Today’s Date: Thursday June 25, 2026
Show Title: The Tragedy Of Antony & Cleopatra
Director: Mili Koncelik
Staff Crew: Analise Toone, Topher Zane (RDAs), Julia Hill, John Spellman (interns)
What we did
Mili did a welcome and then campers circled up and Mili introduced the game, East Enders, which will be played at the top of each rehearsal and occasionally at the end. Then, the campers grabbed chairs and formed a circle on the black box stage. Mili then walked through each character name in the script so campers know how to say them correctly. However, she also said it was okay if a name or word in the text is mispronounced as text work is what we will be working on for the rest of rehearsals this week. She gave a rather simple explanation about the some of the main locations within A&C. She covered how Rome and Egypt are more than locations through the play, and how they represent different themes that often conflict. The play does not give one set vantage point.
Quick and Quotable
- From the play “Gracious Madam, I that do bring the news made not the match” (Messenger C) / “Call the clod again. Though I am mad, I will not bite him. Call!” (Cleopatra) (Act 2, Scene 5) Throughout this whole scene, the cast was laughing.
- From the director “I am the host and you all (the campers) are all the guests here in the rehearsal space…during the performance, you all are the hosts and the audience members are the guests.” – Mili, while explaining her directing philosophy
From the cast (same as above)
Production Insights
This is my first time being a dramaturg for a Shakespeare production; so, I’ve enjoyed seeing the casting process from a non-actor standpoint and how ASCTC conducts auditions and how different directors structure their rehearsals. I’ve enjoyed seeing how invested so many campers are in doing Shakespeare – and doing it well. They’re all super talented and I’m excited to see how this production grows with this cast. Some campers have already made choices for their characters (like doing certain voices, or different vocal levels) to make them come alive. It makes the read through so interesting, as it makes the show start to come together, even at read through. That is one of my favorite parts of the read through stage – seeing how people casted in certain roles make it their own and how those choices affect the play. To me, I learn so much about the show’s potential with a certain cast when cast members make choices in the initial read through, which is always so exciting and why I love theatre – you never know what certain people will bring to the rehearsal room and to their characters.