Oh, Henry!

Well, we're bustling with activity as we approach tech week. All the loose ends are being tied- and these Queens are not above getting their hands dirty.  Actually a few of us dyed our hands bright red today in prepping our Bed of State. And one especially loose end is being taken care of... our inflatable husband! 


As I work to develop my own cartoon, I came across some very inspiring interpretations of His Royal Grace on the wonderful internet. Here they are for your enjoyment!


-Brianna aka Jane the Quene.

....What a hunk, eh? Check this next one out:

Such Noble Features! And here is my favorite:

Now There's a Man who's Easy to Love, eh?

Want to see what I come up with?

........You'll have to see the show

Portraits of Queendom

Catherine of Aragon

Anne Boleyn

Jane Seymour

Anna of Cleves

Katherine Howard

Catherine Parr

xoxo-Brianna

Hunky Harry

c.1509 by an unknown artist. This is the earliest surviving portrait of Henry as king of England. 

It can be viewed at the Denver Art Museum.

His Majesty is the handsomest potentate I ever set eyes on; above the usual height, with an extremely fine calf to his leg, his complexion very fair and bright, auburn hair combed straight and short, in the French fashion, and a round face so very beautiful that it would become a pretty woman, his throat being rather long and thick.... He will enter his twenty-fifth year the month after next. He speaks French, English and Latin, and a little Italian, plays well on the lute and harpsichord, sings from book at sight, draws the bow with greater strength than any man in England and jousts marvelously.... a most accomplished Prince. the Venetian diplomat Pasqualigo in a dispatch, 1515

 

 

Huck Finn tells it like it is

'My, you ought to seen old Henry the Eight when he was in bloom. He was a blossom. He used to marry a new wife every day, and chop off her head next morning. And he would do it just as indifferent as if he was ordering up eggs. 'Fetch up Nell Gwynn,' he says. They fetch her up. Next morning, 'Chop off her head!' And they chop it off. 'Fetch up Jane Shore,' he says; and up she comes. Next morning, 'Chop off her head' - and they chop it off. 'Ring up Fair Rosamun.' Fair Rosamun answers the bell. Next morning, 'Chop off her head.' And he made every one of them tell him a tale every night; and he kept that up till he had hogged a thousand and one tales that way, and then he put them all in a book, and called it Domesday Book - which was a good name and stated the case. You don't know kings, Jim, but I know them; and this old rip of ourn is one of the cleanest I've struck in history. Well, Henry he takes a notion he wants to get up some trouble with this country. How does he go at it - give notice? - give the country a show? No. All of a sudden he heaves all the tea in Boston Harbor overboard, and whacks out a declaration of independence, and dares them to come on. That was his style - he never give anybody a chance. He had suspicions of his father, the Duke of Wellington. Well, what did he do? - ask him to show up? No - drownded him in a butt of mamsey, like a cat. Spose people left money laying around where he was - what did he do? He collared it. Spose he contracted to do a thing; and you paid him, and didn't set down there and see that he done it - what did he do? He always done the other thing. Spose he opened his mouth - what then? If he didn't shut it up powerful quick, he'd lose a lie, every time. That's the kind of a bug Henry was....
All I say is, kings is kings, and you got to make allowances. Take them all around, they're a mighty ornery lot. It's the way they're raised.'
from Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Lying In

The most important duty of a Queen, especially a Queen of Henry VIII; was to give birth to a son.  

Wedding vows of the time included the promise to be "Buxom in Bed."

Only Jane Seymour, his third Queen, accomplished this duty. And it killed her.

It's said 10% to 30% of women died after childbirth.

What was giving birth like for women in Tudor times?

 

The tapestry room at Agecroft Hall, arranged as it would have been for a birth.

Women in the advanced stages of pregnancy customarily withdrew from court for a period of "lying in" or "confinement" that usually began a month to 40 days prior to the expected time of delivery. And they usually remained confined for 40 days following delivery, at which point they were "churched," a religious purification ritual. The room was kept warm, dark, and snug. No fresh air or exercise for these mother to be. We can assume they were expected to lie back, rest and incubate the future!

They could have visitors, which must have provided some entertainment those long hours in the dark. But also I imagine it was a fearful time, and many of those visitors must have considered the possibility that they were making their final good-byes.

According to  an article by Deborah de Aréchaga from the Agecroft Hall Newsletter, " Midwives, always female, were in attendance and brought the following items with them-----a stool or chair, a knife, binders, and linens.  Almond oil that had been warmed may have been used to anoint the womb of the laboring woman.  Additionally, the midwife may have provided herbal infusions, poultices, and ointments to ease the process. "

For hundreds of years, birthing chairs were used to assist mothers--and gravity-- during labor. They varied in design but had a straight back to lean against and a cut-out seat that the midwife could deliver the baby through.

