The State of Shakespeare

The Winter's Tale: Act 1, Scene 2LeontesAugust 16, 2013 Use yourself!  In a very frank and candid interview, Chris Clavelli reveals how his experiences inform his roles.  From forgetting your lines to losing a child, Chris takes us on a journey of artistic development.   He does so with eloquence and a tart sense of humor. Click here to see the text. Click here for here for the First Folio Version. Click here to see a fully scanned version of the text.

The Taming of the Shrew      Act V, Scene ii Katherine June 12, 2013   Wake and Shake!  In this spirited interview with multi-talented Gabra Zackman, we explore performing outdoors, good Petruchios and we hold a "prism of light" up to Kate's last speech in Taming of the Shrew.  There is subtext here, or is it nuance? Click here to see the text. Click here for here for the First Folio Version. Click here to see a fully scanned version of the text.

Hamlet     Act I, Scene ii Hamlet August 16, 2013 Women playing men playing women playing men...  Lisa Wolpe, Founder and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company, talks about her life's work.  Carrying on a centuries old tradition, the LAWSC is celebrating it's twentieth year.  Delving into the "Oh that this too too solid flesh..." soliloquy, Lisa talks playing Hamlet, gender bending and what it's like to be a "silverback."  From a woman steeped in Shakespeare comes a deft dance of thought. Click here to follow along with the text. Click here for a scanned version of the text. SHOW INFO: An all-female, multi-cultural aesthetic offers new insight when the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company co-present Hamlet in celebration of LAWSC’s 20th anniversary. Featuring a cast of 16 LAWSC favorites and talented newcomers – including producing artistic director and celebrated Shakespearean actress Lisa Wolpe in the title role – Hamlet opens for press on Aug. 30 at the Odyssey Theatre in West L.A. Performances of Hamlet take place on Fridays and Saturdays @ 8 p.m. and Sundays @ 2 p.m.*, Aug. 30 through Oct. 27. (*On Sunday, Sept. 1 only, the performance will be @ 5 p.m. with no 2 p.m. matinee.) Additional weeknight performances are scheduled on Wednesdays @ 8 p.m. on Sept. 18, Oct. 2 and Oct. 16; and on Thursdays @ 8 p.m. on Sept. 12, Sept. 26, Oct. 10 and Oct. 24. Tickets are $30, except for the performance on Saturday, August 31 which is $45 and includes a gala reception following the performance. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025. For reservations and information, call (310) 477-2055 or go to www.OdysseyTheatre.com.

Measure for Measure      Act II, Scene ii Angelo July 5, 2013   What dost thou, or what art thou, Angelo?  Straight from the stages of The Stratford Festival, Tom Rooney gets to the bottom of this question in our latest interview.  Explore Angelo's past, present and future and why Tom Rooney describes him as a Man/Boy.  Dive into this dense speech, from the first read to the final syllable.  Oh Fie Fie Fie upon you if you miss this one from a master of Shakespeare. Click here to follow along with the text. Click here for the First Folio Version Click here for a scanned version of the text. Watch Antoni Cimolino, General Director of the Stratford Festival, talk about Measure.

Adapted and Produced by J. Michael DeAngelis and Pete Barry Directed by John Dowgin xxxx xxxx   Can Shakespeare illuminate the Arab Spring?  The Porch Room answers the question in their new production Antony & Cleopatra: Infinite Lives.   It's the story of an Egyptian expatriate who gets caught between two revolutionaries - her fiancée, an activist director who tries to upend his commissioned Shakespeare production, and her brother, a nationalist fresh from the violence of Tahrir Square. It played a sold-out run in last year's Philly Fringe at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. xxx TheaterMania.com recommends Antony & Cleopatra: Infinite Lives as one of the top 8 shows to see in the NYC International Fringe Festival at the Lynn Redgrave Theatre at 45 Bleeker Street (by Lafayette) in New York City.  Tickets can be purchased here. xxx Performance Dates: Friday, August 16th at 9:30 PM Sunday, August 18th at 4:45 PM Sunday, August 25th at Noon xxx  

The Nightmare Dream Adapted and Directed by Neal J. Freeman         What would happen if Shakespeare was "bitten" by Bram Stoker's Dracula?  One man aims to find out. Neal J. Freeman has created a mash up of two classic texts:  Midsummer and Dracula.  The Nightmare ‘Dream’ is the Shakespeare play told through a classic horror film lens with a healthy dose of tongue-in cheek.   As the lovers embark on their famous journey into the woods, they encounter a villain unlike any imagined by Shakespeare. No ruffled neck is safe in this, the ORIGINAL douchey teen vampire drama. The Nightmare ‘Dream’ will play Sunday 8/11 at 6pm, Monday 8/12 at 9:30pm, Thursday 8/15 at 9:30pm, Friday 8/16 at 3:45pm, and Sunday 8/18 at 4:15pm. See website for more information: www.bloodyshakespeare.com or www.fringenyc.org. Tickets on sale July 19 at www.fringenyc.org. Watch a video here: The Nightmare 'Dream' - Meet Neal & Heather from lupoblu on Vimeo.

