#eleanor rhode

[reluctantjoe]

Interview – A Midsummer Night’s Dream director Eleanor Rhode talks technology and Wonka star Mathew Baynton

Aiming to take the chill off this winter is the RSC’s new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ahead of the opening this week, director Eleanor Rhode spoke to Gill Oliver about her take on the Dream and what it’s like working with Wonka star Mathew Baynton.

TECHNOLOGY combined with centuries-old stage illusions are making one of the Bard’s most captivating comedies even more magical.

The RSC’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which opened on Tuesday for an eight-week run, features Ghosts and Wonka star Mathew Baynton as Bottom.

Fresh from his roles as a murderous doctor in the Agatha Christie TV series Murder Is Easy, and an evil chocolatier in hit movie Wonka, Baynton has long been a hero to parents and kids everywhere thanks to his leading role in five series of hugely successful kids’ comedy TV sketch show Horrible Histories and later, its spin-off ‘Bill’, a panto-style take on Shakespeare’s early life.

Also in the cast are Nicholas Armfield as Demetrius, Sirine Saba as Titania and Rosie Sheehy as Puck.

The equally prestigious creative team line-up includes composer Will Gregory (one half of electronic music duo Goldfrapp), set designer Lucy Osborne and illusion direction and designer John Bulleid, feted for his work on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the RSC’s The Magician’s Elephant.

Weaving all these star-studded strands together is director Eleanor Rhode, who describes Baynton as “an absolute genius” and the whole cast as “amazing”.

Ms Rhode made her directorial debut for the RSC in 2019 with a radical re-telling of King John – a production that was cut short due to Covid.

Now back to take on Midsummer’s Night Dream she’s happy to be back in Stratford.

“The company is wonderful, and everyone is working together brilliantly so it’s very exciting to be back up here - it’s a lovely place to work," she said.

She brings a fresh and confident vision to Shakespeare’s popular tale of four young lovers who, faced with the prospect of unhappy marriage flee the court of Athens and stumble into an enchanted forest.

Nearby, a group of amateur actors rehearse a play to celebrate an upcoming royal wedding and when the mortals cross paths with a warring fairy King and Queen, chaos erupts as the real and fairy worlds collide.

Ms Rhode explained: “The thing that’s always interested me more than a literal forest is leaning into the dream of a Midsummer’s Night Dream, so this is very much a dream space.

“The most exciting thing is finding that crossover between contemporary technology and stage illusions and stage tricks that are hundreds of years old, so expect to see a lot of those things combined.”

By the RSC’s standards the production is a short run but there are upsides to this.

“It means some of the people who would love to come and work up here but can’t commit to a year away from the other projects they’re doing, can come, have a really lovely time and be up here for 10-weeks - we wouldn’t necessarily be able to get them for longer, so that’s enormously gratifying,” she pointed out.

After this run, Ms Rhode, who has a decade's experience of directing, will spend time in developmental workshops before overseeing her second audio play for release on Audible.

She enjoys working in other mediums such as audio, and is excited by the potential that comes with the “pollination of ideas between lots of different disciplines”.

But unlike the RSC, the theatre industry overall tends to be extremely traditional and not geared-up for sweeping change.

She explained: “In terms of creating experiences which are live but also digital at the same time and which have a really broad reach in terms of the audiences, you’re engaging with people who aren’t traditional theatre goers and really broadening the scope of what live story telling can be.

“There’s a whole heap of possibilities and the lovely thing is that a lot of the technology is already there - the technology isn’t the thing - it’s actually the ability to craft brilliant storytelling entwined with the technology that’s sometimes quite scary.”

As for this production of Midsummer Night’s Dream, no one should worry about technology or stage illusions over-shadowing or interfering with the intimacy of live performance.

“You shouldn’t notice the technology and it shouldn’t feel like a standalone thing, in the same way that stage illusions shouldn’t – everything is entwined with the story,” she said.

“My hope is that it’s something the audience don’t really think about, they just enjoy it.”

