#menaechmus

[thegodcyclecomic]

Character concept art for Menaechmus, Titan of Domination

[father-of-the-void]

O King, for traveling over the country, there are royal roads and roads for common citizens; but in geometry there is one road for all.

Menaechmus (4th century B.C.), when his pupil Alexander the Great asked for a shortcut to geometry

[concordiairvinetheatre]

The Menaechmus Diaries - Part 5

This “Diary Series” covers observations by CUI student Haley Brown as she prepared for the role of Messenio in our production of The Brothers Menaechmus - a Roman comedy by Plautus .  Her “behind the scenes” view covers theatre at Concordia, preparing a role with masks, and the hazards of a woman playing a man’s role:

I left that rehearsal, and many of the first rehearsals very confused. I was trying to find the balance between this wise, loyal, old man I saw in my head, with the dopey, loyal, young monkey I saw in the mirror.  Then I had my revelation!  I was driving home from rehearsal trying to balance the two, seemingly opposing characters when it hit me: Monkey’s are always portrayed in only a handful of ways, they’re the wise old sage, or the young trickster.

I personally don’t believe in horoscopes, or in reading the stars to find your spirit animal (though I was born in the Chinese year of the Monkey, fun fact) but I do find all those things interesting, and I do look into them from time to time. It was then that I realized whether old or young, the monkeys are always smart, and wise - it’s simply how they choose to use that information that makes them wise or foolish.  Now Messenio was starting to make sense to me. He could be the young, energetic, bouncy character that was also loyal, wise, and a little dopey.