My Acting Break: La Revancha de Romeo y Julieta

So, I know there might have been some nasty rumors flying around on the internet (mostly started, if not denied by myself) about this mysterious Spanish Version of Romeo and Juliet. I'm here to address most of your questions and concerns in order to create some clarity from across the ocean. So let me just start with a picture.

I don't have enough photoshop skills to make this up

Amid studying for midterms and working hard on the other assorted projects for class, I managed to find some time to head over to my firend's apartment for the classic Pancake Tuesday here (for those reading back home, it's aka'd as Mardi Gras). We ate pancakes, sat around, and talked about the cultural differences across the entire country of Denmark Ireland. While sharing a pancake and a bulmer's with my new friend Thomas, I got to meet someone from Spain. He was in Spanish Society here on campus, who was coincidentally doing an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. I told him that I was a Maestro of Spanish (3 semesters of B+/A- work and a week in Argentina? Totally fluent), and I was coincidentally a Drama major. He said he was pretty sure I wasn't a maestro in spanish, but they needed guys for the play anyways, and that's how I ended up being cast in this spring's production of La Revancha de Romeo y Julieta.

THE FIRST REHEARSAL
Now, if you know me (aka, have spent any time in a spanish class with me or happen to be a native spanish speaking individual who is a former roommate of mine), you might know my Spanish is the not the most honey-laced language to deliver. You might use words like "jarring" or "grating" or maybe even "catastrophic" to describe it. Trust me, I am also aware of this. Luckily, after showing up at the first meeting, I was assured that not everyone was a native speaker by talking to my new buddy from Poland, who is playing Benvolio. The director gave me the part of Capuleto (capulet + o, clever, non?), and amid all the people coming in and out of the classroom we were using during rehearsal, I managed to somehow win the part. I think it's because I was focusing a lot more on the intent than the words, and it helped my theatricality come out.

Do I know everything I'm saying? Do I understand what's being said to me in the play? Do I even comprehend the major plot line of the adaptation? Absolutely (not)! But I'm going to continue with it, and we'll call it a work in progress. Lines are going to be somewhat difficult, but I think the audience will be awed at the staging choices made.

So, from now on you can refer to me as "Señor Capuleto"and I will respond. Time to bust out the old dictionary!

Notes:

• If you want to check out my other blog for the Ambassadors in Education, click here. It's cool because they took my entry and translated it to UK English!
• I pitched a version of Samual Beckett's Catastrophe today for my Directing Beckett class. I think I wowed the class by turning it into a ten minute experience of schizophrenia. Woo-hoo!