She added: “This production is already looking beautiful but it should also be very surprising and, hopefully, keep the audience on their toes with all the amazing magic that’s going on in the show.

“Regardless of that, strip away all the technological and magical surprises and the play is the thing.

“It’s a brilliant show with brilliant actors in it - that’s the key thing."

[willstafford]

Donkey Work

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Royal Shakespeare Theatre,  Stratford upon Avon, Thursday 29th February 2024 Among Shakespeare’s works, this romantic comic fantasy ranks as one of his greatest hits, and done well, it’s easy to see why.  It’s also something that in the wrong hands, can be rather twee.  Eleanor Rhode’s new production dispenses with the forest – even the fairies are reduced to tiny orbs…

[fritextramole]

part 2 of Gossip Girl as Reductress Headlines

[chickflickswithgabbyandamy]

Season 1, Episode 3 | DIRTY DANCING (1987)

Gabby and Amy discuss Dirty Dancing, the ultimate coming-of-age movie complete with trenchant class analysis, a convincing argument for women's reproductive freedom, a killer soundtrack, and Patrick Swayze's perfect ass (and chest, and hair and arms, etc.). What more could you want in a movie?

https://chickflicks.libsyn.com/dirty-dancing

[theoscarsproject]

Dirty Dancing (1987). Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle.

It's such a funny thing to watch these 80s movies that just ooze sex when there's this rise of puritanical cinema again. It' been a minute since I last saw this, but man, if it isn't easy to see why it's got the cultural legacy it has - it really stands up! Just full of charm and chemistry and just bonkers enough to sell its own fantasy. Love it. 8/10.

[manifold-updates]

Jack was on Dan Rhodes’ Instagram post a few days ago!

[pier-carlo-universe]

Whispers of the Moon: Un Viaggio Poetico tra la Natura e l’Anima. Recensione di Alessandria today

La nuova raccolta di Eleanor Grace: versi delicati che catturano l’essenza della natura e delle emozioni umane.

La nuova raccolta di Eleanor Grace: versi delicati che catturano l’essenza della natura e delle emozioni umane. Whispers of the Moon, scritto dalla poetessa americana Eleanor Grace, è una collezione di poesie che si immerge nell’intimità dell’anima umana, esplorando la bellezza della natura, la nostalgia e la ricerca di connessioni profonde. Attraverso i suoi versi, Grace riesce a fondere…

[hellisanhonourstudent]

#i remember being like - wait. he was a nerd. and he was hot. and now he’s the bad guy? but he’s just as hot???#most flawless 180* character turn in modern cinema#sam rockwell#eric knox#charlie's angels#charlie’s angels 2000

All of this,except post-reveal Eric isn't any less of a nerd. He's the ultimate "theather/band kid who decided a STEM career was a better choice because money",considering what we saw from him,lol. Eric is an uber-dramatic software engineer/CEO of the equivalent to Microsoft/Apple/Google/whatever. The latter alone should've clued in that he was evil,but alas.

Charlie’s Angels (2000) dir. McG

[nikkiruncks]

Chapters: 15/?

Fandom: Gossip Girl (TV 2007)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Relationships: Dan Humphrey/Blair Waldorf, Nate Archibald/Jenny Humphrey, Vanessa Abrams/Olivia Burke, Carter Baizen/Serena van der Woodsen, Rufus Humphrey/Lily van der Woodsen, Jack Bass/ Georgina Sparks

Characters: Dan Humphrey, Blair Waldorf, Nate Archibald, Jenny Humphrey, Vanessa Abrams, Olivia Burke, Carter Baizen, Serena van der Woodsen, Rufus Humphrey, Lily van der Woodsen, Jack Bass, Georgina Sparks, Milo Humphrey, Henry Bass, Eric van der Woodsen, Scott Rosson, Charlie "Lola" Rhodes

Additional Tags: Post-Canon Fix It Dan Humphrey is

Not Gossip Girl gossip girl remains unknown All the endgames sans Georgina/Jack change i may add cheva here or just kill off chuck

