MetaFilter posts tagged with shakespeare and theatre

There was good sport in its making

Ndwright — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:25:35 -0800

The Royal Shakespeare Company presents King Lear, starring Ian McKellen, directed by Trevor Nunn, adapted for broadcast and available in its entirety online. Noteworthy aspects of this adaptation include a novel end for the Fool (played by Doctor Who #7 Sylvester McCoy), an ironic fate for Edmund, and, omitted from the broadcast version, nudity (SFW) Interview with McKellen on playing the "Everest" of Shakespeare.

a semi-staged production of Shakespere's A Midsummer Night's Dream with Mendelsohn's incidental music

feelinglistless — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:42:19 -0800

Last night, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a semi-staged production of Shakespere's A Midsummer Night's Dream with Mendelsohn's incidental music. Now they've put a video of the performance up on their website. Sorry if this isn't available in your area. It was actually broadcast on television last night, but only on the BBC's digital red button service something which was hardly publicised so this is a handy catch up which will be available to the end of the year. I think it's one of the best productions of the play I've seen. It constantly subverts the expectations and implications of what a 'semi-staged' production can do and there are many wonderful moments developed from out expectation of how the cast are going to handle particular aspects of the play in a venue what should be relatively hostile venue to this kind of work.

The Case for the First Folio

feelinglistless — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:42:42 -0800

The Case for the First Folio For centuries, editors of Shakespeare's plays have conflated different published editions (quartos and folios) in an attempt to create one true text as the writer intended. In this essay (.pdf file) Jonathan Bate, one of the editors of The RSC Shakespeare makes the case that in fact what they're doing is editing together different drafts of the play originated by the bard at different times in his life attempting to make better dramatic sense. Essentially that none of the texts you studied at school are what Shakespeare intended to be performed at all. It's a very long essay but there are many wonderful revelations; my favourite is probably that the popular girl's name Imogen is a textual error created by a compositor when putting together an edition of the play 'Cymbeline' having misread the double 'n' in Innogen, a character name which also turns up in Much Ado About Nothing. Sorry Imogens.

Free audio podcast of The Globe’s 2007 production of Much Ado About Nothing

feelinglistless — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 08:56:24 -0800

A free audio podcast of The Globe Theatre’s 2007 version of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing has been posted online by the UK's Department for Education for use by teachers and pupils without easy access to a professional production but can be downloaded by everyone. Streaming and mp3 versions available. [via]

The things I will not do when I direct a Shakespeare production, on stage or film

feelinglistless — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 14:48:23 -0800

The things I will not do when I direct a Shakespeare production, on stage or film. "32. I will not employ a conception of Caliban which would require him to wear a ghastly furry costume reminiscent of a hypothetical offspring of Chewbacca and the Wolf from Into the Woods." "358. If cast members, especially fairies, are supposed to sing, I will make sure they can actually sing before opening night." Some of these appear to have been agreed to through bitter experience. I don't know about you but I'd like to add 400. I will not set A Comedy of Errors in a climbing frame which is meant to represent a lunatic asylum and have lookalikes played by the same actor in both parts as if has a split personality (watching that show was possibly the longest two hours I've spent in a theatre).

Shakespeare photographs

thomas j wise — Sat, 27 Sep 2003 09:47:24 -0800

Cleveland Press Shakespeare Photographs Er, no, not photographs of Shakespeare--that would be difficult--but of Shakespeare's plays in performance, 1870-1982. Covers productions in all media; photographs can be browsed by dramatic genre (tragedy, comedy, etc.). On a related note, see also Harry Rusche's Shakespeare Illustrated (outstanding and extensive site devoted to nineteenth-century paintings of scenes from Shakespeare's plays).

ColdChef — Fri, 15 Mar 2002 06:21:15 -0800

Beware the Ides of March! Take a little time today to think about Crazy Old Bill. There's a ton of Shakespearian stuff out there from the silly to the scary. (Even if you do think he's a phoney). Party Anon, dude.