As You Like It     Act II, Scene vii Jacques June 14, 2013   With age comes wisdom.  Hudson Warehouse Artistic Director Nicholas Martin-Smith stays in the moment while performing Jacques famous "All the World's a Stage" speech from Act 2, Scene 7 of As You Like It.  Nicholas discusses what it's like to start a theater company, how he overcame a learning disability and why experience is a great teacher. This interview is "sans" nothing. Click here to follow along with the text. Click here to follow along with First Folio version of the text. Click here to see a scanned version of the text.

A Midsummer Night's Dream     Act I, Scene i Helena June 14, 2013      It's a Family Affair!  Bringing classical theatre to life for four generations isn't easy.  Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum is a labor of love for a family with Shakespeare in their veins.  Ellen Geer, Melora Marshall and Ian Flanders share the fascinating story of the Theatricum's past, present and future.  And Willow Geer keeps it fresh with a feisty and vivacious take on Helena from A Midsummer Night's Dream Act I, Scene i. Click here to follow along with the text. Click here to follow along with Willow's version of the text. Click here to see a scanned version of the text.

A Midsummer Night's Dream     Act II, Scene i Oberon & Titania June 14, 2013     It's the quintessential Midsummer experience.  A visit to Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga, California is a delight for all five of the senses.  In celebration of their 40th season of bringing the magic of Shakespeare to life on their idyllic outdoor stage, the Company is reviving its beloved production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Feast your ears on this brief excerpt from Act II, Scene i, featuring founding company members Ellen Geer and Melora Marshall. Click here to follow along with the text.

Hamlet     Act II, Scene ii   Hamlet February 8, 2013   To cue or not to cue that is the question.  Colin David Reese uses cue scripts in performing Shakespeare.  He also eschews punctuation, breathes only at the end of the verse line and incorporates leCoq into his work.   Not one to mince words, Colin never fails to entertain and enlighten in this, our first international interview.  Sit back and listen to how it will fadge. Click here to see the text.  Click for here for the No Punctuation Version. Click here to see a fully scanned version of the text.

What do the Bodleian Library, John Heminge, Harry Condell and Colin David Reese have in common?  They all converge on stage in the international hit Shakespeare Unbound.  Exploring the creation of the First Folio, Mr. Reese makes some awesome discoveries in this short aside.   Here is a trailer for the show: http://youtu.be/utWl-fvCpYk&w=400&h=225

Henry VI, Part iii      Act III, Scene ii   Gloucester February 5, 2013 Catch a wave!  Stay "on top" of Jim Devita's words as he discusses how he learned to avoid generalizing in acting Shakespeare.   Jim explores the importance of training (and what Shakespearean actors can learn from Michael Jordan.)  We plunge into Richard of Gloucester's speech in Henry VI, Part iii, to discover the secret to playing villains, plumbing emotions (or not) and pursuing metaphors.  Join us for a discussion of the most voluble soliloquy in Shakespeare's canon. Click here to see the text.  Click for here for the Jim Devita version. Click here to see a fully scanned version of the text.

How did Jim Devita end up going from New York to Wisconsin and then back to New York with a one man show?  If you haven't heard of the American Players Theater, you should have.    Listen to Jim's journey, about APT's mission and how both look to create authentic Shakespeare productions at a very large outdoor theater in this brief aside from The State of Shakespeare.  You may just end up moving to Spring Green, Wisconsin.

Richard III      Act I, Scene i    Gloucester April 2, 2013 What is Shakespeare's idea of tragedy?  Is an audience seduced by Richard?  What happens to the soul of ambition after the final prize has been won?  Is there any sympathy left for this devil?  The answers and much more, including a fantastic reading of the opening speech, can be found in Part II of our interview about Richard III with Ron Russell and Jim Wallert of the Epic Theatre Ensemble.  Their production of Richard III: Born With Teeth runs through May 4th.  For details click here. Click here to see the text.  Click for here for the Epic Theater version. Click here to see a fully scanned version of the text.

Richard III      Act I, Scene i    Gloucester April 2, 2013 Born with Teeth!   Can a company that rose from the ashes of 9/11 make a difference?  The answer is a resounding "Yes!"  The Epic Theater Ensemble has created a fantastic model of socially responsible, education- oriented theater.  Executive Director Ron Russell and Associate Artistic Director Jim Wallert talk about the company's mission of outreach, developing new audiences and the "why" of engagement.  We discuss the dialogue they create with their audience, the use of emerging technology and, of course, the upcoming production of Richard III: Born With Teeth.  It's not your grandmother's musty dusty Shakespeare! Click here to see the text.  Click for here for the Epic Theater version. Click here to see a fully scanned version of the text.