Summary: Blair leaves Waldorf Designs; Serena bonds with Lola

[ocmerunaway]

Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Pillsbury has always been protective of her little, more meek, sister, so when Emma takes a job at William McKinley High she follows, works as the woodwork tutor and often helps the Glee club with their sets. She doesn’t really expect to find love, not once, much less three times, but she can’t help being drawn to Shelby Corcoran who seems to swoon at her simple existence, surprised when she is drawn to April Rhodes who she initially hates and she falls for Holly Holliday as Holly comes undone after a few months of mistakes with Will, but can she really have them all?

[the-letterbox-archives]

file (0)0-53-000: writer questionnaire

thank you @the-golden-comet for the tag! this one's a writer questionnaire, super fun to do as well :)

how long have you had your writing tumblr/writeblr? a fast and loose estimate is fine!

coming up on two months now!

what led you to create it?

i wanted a place to share stories that i felt wouldn’t become novels, and i just wanted to share my stuff regardless.

what’s your favourite thing about the writeblr community?

how nice everyone is, and how fun the discussions are! i love talking about my characters/wips, and i love hearing about my mutuals wips as well! it’s just a great place to do everything writing-related!

what’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?

PLEASE talk to me i love being talked to, love sharing about my stories, and i’m a pretty good listener so it doesn’t have to be one-sided either. either way, love having those conversations!

is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash?

admittedly i don’t browse my dash often, but what i do see is great! writing, positivity, some memes and fandom content, wouldn’t wish for anything different.

which wips or writing projects are you noodling about, lately?

i’ve actually been considering a brand new story to the archives, but from my released content i have to say sunny (school rules) is rotating in my mind right now, as well as the dumaresq kids (the dumaresq poems)! of course, all of my wips are always rattling around in my brain all the time.

how long have you been working on them?

all the stories have been released at stagnated times, i think the first was the prologue of tales from a dying heart and prologue of the rockdove promise, about 2 months ago, and the most recent is the dumaresq poems, the first edition (set of 5) released a couple days ago.

do you remember what inspired them/what got you started?

inspiration comes from anywhere for me, i just tend to get an idea, write it without thinking, then plan it from there. hindsight is 20/20, but it tends to go ignored for me haha

how much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?

all the time. there is never a moment one story or another is not in my brain.

when someone asks the dreaded, “what do you write about,” question, what do you usually say?

that’s tough, because i don’t exactly stick to genres; but i guess i would say i write speculative fiction, with themes of family, purpose, and society, to put it very generally.

name any characters you created. side characters, protagonists, antagonists, characters who’ve never been written, the first original abomination you ever pulled from your ass; whomever you’d like!

i’m gonna stick to characters that have been featured/mentioned in the archives, to keep this list somewhat short;

(tales from a dying heart) lady, sweetheart, crow, winter, pyre, dancer, rook, vex, chalice, hunter, hornet, dove, maestro, muse, opal, aegis, mouse, seeker,

(the rockdove promise) laszlo kriska, danareth, yaromyr kriska, knox penderghast, ezune penderghast, andrei,

(insincere.) ven, sissy, sinon,

(on kingston alley) faye o’callahan, daphne kanelos, missy o’callahan, crayton “old man” bell, arthur blackwood, eleanor blackwood, beau blackwood, gwen blackwood,

(school rules) sunny finch, darcy spencer, johnnie rhodes, angel salvatore, viola alderman, sasha dmitriev, eloise dolores, katherine “kath” fairchild, marion lorraine, imogen parker-blanche,

(dulcinea is dead) sasha beatrix, dulcinea beatrix,

(the dumaresq poems) alistair dumaresq, willow dumaresq, eira dumaresq, austine dumaresq, theophania dumaresq.

who’s the most unhinged?

i think they all are, at least a bit.

