Friday, May 07, 2010

Things They Should Invent: secret sources of water on stage during live theatre

Eddie Izzard started coughing in the middle of talking, so he went off to the wings, got a bottle of water, drank some, and then grinned at us and said "You can't do that in Shakespeare, can you?" Then he went off on a glorious tangent that started with Shakespearean actors drinking water and somehow ended with Laertes killing Ophelia with a bazooka, and all was right with the world.

But it occurred to me: you could totally do that in Shakespeare if the water was in a period-appropriate goblet that happened to be sitting somewhere on the set! Any decent actor would be able to drink water without breaking character.

They should totally do that in live theatre. Whenever possible, incorporate a glass of water or two into the set. It would make the actors' jobs much easier.

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