Detoxing the Bard

The Wall Street Journal published an article about an upcoming project by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The project involves updating or translating Shakespeare’s plays, but I am not too concerned with the project itself.

Adaptation and translation are important for interpreting Shakespeare. Perfectly valid endeavors; some turn out better than others; they are nothing to get too excited or upset about. I hope this venture of the OSF goes well, and am interested to hear more about it. That’s all for that.

What does have me fuming is this article spouting illogical at best, and deceitful at worst, information about Shakespeare’s contemporary relevance.

Life Beyond the Bard

For the first time in my life, I think there’s enough Shakespeare around me.

Yesterday, I wandered into a little art shop after class, and struck up a conversation with the owner. She asked what style of art I did, and when I mentioned Edward Gorey her eyes lit up. We spent the next ten minutes gushing over his style and the way it has been emulated through theatre productions and recreations. As I finally paid for my small purchase and departed, she apologized for talking my ear off.

I quickly correcter her, “Don’t apologize! It was lovely to talk to someone as enamored with Gorey!”

Summer Reading: All’s Well That Ends Well

If this play’s title had a subtitle, it would be “…But Does It Really?” After my first reading, I remember being thoroughly confused, frustrated, and disgusted at the trite simplistic ending, where perfect Helena ends up with the seemingly unrepentant scumbucket Bertram.

However, coming back to it several years later (and I’d like to think moderately wiser, at least in terms of Shakespeare), this play intrigued me. It really is such a bizarre little thing, that I don’t know how to articulate what it is or exactly how I feel about it, aside from perplexed.

Summer Reading: Two Gentlemen of Verona by Shakespeare

Despite popular belief, there are a handful of Shakespeare plays that I have neither read nor seen–that is changing this summer in preparation for my upcoming adventure at Mary Baldwin College.

First on that list is Two Gentlemen of Verona. Coming into the play, I had some minor knowledge about the plot–something about love and betrayal–and had used one of Speed’s monologues as an audition piece (I know, bad form to take a monologue out of context and fail to get the whole story, oh well).

Summer Reading: Contested Will by James Shapiro

First book of the summer down! And what a lovely, gripping book it was!

Ever since my first introduction to Shakespeare in middle school, I have been aware of the authorship question. However, the topic never intrigued me quite enough to do significant research. I knew who the big contenders were–Earl of Oxford, Marlowe, Bacon–and why they were candidates–educated, intriguing, established. I could have a superficial conversation, but not much else.

Books: Shakespeare on Toast by Ben Crystal

This little gem has been on my To-Read list for far too long, but the good news is that today I get to check it off, and it was well worth the wait.

I’ve studied Shakespeare as Literature, and I’ve watched loads of performances (I was even in one myself), but I must honestly admit that studying Shakespeare as a performance text has not been my strong point. For all the experience I have with the Bard, and all the love I bear towards him, I still find him quite daunting and difficult.

Women Playing Hamlet

This weekend’s dosage of theatre came in the form of a satirical romp at the Bard’s expense.

Gamut Theatre in Harrisburg was one of three theatres across the country working with the National New Play Network to promote William Missouri Downs’ new play, Women Playing Hamlet in what they call “a rolling world premiere“.

Hamlet at Gamut Theatre

I’ve just returned from seeing a Shakespearean production, and as per usual I am feeling overly emotional and deeply contemplative.

This evening featured Hamlet with the Harrisburg Shakespeare Company: a cut down production that brought you through the full spectrum of the human experience in just over 90 minutes. Within the first five minutes (maybe ten?), I found tears in my eyes.