… but the answer’s faye.

who comes the most naturally for you to write?

sunny. that evil creature has infected my brain. it doesn’t help we have a very similar sense of humour.

do you ever cringe at them?

i don’t think i cringe at any of them. sure, sometimes the events of the story or their actions upset/annoy/disappoint me, but that’s for the sake of the narrative, and i don’t find that cringe-worthy.

how much control do you feel you have over your characters? do they ever “write themselves,” refuse to cooperate, or do things you didn’t expect? to what degree? are some less cooperative than others?

it depends, i take parts of myself for each aspect of myself for characters, so when those parts of the given character shine through, it’s much easier to write, and much easier for them to ‘write themselves.’ however, my writing style usually feels like the characters writing themselves regardless. so yeah, stuff can get off the rails in that way, but i wouldn't call that disobedience or uncooperativeness on the character's part.

do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters? and do you have a preferred means of receiving said questions? for example, as asks, as replies, as reblogs, as tag notes, as comments on ao3, etc.

YES GIVE ME ANY QUESTION ANYWHERE THEY ARE MY LIFEBLOOD IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY (pardon my rabid dog mentality here, i am very passionate)

what makes you want to follow another writeblr account? do you follow ‘em as you see ‘em, or take time scoping out the blog to make sure you align with its content? do you follow based on wips, or vibes?

when the archives first opened, i followed anyone who liked any of my posts. nowadays, i’m a bit more stingy because sometimes being involved in such a big circle (120 mutuals strong now, i think) can be overwhelming. but generally, i check out blogs that have interacted with my posts or are often tagged in my mutuals stuff, and decide to follow based on that (factors within the blog are usually what wips they do, if they participate in tag games or chat about their characters/wips, and vibes). i also proudly follow-back anyone who follows me.

what makes you decide against following?

people who discriminate/are hateful to minorities/etc., certain political ideologies, and factors like that. i don’t want to judge, but i tend to get weary due to experiences with hate speech and other discriminatory things in my real life. and human rights aren’t up for negotiation, people don’t deserve hatred because of a fundamental part of them, like nationality / gender / sexuality / age / poverty / neurodiversity / etc. i’m a queer, neurodiverse(coded), youth, and that plus my general demeanour can attract the wrong crowd. luckily that hasn’t happened on writeblr.

do you interact with non-mutuals often?

not really, but that isn’t on purpose. i tend to get distracted with archival work, so i don’t check things i’m not tagged in or otherwise privy of, which really is a shame, i should interact with more of writeblr.

do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle?

yes, sammy. @ominous-feychild knows that bastard is too squishable for my psyche to handle.

tagging @introchasingstars, @honeybewrites, @paeliae-occasionally,

@noxxytocin, @moltenwrites, @tc-doherty, @the-ellia-west, @theverumproject,

@thecrazyalchemist, @laylathewordwitch, @dragonedged-if, @leitereads, @autism-purgatory,

@gioiaalbanoart, @drchenquill, @fenmere, @leahnardo-da-veggie, @melpomene-grey,

@yourpenpaldee, @corinneglass, @agirlandherquill, @willtheweaver, @nczaversnick,

@davycoquette, @glassfrogforest, @princeofhags, @wyked-ao3, @fantasy-things-and-such, + open tag!

[citizenscreen]

1932 Paramount hopefuls: (r-l) Frances Farmer Marsha Hunt, Jane Rhodes, Rosalind Keith, Eleanore Whitney, Olympe Bradna, and Betty Burgess.

[nelliexwolfe]

⊹₊ ⋆ (emma mackey, female, she/her/hers, twenty-seven ) i think nellie wolfe just walked by! wow, they really are a emma mackey lookalike! they’ve been here in salem for three months, and seem to hang around beans coffee shop a lot. i heard they’re a librarian at salem library. when asked to describe themselves they’re likely to say the smell of an old book, sitting in the sun with your head tilted back, using a seashell you found as a kid as an ashtray, annotating a book, and love letters you cannot send.

wanted connections. playlist.

