Fun Friday

To Cut or Not to Cut

[Activity excerpt from “Performance Approaches to Shakespeare,” p. 20]

Purpose: 
     To demonstrate how to decide if and how a scene can be successfully cut, in this case, to 2-3 minutes in length

Preparation: 
     Access to selected scene or soliloquy

Process: 
     1. Read the scene aloud line by line.
     2. Divide the performers into small groups.
     3. Pick out all lines and words necessary for the thought.
     4. Find any redundant or unnecessary words.
     5. Each group discusses what parts could be cut and still maintain the sense of the piece. 
     6. Make the agreed-upon cuts.
     7. Paraphrase the scene with the cuts to see if it still makes sense. 8. If yes, go to step.
     8. If no, add the cuts back in and make another choice.
     9. Each group rehearses and shares their edited rendition of the scene.
     10. This is followed by an explanation of the reasoning behind the cuts that were made.
     11. Ask the following questions:
          – Did the edited scene still make sense? WHY or why not?
          – Was anything taken out that is important for either the audience or the other characters in the scene to know? If so, what?
          – Does the storyline continue uninterrupted? If not, why not?
          – Is it clear WHY the cuts were made? Support your answer.
          – Did paraphrasing help with making appropriate cuts? WHY or WHY not?