Schools, districts, and government instituted curriculum plans are trimming the meat from classroom learning. The article describes Shakespeare studies as being one of those trims: “Shakespeare’s plays and other great works of literature considered too difficult for some pupils will disappear from classrooms under proposed changes to the curriculum.” That statement makes me sick.

Isn’t school meant to be challenging? I remember complaining about difficult parts of class in middle school and high school, but dangit, I learned something!

Standardized testing and the like are putting emphasis on subjects of minimal importance. You can’t have a multiple-choice test on literature. Learning can’t be measured. Why not reintroduce Shakespeare and other “difficult” materials into the classroom and have the youth of today learn culture, critical thinking, and appreciation of art?

And who says Shakespeare is difficult? The real difficulty today is people finding the patience to really learn something that takes time. Anything worth learning can’t really be studied in one or a few class sessions, can it? I’ve been studying Shakespeare for years! Many have studied Shakespeare (or other creative arts related subjects) their entire lives and still find gratification in the pursuit of knowledge.

What will the world of tomorrow be in an education system that teaches us to skim the surface of the knowledge pool without ever swimming to the deep end of knowledge?

As soon as the world gives me back more free time, you’ll be able to view my new posts on the go! Let me know how it works for you phone web surfers.

I know my updates have been few and far between. I’ve got plays to analyze, books to review, arguments to start, and more. Just stay tuned!

Who knows? I’m directing the show so I should probably have an answer to that. I don’t know what Shakespeare intended, but I know how the show affects me. The more I think about it, the more I feel that the different characters are the real charm of this play. Shakespeare writes these characters in very distinctly different ways. We have the heavily structured, ordered world of the court: Egeus pushing his clearly defined agenda with a dimplomatic Theseus upholding the law. The lovers, with many similarities, each can display a different form of love - or lust. The fairies demonstrate their very un-human nature in very lyrical, metaphoric language; the conflict between the powers that upsets nature (they affect nature as nature affects humans). And the mechanicals - each carrying their own trademark, shall we say, “challenge.”

I find it difficult to communicate here the real breadth and scope of the types of people that Shakespeare has written in this show. It begins with the language, but continues and develops with the characters physicality and personality. The challenge of a creating a really strong Midsummer is the very strong ensemble it requires. It’s not a show that less talented actors can be given a small part and not be noticed. My vision for my production is that every single character within the story is a very unique person different than the others around him or her but they all work together as a tight-knit ensemble. And each ensemble in each of the shows subplots can work with each other as a part of a larger ensemble.

With a cast of 14 and most actors doubling as another role I hope to achieve this kind of different ensemble. A chorus that does not talk and sing and dance and look the same but are all different and yet work together seamlessly. I’ve seen productions where the characters sort of blend together and others where some are very defined. Especially with the mechanicals, whose comedy depends on it. Too often the fairies and the court are rather bland.

It’s an interesting challenge for acting or directing. I think it’s what makes this show so much fun for those both onstage and off. Thanks Mr. Shakespeare!

The Festival’s website says, “Due to the current financial climate, the Argosy Foundation has eliminated support from Milwaukee Shakespeare in order to put itself in the best position to continue to grow and support the community in the future.” Is that a nice way of saying “the arts aren’t important enough to us to foster its growth in times of need”? The festival showed the most growth this past season, things were looking up. Theatrical companies that fail are not uncommon, but when they seem to be doing things right, the tragic loss of an arts institution increases.

This blogger believes that the arts are much more important than any politician or company makes them out to be. Some research into the Argosy Foundation shows that part of their mission is to “maximize the likelihood of success” of their partners - which include groups in the areas of arts, education, environment, health, and others. One has to wonder which other companies, if any, and in what area of work, the foundation has eliminated funding for.