I. PROFILE

full name  —  nellie jane wolfe

nicknames  —  nell, nell bell, bellie

age  —  twenty-seven

gender/pronouns  —  female & she/her/hers

orientation  —  bisexual

birthday  —  june 1 

birthplace  —  newport, rhode island

languages spoken  —  english & french

height  —  5’2” 

hair color  —  brown

eye color  —  brown

pet  —  a cat named binx

II. PERSONALITY

positive — kind, curious, empathetic, optimistic

negative — self-concious, aloof, shy, indecisive

III. EXTRAS

hobbies — crotcheting, poetry writing, collecting post cards

fears — being forgotten, loud noises, failing

habits — smoking cigarettes when stressed, double checking that her door is locked, biting her nails

her favorite book is pride & prejudice.

she uses a seashell from newport as an ashtray on her balcony.

collects postcards; her favorite is one from newport that has the street she grew up on. 

speaks french (but not fluently)

her bachelors degree is in literature and her masters degree is in feminist literature

is currently working on a poetry 

her favorite flowers are carnations and baby’s breath

IV. BACKSTORY (tw;; abuse)

nellie was born to eleanor and brandon, who were two teenagers that were less than prepared to be parents. when nellie was barely. a year old, her parents welcomed her younger brother,luke.

the family lived in a cramped two bedroom apartment on the west side of newport. her parents struggled to make ends meet as her mother worked as a school teacher and her father took up a job as a mechanic at a local auto store. another brother, Philip, was added into the mix when nellie was five, and her younger twin brothers -- quentin and oliver-- were born when nellie was seven.

nobody wanted to watch five kids and her parents couldn't quite afford a baby sitter so nellie was tasked with watching her siblings. she often skipped afterschool activities and birthday parties in favor of watching her siblings until her parents came home.

nellie also found herself as her mother's confidant. eleanor leaned on nellie to talk abouther failing marriage, her job, bills and finances. when nellie turned 14, her mother gave birth to edith, the youngest wolfe sibling, and nellie cared for her like her own.

at seventeen, nellie tried to be a normal teenager but those never last long-- her siblings needed her, especially luke and her mother.

when nellie turned 18, she moved out of their cramped little house in newport and studied literature and poetry at university of rhode island. she still spent most days at home.

at 19, she had her first real relationship with sean musgraves, though that ended when nellie turned 21 and her boyfriend cheated on her with her roommate.

she met benjamin walker shortly afterwards, who seemed to be everything that nellie was waiting for. he was kind, funny, and doted on her. they moved into together after dating for eight months.

they were dating for a year and a half when things seemed to change. nellie was prepping for graduation, writing her first poetry both, and benjamin made it clear he didn't support her. he encouraged her to get a real job. things changed quickly -- he questioned here nellie was at all times, start arguments, forbidding her from writing and seeing her family.

nellie was good at pretending and she was even better at not letting people worry about her. she was with ben until she was twenty-five. on the morning of her twenty-fifth birthday, she found herself in the emergency room needing twelve stitches from a vase that was hauled across the room at her.

it felt like a blur when she asked her brother to come sit with her, crying into his shoulder as she explained everything that had happened. luke and her other brothers were quick to help move nellie's stuff out. she decided to stay with luke until she got back on her feet.

nellie stayed with him for about a month before moving out to salem.

[fritextramole]

masterpost

[heresthefanfiction]

Carolyn Gibbs

General

Full Name: Carolyn Ann Gibbs

Nicknames: Carrie

Undercover Identity: Lauren Bauer

Age: 34[Season 7/8], 38[Season 12]

Date of Birth: May 8, 1976

Occupation: Marine Gunnery Sergeant [former],

NCIS Probationary Agent [Rhode Island Office, former],

NCIS Agent Afloat [USS Hornet, former],

Undercover NCIS Agent [former],

NCIS Special Agent [Washington DC Naval Yard, Major Case Response Team, former],

NCIS Supervisory Special Agent [Washington DC Naval Yard, Major Case Response Team, current]