 

*            *             *

On 27 May 1537, Trinity Sunday, there was a Te Deum sung in St Paul's cathedral for joy at the queen's quickening of her child, my lord chancellor, lord privy seal and various other lords and bishops being then present; the mayor and aldermen with the best guilds of the city being there in their liveries, all giving laud and praise to God for joy about it.  The bishop of Worcester, Dr Latimer, made an oration before all the lords and commons after the Te Deum was sung, explaining the reason for their assembly, which oration was marvelously fruitful to the hearers.  And also the same night various great fires were made in London, with a hogshead of wine at every fire for the poor people to drink as long as it lasted.  I pray Jesus, if it be his will, to send us a prince. -Tudor chronicler Edward Hall.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

 Mares, Maidens and Fillies. And other words that can describe both women and horses...
Why the shared vocabulary?


Women were creatures of obedience in Tudor times. Heifers for breeding, to draw comparison to yet another creature men husband. 


These women were obedient to their fathers until they were passed to their husbands to manage. 


And with a husband like Henry VIII, their capacity for breeding became the center of their value, and their lives. 


Henry's mother, Elizabeth of York was treated as queen consort, but she never had the slightest recognition as queen regnant, either by her husband, Henry VII, or  his government. Why would her son behave any differently?


We six were wives first, consorts and then Queens. (Except the Catherines Aragon and Parr who held some time as regent).


But our daughters, Mary and Elizabeth I showed England a new generation of Queendom, and faught hard to bring a little Respect to the Regent of the Realm.

The Shape of the Show

It is really exciting to see this show grow from vision to reality. We have been collecting images and inspirations for weeks to aid us in developing the look and feel of our production; and as the real elements of the show come into being it is easy to see where they came from.

Here are some tantelizing tid-bits to whet your appetite for the real thing!

THE race

Jane Seymour = Donnaguska

kanyed

Merch!!

For all us Tudor-obsessed ladies:
http://shop.cafepress.com/the-tudors

There's personalized stuff for all the Queens.  My favorites are the Kathryn Howard clock and bib:

Every Rose Has It's Thorn: A Mix of Kathryn Howard

I love to use music as part of my character development, and I've finally completed my Kathryn Howard mix.

With these songs, I tried to give a little bit of Kathryn's story as well as incorporate the sort of music that she herself would listen to.  Hence the prevalence of bad pop music :)

"Lip Gloss" by Lil Mama

"Much More" from The Fantastiks

"Oasis" by Amanda Palmer

"Goodies: by Ciara feat. Petey Pablo

"What's New Pussycat?" by Tom Jones

"Missed Me" by The Dresden Dolls

"Wannabe" by The Spice Girls

"This I Promise You" by N'Sync

"Cath..." by Death Cab for Cutie

"Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson

"Oops I Did It Again" by Britney Spears

"See You Again" by Miley Cyrus

"The Secret Gardens" by Bekah Hayes

"Here In Your Arms" by hellogoodbye

"Birds" by Kate Nash

"Teardrops on my Guitar" by Taylor Swift

"Low" by Flo-Rida feat. T-Pain

"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison

"Gravity" by Vienna Teng

"Wonderwall" by Oasis

"Laughing With" by Regina Spektor

"Live Your Life" by Ti & Rihanna

And here are some songs for you other queens!

Catherine of Aragon - "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey

Anne Boelyn - "(Pas La Peine D'appeler Je Ne Reponds Pas Au) Telephone" by TTC

Jane Seymour - "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John

Anne of Cleves - "Trans-Europe Express" by Kraftwerk

Catherine Parr - "England Belongs to Me" by Cock Sparrer

Rebuttal

The most beautiful bitch, Anne Boelyn, is totally wrong about her most lovely little cousin, Kathryn Howard.

I actually look like this, don't you think?

Hearts!
Kathryn

Dippy Doggy Wench(es)!

Anne Boleyn here--I recently "went" on a "spirit guide" "journey" to "connect" with my inner dog(bitch). Through meditation and deep thought I was able to conjure the true essence of my doggie soul. Everyone should be so lucky

Along the way I met some "friends"!

I think the pictures are quite accurate, non?

love,
anne

CATHERINE OF ARAGON

JANE SEYMOUR

ANNA OF CLEVES

KATHERINE HOWARD

KATHERINE PARR

and me...ANNE BOLEYN!

