Aili Huber and Toby Malone Cutting Plays for Performance May 16, 2022
Was this the kindest cut of all? It began as a friendly argument between fellow Shakespeareans, Aili Huber and Toby Malone, about how to trim the text of Richard III. They’ve since collaborated on a book and website with tools and hints to how to cut Shakespeare effectively. With a dose of humor and a dollop of wisdom, Cutting Shakespeare for Performance keenly tackles a sticky subject in Shakespeare.
Named for the rowdy Jacobean playhouse that illegally performed plays in England during the years of Puritan rule, the Red Bull Theater is breaking barriers. Using one of Henry V’s speeches, Associate Artistic Director Nathan Winkelstein reveals the power of Shakespeare and other plays of heightened language to deepen our understanding of the human condition.
What happens if you plunk down Richard III in a modern day High School? You get Teenage Dick. Teenage Dick, Written by Mike Lew, was commissioned and developed by Gregg Mozgala’s own theater company, The Apothetae, which is dedicated to productions that illuminate the disabled experience.
“Exhilarating. It suggests how much richer the theater will be when it is truly open to artists of all kinds. Not just because those artists deserve employment but also because the canon of classics deserves reimagining to match our world.”
Lew says, “We set out to re-examine disability politics from Shakespearean times to our time, through a dark comedy that mashes up Shakespeare-talk and Tik Tok.” Join us as we sit down with Mike and talk all things Teenage Dick.
What is the Untitled Othello Project? According to Keith Hamilton Cobb, the award-winning playwright who is the driving force behind the ensemble-based “adventure in theatre-making”, it’s much more than a deep and sustained exploration of Shakespeare’s text, it’s an “exercise in creative justice.” With this project, Keith is not just tackling Shakespeare’s play, he is taking on the whole “theatre industry complex”.
The Tragedy of Macbeth Act 5, Scene 5 December 10, 2021
Paul Alan Ruben has a sense for the feeling of a piece. The Grammy award winning director has finally turned his sense to Shakespeare. With Scott Brick in the title role, he has created the audiobook of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Creating this piece was a delicate balancing act between director, actor and microphone. Especially given that they were never in the same room!
The Tragedy of Macbeth, which Paul directed for Dreamscape Audio, was released on March 18, 2021. The play features ten actor/audiobook narrators, including some of our industry’s most notable performers: Scott Brick, Simon Vance, Dion Graham and Kathe Mazur. Get it here: The Tragedy of Macbeth.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Act 3, Scene 1 Bottom July 18, 2021
Live theatre is back! Our guest, Patrick Harvey, is a member of the inaugural cast of the Connecticut Shakespeare Festival. He’s playing Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Hartford’s Playhouse on Park. In this interview, Patrick shares why he especially loves playing characters who speak in prose – hint: it’s not all about the verse.
Titus Andronicus: Act 1, Scene 4 Tamora June 28, 2021
Kamilah Long, the Managing Director of Play On Shakespeare, is a force of nature. Growing up in Alabama, she discovered Shakespeare and has never looked back. Kamilah has big plans for Play On Shakespeare and performs Tamora from Titus Andronicus. If you have doubts about the Play On Project, Kamilah goes a long way to dispelling them.
The Folger Shakespeare Library stands in a prominent place in our nation’s capital. Since its founding, the building, its architecture, contents, and programming have been thoughtfully curated with this in mind. Dr. Michael Witmore, Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, reveals how Shakespeare’s works influenced our nation’s founders and helped to shape a philosophy of government and the very structure of our constitution. We also learn how the Folger Library continues to nurture the thought leaders of today and is creating astonishing digital resources for the future.
The cast of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, directed by Barry Edelstein, running August 6 – September 10, 2017. Photo by Jim Cox.
Louisa Jacobson as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare and directed by Barry Edelstein, runs August 11 – September 15, 2019 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Grantham Coleman in the title role of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, directed by Barry Edelstein, running August 6 – September 10, 2017. Photo by Jim Cox.
Aaron Clifton Moten as Romeo and Louisa Jacobson as Juliet. Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare and directed by Barry Edelstein, runs August 11 – September 15, 2019 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Billy Campbell as Leontes, Natacha Roi as Hermione, A.Z. Kelsey as Florizel, and Maya Kazan as Perdita in William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, directed by Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, Feb. 8 – March 16, 2014 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Who better to ask what Shakespeare can teach us about the turbulent times we are living in than Barry Edelstein – the Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theater in San Diego and one of the foremost producers and directors of Shakespeare working today? Recorded just days after the January 6th, 2021 uprising at the Capital, we discuss the current crises facing the country and in the world of Theater. What is the Old Globe doing to keep the curtain up and how is the company setting the stage for a post-pandemic future? (Monologue: Hamlet Act II scene 2)
He is neither a knave, beggar or a coward, but rather a champion of the Bard! Paul Sugarman has been working with Shakespeare his whole life. Most recently, he is bringing Shakespeare to life with the Instant Shakespeare Company. In this rousing interview, Mr. Sugarman discusses his company, using the First Folio and Shakespearean insults.
