Shakespearean Choral Chants

The purpose of this project is to make Shakespearean language your own, to interpret a piece of his writing in your own creative way, applying techniques of choral reading, and to have fun with Shakespeare.

What is a choral chant?

A group (ideally of three or four) performs a rhythmic, choreographed recitation of lines from Shakespeare employing such techniques as echoing, overlapping and repetition to re-invent the lines as their own.

How is it done?

First, select the text you wish to use for a chant. It should be a brief soliloquy (or part of one) or a short dialogue. You may “cut and paste” a bit, as long as you stay in the same scene and maintain a clear context.

Once you have selected the piece, you will need to decide what it is that the piece is saying and how you wish to present that meaning. The choral chant is your presentation of that interpretation. Therefore it is important that, from the start, you know what you want to get across.

You will need to play with the form of your selection to make it into a chant. The techniques mentioned above (echoing, overlapping and repetition), as well as the division of parts, are some of the key elements for doing this. Find a single line or thought that you want to repeat as a refrain throughout the piece and then divide the rest of it into individual or duet lines. (See examples for some ideas of how to do this.)

· Repetition is what it sounds like: the basic repetition of a thought, phrase, or word throughout a piece. (The refrain line certainly fits this description.)

· Overlapping lines have more than one thing being said simultaneously. Sometimes there is a single phrase echoed over and over with something else in the foreground; sometimes the lines simply begin before the previous one ends.

· Echoing is a specialized form of repetition which repeats (with different speakers) the same phrase or word several times in succession, with or without overlapping.

· Another technique that is often employed is contrapuntal dialogue, which consists of multiple different lines spoken simultaneously. This often can be very effective after the lines have previously been used or when one speaker is doing new lines against a refrain.

Having scripted the chant, you must clear it with me. I will check it for clarity and make suggestions for revision. Once it is finalized, you must work on how to stage it. Although a chant can be spoken by a group just standing there, choreography is almost always better. Add movement to enhance the presentation, though, not merely to add to it. Choreography should help tell the story or set the mood for the piece. Again, use some of the examples from the videotapes to get ideas. Decide also on costumes and props. Costuming may be simple, but a group should be dressed in a cohesive manner to create an effective chorus.

PRACTICE! The chant must be memorized and performed in such a way as to bring the audience in. Remember that your audience is your friends and classmates; if it would bore you to watch this, it will undoubtedly bore them.

Finally, type up a final draft of your chant, including the original text on which it was based (and a citation stating where it came from). Include the names of all group members. Include also a few paragraphs explaining your concept of the chant as an interpretation of the selection you have made: why did you make these choices?