To Catch a King

Brianna here, also known as Jane the Quene.

     In building this character, I have been playing a lot with Jane's seemingly oppositional traits. She was known as a gentle, compassionate and soft-spoken woman with a natural modesty. But she was also known for being incredibly firm with her ladies and enforcing huge changes in the court after Anne Boleyn. She insisted her ladies dressed demurely in gowns with high necklines.- but it seems she herself seemingly maintained a low-cut square neck in the cut of her gowns.

When it comes to making decisions as a physical performer, I have these oppositions to play with; and I also have her image. Here is a sketch made of her by Holbein.

 In studying portraits of Jane I am most caught by her long nose and very pinched mouth. I like the tightness of her mouth-- keeping herself in, no doubt. The one time she tried to advise the king on policy he warned her to consider what had happened to those before her who tried to meddle. But then it could be the mouth of someone demanding and prudish, even judgmental.
She keeps her chin tucked, which to me looks like she mainly interacts with life through her eyes. Taking it in, being seen but not heard? Watching? Is that a passive stance or is she judging?
These are all really fun options for me to play with as an actress.

But how did this woman catch King Henry??

And then I discovered this painting...

 

Alright, Sexy Jane! This from a mural of Hans Holbein sketching Jane Seymour, located at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. 

 

Presumably this coy, wanton pose somehow inspired the very Holbein portrait shown above? Holbein was known for only painting what he saw, and he was forgiven the resulting discrepancies as the effects of an artist's temperament and vision. After the boistrous Anne Boleyn, could Holbein have painted a modest and contained little Jane to please the eye of a king who was sick of her opposite?

 

I love the flirty, turned-up edges of her hat and the low, low neckline. Now this looks like a girl who could catch a King! (And that handkerchief- I was playing with a hankie for photos well before I'd seen this pic. This confirms, it's a good prop!) The discovery of this painting gives me one more layer to explore. How do I depict Jane? Whose interpretation might be truest? And does that matter when hundreds of years have passed, and after all- all these stories and paintings come from someone else. What words do we have that were her own to give us clues about who she really was?

The Queens by Queen

Hi, Cat of A here. I was listening to my boy Freddie this morning, and a scene erupted in my head. It's a music video that will most likely never happen, given all of our schedules, but I thought I'd give you a taste of it anyway. Very simple, written for the Queens by Queen. Is it not perfect?

 

We Are The Champions

 

CA: I've paid my dues

Time after time

 

AB I've done my sentence

But committed no crime

 

KH And bad mistakes

I've made a few

 

AC I've had my share of sand kicked in my face

But I've come through!

 

All: No need to go on, on, on, on...

We are the champions, my friends

And we kept on fighting till the end

We are the champions

We are the champions

No time for losers

'Cause we are the champions

Of the world.

 

JS I've taken my bows

 

CP And my curtain calls

 

All: You've brought us fame and fortune and everything that comes with it

We thank you all

 

KH But it's been no bed of Roses

 

CP no pleasure cruise

 

All: We consider it a challenge before the whole human race, and we're gonna lose

No need to go on, on, on, on

 

CHORUS

 

CHORUS--Second time through,Jane gets emotional and throws open her arms for effect. One of them hits Boleyn in the face, and she starts fighting with Jane. One by one, they all get into it. Eventually, as the last chorus is being sung, everyone's beating each other up beyond belief.

 

And that's my music video.

Catherine of Aragon sayeth:

VII is dead. I should not be happy about it, but my confessor says he was an asshole that deserved to die. I don't know. It seems very un-Catholic to wish someone dead, but I think a little tiny tiny bit of me feels that way. My gown was torn, dirty, and out of date. The last days all I had to eat was rotten fish. My women are getting testy, and who can blame them? I'm supposed to arrange good marriages for them, take care of them, pay them, clothe them, and feed them. They know it's not my fault, but, you know, Catholic guilt. We have to live like urchins while my rightful allowance is being withheld by the King. My father doesn't care. I'm his favorite daughter, and I feel very lucky about that. He locked his less favorite in the Tower for being a little touched in the head.

But things are looking up! Maybe Henry VIII and I can be together now. I will at least be able to pay my women their wages, and that stress will be off. I'm feeling better already. Stress was making me sick. It turned out that it was okay that I had nothing to eat, because I had no appetite. Oh well, God has a reason for all things. All the trauma has made me a stronger person.

Moments of Action and Moments of Silence

Nicole/Kathryn Howard here, just noting a discovery I may have made.

