COMPLETE[PLAY] The Devil is an Ass by Ben Jonson - thw

[ToddHW]

Great!

[Kitty]

Stage directions for Act 4 & 5 are ready for PL!

super, Elizabeth, thank you so much for these These stage directions were much hoped for.

Unfortunately, we need a few corrections still. It is a annoying quirk of many old editions to print the "aside" mentioned after the lines spoken, but in fact we need to put them before the speech starts, so we need to know the name of the speaker too. I enumerate all the places where you need to add the name. It looks like a long list, but it's actually not that difficult to correct. The easiest way for you to do is to record only the missing names from my list in a new Audacity window (only 7 different names (in red) actually), and then copy/paste them in all the correct slots in original file.

for Act 4:

> at 1:06: (p. 318): “Manly, aside”.
> at 1:30: (p. 320): “Meercraft, aside”
> at 1:45: (p. 322): “Fitzdottrel, aside to Meercraft”
> at 1:54: (p. 322): “Mrs Fitzdottrel, aside”
> at 1:57: (p. 322): “Meercraft, aside to Wittipol”
> at 2:09: (p. 323): “Pug, aside”
> at 2:17: (p. 324): “Pug, aside”
> at 2:23: (p. 325): “Pug, aside”
> at 2:26: (p. 325): “Pug, aside”
> at 2:29: (p. 326): “Pug, aside”
> at 2:32: (p. 326): “Fitzdottrel, aside and looking at Wittipol”
> at 2:36: (p. 326): “Pug, aside”
> at 3:08: (p. 327): “Everill, aside to Fitzdottrel”
> at 3:50: (p. 329): “Meercraft, aside to Wittipol”

one other thing that could be edited in Act 4:

> at 1:18: (p. 319) “Meercraft to Wittipol” is repeated and can be cut out once. Better cut it out AFTER you inserted all the asides, otherwise you are changing my time-stamps

for Act 5:

> at 1:02: (p. 333): “Ambler, aside”
> at 1:11: (p. 334): “Pug, aside”
> at 3:26: (p. 344): “Meercraft, aside to Fitzdottrel”
> at 3:30: (p. 344) “Everill, aside to Fitzdottrel”
> at about 3:55: please also say, right at the end: “End of The Devil is an Ass by Ben Jonson”

thank you

Sonia

[ToddHW]

I made these fixes. I then finished Act 5 and am completing Act 4 now.

I also updated the cast list in Act 1 since we have two stage direction readers.

Thanks, Todd

[Kitty]

I made these fixes. I then finished Act 5 and am completing Act 4 now.

yay we're getting there will PL probably tomorrow though. I'll also re-check the voice credits....

Sonia

[Kitty]

I also updated the cast list in Act 1 since we have two stage direction readers.

ok the stage directions voice credits are nicely inserted so Act 1 is finally PL ok.

Something I noticed when I play the file is the tag, or whatever it is, well there is this name in the corner: "devilisanass_wittipol_1" I wonder why you put in wittipol...the author is Ben Jonson. Probably an oversight, but maybe this could be corrected. But I think the tags get generated automatically, don't they ?

Sonia

[ToddHW]

Tags are overwritten automatically when we catalog. What you are seeing was from the wittipol character reader.

Thanks, Todd

[ToddHW]

And Act 4 is also ready for final PL. So you can do 4 and 5 in order.

Thanks, Todd

[Kitty]

I then finished Act 5 and am completing Act 4 now.

well I already started on Act 5 yesterday evening and finished it this morning. Excellent finale, the fake possession scene is so brilliantly done by all the actors. And another scene I liked very much is a very short scene, the one with the 4 keepers and Shackles finding the devil missing in jail. This one was nicely assembled and it sounds really as those 5 were speaking together. Well, I liked everything. And some scenes make more sense now that I hear them spoken in sequence

Also, clever to have done the end disclaimer yourself I thought you would do a copy/paste job from the beginning, but this is somehow very appropriate, as it was you that offered the play.

I have made a few small notes for your consideration:

> at 1:54: p. 332: "tells this with extraordinary speed" - we definitely can cut that out. I remember asking Kurt to speak those lines faster and he nearly broke the speed of light with his performance

> at 12:00: p. 337: "takes him aside" I wonder if this wouldn't fit better before Pug's speech, of course then you would have to insert "Pug" (which can be found at 5:00)

> at 25:17: p. 342: "We cannot madam" - the merging of these two voices sounds strange. In this situation it sounds more as if they were a possessed devil voice

> at 27:37: p. 343: "to Meercraft" - needs "Everill" before (can be copied from 30:51)

Now on to Act 4. I try to get this done today still. So maybe this evening you can upload.