Gender and Pronouns: Cisgender female, she/her

Sexuality: Bisexual

Faceclaim: Tracy Spiradakos

Hair color: Blonde

Eye color: Blue-green

Height: 5'6"

Fandom: NCIS

Connections

Familial Connections: Amy Jacobs[mother], Leroy Jethro Gibbs[father], Shannon Gibbs[stepmother, deceased], Kelly Gibbs[younger sister, deceased], Bailey Gibbs[daughter, adopted], Ella Gibbs[daughter, adopted],

Joann Fielding[grandmother], Mac Fielding[grandfather], Jackson Gibbs[grandfather, deceased], Ann Gibbs[grandmother, deceased],

Diane Sterling[ex-stepmother, deceased], Rebecca Chase[ex-stepmother], Stephanie Flynn[ex-stepmother]

Romantic Connections: Amber Heise [girlfriend, deceased], Avery Mohl [wife]

Platonic Connections: Ben Alvarez[best friend, deceased], Maddie Tyler[friend], Anthony Dinozzo[best friend], Timothy McGee[close friend], Eleanor Bishop[close friend]

Hostile Connections: Sergei Mishnev

Affiliations: United States Marine Corp[member], NCIS[agent]

Misc.

Species: Human

Nationality: American

Spoken Language(s): English[first language], German[second language], Russian[third language], Spanish[in progress]

Religion: N/A

Education Level: Highschool Diploma

Economic Status: Middle Class

Pinterest

[justbusterkeaton]

Grandpa Buster in his forever home with Eleanor, Grandkids, pets and miniature trains 💕💕

“We moved into the ‘ranch,’ as Buster called it, in June 1956.

Buster had a swimming pool built, and, since he wanted to raise chickens, he built a chicken coop, which looked like a schoolhouse, behind the house.

Woodland Hills, which is north of Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley, did not have many residents at that time. As he was the only famous homeowner in the area, Buster was named honorary mayor of Woodland Hills.

The house in Woodland Hills was something we both adored, and when Buster was not working we enjoyed being at the ‘ranch.’ We liked having friends over for barbecues and bridge games, and we treasured our quiet moments alone. Buster had a vegetable garden and fruit trees and would spend hours watering them. He liked collecting walnuts from our nine walnut trees and enjoyed finding four-leaf clovers, something he had a talent for spotting quickly since childhood. He had a dozen Rhode Island Red hens that he called his ‘girls.’ He gave them names like Zsa Zsa, Marilyn, and Ava. He had a rooster too.

Buster swam every day and enjoyed cooking, playing his ukulele and watching television, which fascinated him. Buster loved trains. His favorite film of his own was The General, and he had a toy train that ran on tracks around our picnic table and back into the garage. The cars were big enough to hold a Coca-Cola or a hot dog, and Buster used to drive food around to our guests whenever we had a picnic”

-Eleanor Keaton

“Our swimming pool is of natural stone, and we decorate its borders with colored stones collected in each place we visit. Today the most exciting moments of my life come when I step out on my own property and walk around it, accompanied by Elmer III, my amiable 180-pound St. Bernard. Sometimes Jenny, our cat, also comes along.

There were nine walnut trees in the garden when we bought the house, and I since have put in all sorts of fruit trees, including lemon, orange, tangerine, lime, plum, peach, apple, crab apple, and apricot. We grow three kinds of grapes–Tokay, Concord and Thompson seedless–and also have raspberry and boysenberry bushes, and an artichoke bed. Each spring I grow radishes, cabbages, turnips, beefsteak tomatoes, and lettuce. I built a chicken yard in the rear of our land and a miniature railroad that carries peanuts, soda pop, sandwiches, popcorn to guests seated around a small garden house near the pool, for the accommodation of visiting grandchildren.

If there is a better place in the world to be–when I’m not in front of an audience or a camera–someone else will have to name it.”

- Buster Keaton