The loss of a million dollars in funding is undoubtedly a gigantic blow to the livelihood of Milwaukee Shakespeare, but is it a mortal wound? There are funds, although few, that may still prove to keep some aspect of the theatre alive. Minimalize the company perhaps, reach out for volunteer work, or produce cheap productions in local parks. Communities should urge their local arts institutions to educate, entertain, and inspire.

Creative arts are usually the first to go in times of economic uncertainty. Professional, amateur, and school arts departments are suffering everywhere. But “the play’s the thing,” or rather, art is the thing that makes our culture thrive. Can we let culture die due to the dollar?

Changing a character’s gender is old news, there’s not much of a story there (except that it hasn’t really been done on film yet. I can’t really tell what that means if it will be any different than in a theatrical production). What I would like to throw out there for discussion is what different themes and ideas are present with a female prospero? The whole overbearing father bit is now absent, but in modern times perhaps the idea of an over-powerful magical mother might be appealing - just like it Desperate Housewives… but with magic.

More of the cast has been rumored or announced, and includes such screen favorites as Geoffrey Rush, Alfred Molina, Jeremy Irons, and more. An article announcing this news on ScreenCrave.com shows how excited the author is about this cast, calling it “The best cast ever!”. Well, it certainly looks promising.

This past week was audition time and I’m pretty pleased with the talent that I saw. Definitely a good way to start off the project. Unlike the common school-play way of doing it with everyone having a part and a billion fairies I’m keeping it to a medium sized cast of 13 or 14 actors. I want to keep things simple, and doubling up parts will be helpful in organizing the actors. There are also interesting parallels to be drawn between characters when the same actor plays both, even if they don’t seem similar.

We’ll be performing in a park which is always fun and challenging but sometimes theatre outside of a theatre is rather liberating. Especially for a show that takes place mostly in the woods. And the best part: pre-show picnics!

I didn’t really have a lot to say about this at this time, though I’ll keep you updated on notable challenges and discoveries that arise during the rehearsal process. Stay tuned!

Video from Comedy Central’s Indecision 2008 Blog.

To give you an example of the sorts of things covered, the first issue covered the motif of “…Morning and the diverse ways Shakespeare describes it to us, sometimes without ever using the word.” Each page includes a couple quotes involving morning from various plays. But it’s not just a random list… they’re all beautifully poetic passages that you may not fully notice or appreciate when reading or seeing the play as a whole. The Shakespeare Papers are kindly asking you to stop, take a look at the little things that make up the whole of Shakespeare’s canon… you will be amazed and know not what to say.

Also included in the first issue is an explanation of the quotes. In fact, each issue includes some sort of analysis of the topic covered… you’re getting some scholarship too in a great looking packet. I should mention that the graphic design is really well done. It’s nice to have something this good looking beside the bland scholarly journals that I receive.

Speaking of scholarly journals, that’s not what you’re getting and it’s a great thing! Too much scholarship can take the fun out of Shakespeare, so you get just enough info to educate you on a small subject. These are very easy to follow along in (it’s only a few pages!) and if you want more, you can get extra tidbits through email every now and then if you’d like. I only wish I could get more issues more often!

It’s very easy to got lost in the forest of knowledge of Shakespeare’s works, the Shakespeare Papers is a wonderful guide to exploring the beauty contained in each tree. At $38 a year for 6 booklets, I would strongly recommend getting a subscription for yourself and one for a friend.

“Translating” Shakespeare is, as you may remember, a topic that I have mixed feelings about. However, I cannot easily deny the merits it has in certain situations. Shortened Shakespeare is an excellent way to introduce the stories to youngsters. The 3rd grade play can easily be a simplified Midsummer Night’s Dream.

This version of the text isn’t vastly different from some other shortened texts I’ve seen but it is kept nicely concise and simple, it does away with many obscure references that other editors decide to leave in for some odd reason.

For those of you who work with or have kids of your own, this is for you. Look it over and give me your thoughts. Also, from your experiences, what makes a good kids version of Shakespeare in your opinion?