation.)
If a direction is in the middle or end of someone's line so that is no question who is speaking it, then do not add their name. So the direction for "ARG. O! O! [SWOONS.]" would just be read "swoons".
Always confusing is "ASIDE". In many scripts of this period, this comes at the end of the line that should have been spoken aside. On stage we should have already seen the actor visually convey that their speech is an aside - turning to the audience, putting hand over mouth, whatever. In audio alone, it is perplexing to hear the line and then "ASIDE". So our convention is to move the "ASIDE" to the beginning of the line, and then it needs the actor name with it. So for "CRI. 'Slight, they are mutually enamoure'd by this time. [ASIDE]" you would read "Crites, aside" at the beginning.
For each act, you read the play name and Librivox disclaimer as shown in posting #1 of the project. For Act 1, you would start after that with the brief (unlabeled) author's preface beginning at "TO THE SPECIAL FOUNTAIN OF MANNERS THE COURT". That would be followed by the DRAMATIS PERSONAE: please read every name as given in the script along with "read by"; also add in other characters NOT in the script but in the MW. (Jonson doesn't credit everyone but we do!). And say them as they are in the MW: "Child 1" instead of the awkward 1 CHILD that is in the script.
Everyone is supposed to provide voice credits ("Cynthia, read by [reader name]") but I need that in the stage direction voice to help me until the credits are all in, or in case some are forgotten and I have to leave your voice in place instead. And please add a voice credit for yourself: "Stage Directions read by [whatever you decide to use as your name]" - your name can be the same as you use in the forum, or something different like your real name - up to you.
At the end of each act, say "End of Act x"; at the end of the last act, add "End of Cythia's Revels by Ben Jonson"
I use the narration file as the backbone of the master for each act, adding all the other voices to that directions file. So I can't edit until the directions are in.