Sonia

[Kitty]

And Act 4 is also ready for final PL. So you can do 4 and 5 in order.

excellent and hilarious all throughout the act, I had a Charley's Aunt vibe with your Spanish Lady performance, Todd Everybody is playing their role so perfectly here, it was really highly enjoyable to listen to it all.

I only have one very small correction to note:

> at 26:03: p. 325: "Pug aside" - I thought this would be put already before the first sentence I speak, but if you keep it at this spot, you can delete the name "Pug" again, as it's not needed here, in the middle of the speech

The rest is absolutely brilliant !

So close to finishing now

Sonia

[ToddHW]

I then finished Act 5 and am completing Act 4 now.

well I already started on Act 5 yesterday evening and finished it this morning. Excellent finale, the fake possession scene is so brilliantly done by all the actors. And another scene I liked very much is a very short scene, the one with the 4 keepers and Shackles finding the devil missing in jail. This one was nicely assembled and it sounds really as those 5 were speaking together. Well, I liked everything. And some scenes make more sense now that I hear them spoken in sequence

Also, clever to have done the end disclaimer yourself I thought you would do a copy/paste job from the beginning, but this is somehow very appropriate, as it was you that offered the play.

I have made a few small notes for your consideration:

> at 1:54: p. 332: "tells this with extraordinary speed" - we definitely can cut that out. I remember asking Kurt to speak those lines faster and he nearly broke the speed of light with his performance

> at 12:00: p. 337: "takes him aside" I wonder if this wouldn't fit better before Pug's speech, of course then you would have to insert "Pug" (which can be found at 5:00)

> at 25:17: p. 342: "We cannot madam" - the merging of these two voices sounds strange. In this situation it sounds more as if they were a possessed devil voice

> at 27:37: p. 343: "to Meercraft" - needs "Everill" before (can be copied from 30:51)

Now on to Act 4. I try to get this done today still. So maybe this evening you can upload.

Sonia

I did not do the 12:00 change - I see the beginning words said publicly before he Takes him aside. All other changes you suggest have been made. Note that there were 4 voices at 25:17 - not 2! I spread them out a bit.

Thanks, Todd

[ToddHW]

And Act 4 is also ready for final PL. So you can do 4 and 5 in order.

excellent and hilarious all throughout the act, I had a Charley's Aunt vibe with your Spanish Lady performance, Todd Everybody is playing their role so perfectly here, it was really highly enjoyable to listen to it all.

I only have one very small correction to note:

> at 26:03: p. 325: "Pug aside" - I thought this would be put already before the first sentence I speak, but if you keep it at this spot, you can delete the name "Pug" again, as it's not needed here, in the middle of the speech

The rest is absolutely brilliant !

So close to finishing now

Sonia

I think Charley's aunt does a stunningly better impersonation than my Spanish Lady - and does it for the entire show. But this certainly was fun. Can you feel me waving my little fan and fluttering my eyelashes?

All done now if you agree to the changes. I'll start getting everything ready to catalog in the meantime.

Great job by everyone, and glad I've already started another Jonson.

Thanks, Todd

[Kitty]

I did not do the 12:00 change - I see the beginning words said publicly before he Takes him aside. All other changes you suggest have been made. Note that there were 4 voices at 25:17 - not 2! I spread them out a bit.

oops I didn't even notice but yes ! now this spread-out version is miles better

Can you feel me waving my little fan and fluttering my eyelashes?

there's that, and the rustling of pettycoat (I can never un-think this vision now )

All done now if you agree to the changes. I'll start getting everything ready to catalog in the meantime.

carry it away, Todd. Both Acts are PL ok now.

Great job all of us For a moment I thought this play would never get finished, but we did it.

Sonia

[ToddHW]

Cataloging.

Thanks, Todd

[ToddHW]

This play is complete. Audio files can be found in the catalog at https://librivox.org/the-devil-is-an-ass-by-ben-jonson/

Thanks, Todd

[alanmapstone]

Great to see this in the catalogue. Well done everyone, particularly Todd and Sonia.