It's good to be Queen

The queen I got to be was Eleanor of Aquitaine in a scene from The Lion in Winter, part of the latest show put on by The Skillman Players. Due to missing a couple of weeks of the acting workshop in the spring while on vacation, I had decided not participate this time. But when another member of our senior acting troupe unfortunately had to drop out, I couldn't resist dropping in for this choice role.

And then it turned out the King was ill. But there are always contenders for the crown, in this case my co-star from our last production, Gilbert Rodriguez, who gallantly stepped in for the first two performances. He even cleverly crafted the crown, so if anyone is in need of a royal stage prop, check out his video here for how to make one. 

I, of course, made my cape, which was simply a yard of fabric from JoAnn's. In the middle of one end of the yard, I sewed some very stiff interfacing, covering the end with gold cord. My original idea had been to make a headdress but the sequined and embroidered fabric was too heavy for that, so it became a cape. The cord goes under my arms and is pinned behind my back, hardly any sewing involved. I'm sure my performance wouldn't have been nearly as queenly without it.

 
Jerry Weiss, a new member of the Skillman Players, returned to take on the role of King Henry for our final performances at three senior living centers. (Fortunately, Gilbert made the crown adjustable.) Memorization being fairly easy for me, at the point I knew my lines too well, but with Jerry's help, I think I slowed down and managed to be a fairly convincing Queen Eleanor in our final performance last Wednesday. We hope we entertained our audiences; we all certainly enjoyed ourselves as always.