I say "may" just because I'm not sure if I agree with myself yet.

As we move into the meat of the rehearsal process--e.g. playing with staging and scene arcs, developing a working vocabulary for the process--I've noticed that Kathryn Howard has bursts where she talks a lot and then long stretches where she doesn't say anything at all.

What is that?

At first I thought:  she's just not paying attention, lost in a day-dreamy state or doing her nails.  I really don't like that option.  It makes her really inactive, totally not part of the story.

So then I thought maybe she is trying to get the others' attention, she just doesn't know how.  Which I like a lot better.  It makes sense with a lot of character factors.  First, she is younger than the other queens.  Second, she knows that she doesn't have as good a claim on the throne as some of them.  Third, she's not as well-educated as the other queens and can't keep up with their biting wit.

She tries to join in the competitive comraderie.  She cracks what dirty jokes she can and clings to the fact that Henry did probably like her the most (really her only claim to being true queen).  Well, Seymour could probably give her a run for her money, but he still really only liked her because of the baby.  Also, she secretly thinks she's the prettiest, but she would never really fight for that because she's intimidated by Cousin Anne.

Instead of not paying attention to the conversation, she's totally in it, trying to think of a joke to slip in or something intelligent to say.  But the convo is always two steps ahead of her.  By the time she thinks of something to say, the group has moved on to a different topic.

Poor, illiterate Kathryn!

The First Time...

Below is an account of the first time King Henry noticed Kathryn Howard :)

I have a secret.

But first a little about my new home The Court.

The court is incredible. I’ve never seen so many beautiful people in one place before. I mean there were pretty girls at the Duchess’s house but not like this. There are more jewels here and more pretty fabrics. Lace and velvet and silk and everything brocaded or covered in gold or specked with pearls. I have no idea why I didn’t come here sooner!!!!

I like the queen well enough. She is really very friendly and made me feel very welcome. She also is a very smart woman which I think is a good thing for a queen to be. I do not know if I would make a very good queen since I am not very smart. That is at least what all the girls at Lambeth said :/

And now my secret. I am almost bursting with this secret that might not be a secret anymore because people at court gossip and gossip and gossip and never shut up their mouths.

Last night the King dined with the Queen. I felt awkward at first. My dress was well-made to fit me and my hair was combed until it shined. But I was so nervous!! All these ladies have been at court much longer than I have and even before they were ladies to the queen most of their families spent a lot of time at court so they are used to all these little formal things. I did not quite know what to do while the king and queen ate with each other. They were not speaking a great deal and the king would not look at her nearly at all. He would not look at anything other than his dinner plate. And I am standing there feeling so out of place worrying that my accent might be different or I might laugh at a joke that I am not supposed to… And my hands!! All of the sudden I didn’t know what to do with my hands!!!!!! I mean like really! Behind my back at my sides in front of me? Where should they go??

So there I am not knowing what to do with my hands and I am standing and watching two complete strangers eat dinner when all of the sudden the queen says something very mundane like “How was the council today, my lord?” Or something boring like that. And the king was thinking about something else I guess because he started a little bit when the queen spoke. And then he saw me. He looked directly at me. And I think but I could be making things up that he started again just a little bit. And then he smiled!! At me!!!! Then he looked back at the queen and answered her. But later when they toasted to something I do not remember what he looked at me again right before he drank his wine!!!

I mean really like my first day at court and already the king has smiled upon me. Little stupid Kathryn from Lambeth! Maybe he will give my father some money. Father needs money very badly. Maybe if the king really does like little stupid Kathryn from Lambeth he’ll help her family. And maybe he'll also give me some new jewelry or dresses to wear.  I'll need some fine new things now that I'm a lady in the Queen's court!!  Would it not be marvelous?

Two died of Septicaemia

So what is Septicaemia?

According to George Bain of Helium dot com, Septicaemia kills over thirty seven thousand people a year and is a leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. Many people are infected after routine surgery, when an infection in the bloodstream causes the body's immune system to go haywire.  If it's that common today, with all our knowledge of germs, I shudder to think how easily people must have been carried off by such an infection in Tudor times. Especially women, after a long bloody labor attended by a grubby midwife.

The list of symptoms is a long one. Both Jane Seymour and Ketherine Parr could have suffered any number of them, but certainly fever and delerium.
They may also have experienced drenching sweats; abdominal pains or pains in their limbs; all sorts of unseemly symptoms leading to severe dehydration; loss of blood pressure, and confusion.

A sad and painful end for these two Queens.