Hey Dan

The New costume was out this weekend and was a big hit.

Though I discovered if you are going to play an actor you should have some plays memorized. People will ask you to preform one. The only stuff I know off the top of my head are shakespeare play due to the time frame of scarborough Faire not written yet. Scarborough is set in 1533 shakespeare was not born until 1564. Now having said that if I am playing Willian Kempe who was one of his Actors Kempe aswell may not have been born. But since very lttle is known about Kempe I am using Artistic Licence.

I also found that yes I am William Kempe.

He was a great improvasational actor with a tendancy to 'stray' from the script. Shakespeare wrote a line in Hamet

"...and let those that play your clowns speak no more than is set down for them, for there be of them that will themselves laugh, to set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh too, though in the mean time some necessary question of the play be then to be considered. That's villainous and shows a most pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it."

William Kempe was one of the principal actors in Shakespeare's acting troupe the Lord Chandler's Men. However, Kempe proved to be a much different clown, known more for his improvisational antics, double takes, and gestures. It is thought that Shakespeare tailored his plays to the style and abilities of Kempe, but held much disdain for the actor. Nevertheless, Shakespeare was forced to tolerate Kempe because he was widely adored by the public.

In order to keep Kempe from destroying his more dramatic roles, Shakespeare created a series of simple clowns that fit Kempe's persona. For example, Kempe's greatest success came from the role of Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is evident that Shakespeare created this character with the intent of slandering the actor because early manuscripts identified the character as "Kempe" rather than "Bottom" .

So you can see why I like him.

Thanks to Kim D. for the photo.