Wow--two weeks to go. I apologize for my absence here but today I am back with another post from a cast member. Take it away Jason:

Greetings! My name is Jason Shores and I will be playing the role of Ford in the upcoming M.A.S.C. production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. Before beginning my thoughts on this show, however, I want to give a nod to the director Justin Helmer for the creation of and upkeep of this blog. I think such efforts lead to a larger melting pot of creative influence and perspective. It is just this sort of creative ‘mingle’ that I would like to discuss further but before I do...

I am rather new to acting. Outside of a single play in high school, my experience on the stage began with M.A.S.C. in the summer of 2007 and the production of As You Like It. It occurred to me on the set of that production- and every show since, for that matter- that the inner workings of a play closely mirror that of any organized activity and from my own specific experience- basketball.

Growing up, I played a lot of outdoor basketball. I cut my teeth, so to speak, alone in alleys dribbling and practicing a variety of shots that only kids attempt. I also played on courts with boys often much older than I, which provided ample opportunity to develop fundamental skills- and also a lot of bloody noses, cuts and scrapes : ) Although this sort of ‘street ball’ was highly competitive, it was not well organized. I never attempted the organized game of high school basketball until one summer when a group I’d been playing with asked me to join the ‘summer league’ coordinated by the regions high schools. Although my skills were strong on the outdoor courts and one-on-one games I’d grown up playing, I quickly learned that as a team member, I was out of step and unable to fully utilize the tools I’d so carefully crafted in my earlier experience. The stage, in many ways, feels a lot like those summer league courts.

Being new to the stage, I’m sometimes overwhelmed by the amount of work that goes in to a show- specifically acting. It’s more than memorizing lines and blocking (position and movement on stage) but encompasses motivation, comprehension, direction, experience, timing and great reactive skill- just to name a few. Walking on the rehearsal set- like walking on the summer league courts- then becomes a learning experience for me. Watching my fellow actors take the stage, I sometimes feel like I can’t keep up but I also feel motivated to bring ‘my game’ to a new level. I try to take risks, to understand more, to learn from those around me. Community theater is great for this and I appreciate my fellow actors more than I could ever put in to words.

A fellow actor once told me that the stage is “the greatest place on earth.” She was right in her designation of the stage as the ‘greatest place’, not because of any personal accolades or attention actors receive but because of what such a position allows us to share with an audience. As much as I like standing on a stage, I love when an audience is entertained. The Merry Wives of Windsor provides me such an opportunity. In reading the script, I can see actors performing it in the playwrights own time- competing with other plays, outdoor noise, the elements and so on. I imagine the characters had to be played LARGE enough to be seen and heard by the entire audience. To share this comedy with an audience from a band shell stage on one of Marshall’s busiest streets seems very much in keeping with an original production. Consequently, I hope to play Ford larger than life. Large enough to be seen, heard and appreciated in all his cleverly written ridiculousness. Large enough that he is able to entertain. I hope you, my fellow actors and soon to be audience, will be entertained.