shakespeare magazine 08
DESCRIPTION
Revista CulturaTRANSCRIPT
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At last A magazine with all the Will in the world
Issue 8FREE
Hamlet
SweetHomeShakespearersquos
Stratford-upon-
Avon itrsquos our
essential guide
Screen
SaversVideo Games
The future of
Shakespeare
Native
TonguesThe sound of
Shakespeare
in Scotland
Paintingthe BardThe haunting
Shakespeare art
of Rosalind Lyons
Shakespearersquos hottest ticketBENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
is Burning at the Barbican
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At last A magazine with all the Will in the world
Hamlet Shakespearersquos hottest ticketBENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
is Burning at the Barbican
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Welcome to Issue 8 of Shakespeare Magazine
Welcome
SHAKESPEARE magazine 3
P h o t o D a v i d H a m m o n d s
Shakespeare is our greatest most discussed most studied mostwritten-about author And yet we Shakespeare fans are oftenmade to feel that the Bard is some minor niche obsession thatcuts us o ff from what everyone else is getting excited about
So itrsquos great for us when Shakespeare becomes headline news ndashand I mean real news as opposed to the mediarsquos endlessly recycledShakespeare non-stories
Which brings me to Benedict Cumberbatchrsquos Hamlet Undoubtedlya real news story and a real Shakespeare story right now it feels likethe biggest thing to hit London since Henry VIIIrsquos fourth stag partye papers have been having a field day reporting on every aspect of
Benrsquos Barbican performances Some of it has been trivial sure But itrsquosalso touched on interesting subjects What is accepted theatre etiquettendash for journalists as well as fans Why is Hamlet such a pinnacle foractors And what happens if you move its most famous speech to thestart of the play
So this issue wersquore unashamedly celebrating Benedict Cumberbatchrsquos
Hamlet If yoursquore new to Shakespeare you probably donrsquot know thathe wasnrsquot actually the most popular and successful playwright of hisday But 400 years later hersquos the undisputed number one And thatrsquosdefinitely something to shout about
Enjoy your magazine
Pat Reid Founder amp Editor
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Contents
Shakespeare MagazineIssue Eight
August 2015
Founder amp EditorPat Reid
Art EditorPaul McIntyre
Staff WritersBrookeomas (UK)
Mary Finch (US)
WritersLiz Barrett
Andrew BretzPaul F CockburnRosalind LyonsHelen Mears
Jen Richardson
Chief Photographer Piper Williams
Thank YouMrs Mary Reid
Mr Peter RobinsonMerchant Taylorsrsquo School Crosby
Web designDavid Hammonds
Contact Usshakespearemagoutlookcom
FacebookfacebookcomShakespeareMagazine
Twitter UKShakespeare
Website wwwshakespearemagazinecom
4 SHAKESPEARE magazine
At last A magazine with all the Will in the world
Issue 8FREE
Hamlet
SweetHomeShakespearersquosStratford-upon-Avon itrsquos our
essential guide
ScreenSavers
Video GamesThe future of
Shakespeare
NativeTongues
The sound ofShakespeare
in Scotland
Paintingthe BardThe haunting
Shakespeare artof Rosalind Lyons
Shakespearersquos hottest ticketBENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
is Burning at the Barbican
6 BigBen
Itrsquos the Shakespeare event
of the Year BenedictCumberbatch is Hamlet
18 No PlaceLike Home
Back to where it all began
exploring Shakespearersquos hometown Stratford-upon-Avon
28 PaintingShakespeare
Magical haunting and dream-like the Shakespeare art ofRosalind Lyons
34 Killingthe King
Actor Aidan OrsquoReilly tells ushow hersquos preparing to playShakespearersquos Richard III
39 BonniePrince Billy
You havenrsquot heard Shakespeareuntil yoursquove heard it in theoriginal Scottishhellip
44 e Gamersquos
AfootCould the dizzying digitalworld of video games be
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Benedict Cumberbatch
6 SHAKESPEARE magazine
BigBen
ldquoHow weary stale fl at and unpro fi table
Seem to me all theuses of this worldrdquo [I 2]
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Perhaps the quintessentially English actor
Benedict Cumberbatch is taking on the
quintessentially English poet and playwright
William Shakespeare His new Hamlet
is the fastest-selling production in London
history but which other Shakespeare roles
has Benedict played And how does he feel
about tackling The Big One
Words Helen Mears Photos Johan Persson
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 7
Lyndsey Turnerrsquos 2015production of Hamlet
features striking setdesigns by Es Devlin
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Benedict Cumberbatch
8 SHAKESPEARE magazine
and Romeo and Juliet playing Orlando andBenvolio respectively
Shakespeare does not feature again inCumberbatchrsquos CV Instead he worked his way through acclaimed TV work such as hisportrayal of Steven Hawking in 2004 bio-drama Hawking and his role as the troubledartist Vincent Van Gogh in 2010rsquos VanGogh Painted with Words and film roles in Atonement (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) before breaking big in 2010 with theBBCrsquos Sherlock The programme was a world- wide success and propelled Cumberbatchonto the acting A-list Since then he hasfeatured in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) 12Years a Slave (2014) and two of the Hobbit films (2013-14) in which he voiced thedragon Smaug He also made a huge successof The Imitation Game (2014) in which heplayed codebreaker Alan Turing
Now Benedict is returning to Shakespeare with vengeance with two major roles on
stage as tragic hero Hamlet and on BBCTV as arch-villain Richard III in The HollowCrown The Wars of the Roses A taster came inthe BBCrsquos Lifetime of British Drama promo where he beautifully recites the Seven Agesof Man speech from As You Like It over clipsfrom classic BBC dramas past and present
Incredibly Cumberbatch is himself adistant descendant of Richard III The actorread Carol Ann Duffyrsquos specially-composedpoem lsquoRichardrsquo at his ancestorrsquos re-interment
at Leicester Cathedral in March 2015 Hefelt honoured to have been involved and itseemed particularly apt that he was filmingthe role of Richard at the time of thishistoric event ldquoHaving just played his verydifferent Shakespearean characterisationrdquo
Benedict will beseen as Richard IIIin the second cycleof the BBCrsquos The
Hollow Crown
B enedict Cumberbatchrsquos professionalrelationship with Shakespeare began early inhis career back in 2001 He appeared in theNew Shakespeare Companyrsquos productions inRegentrsquos Park playing the King of Navarrein Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost and Demetrius in A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream As he told Whatrsquos
On Stage in 2005 ldquoThey were my first twoprofessional roles in the theatrerdquo In theinterview he also stated that Shakespeare was his favourite all-time playwright Thispresumably influenced his decision to returnto Regentrsquos Park in 2002 for As You Like It
ldquoYou wouldnrsquot look twice at Richard Hersquos avery dangerous charming powerful manrdquo
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Benedict with MartinFreeman (left) in theBBCrsquos Sherlock
Rehearsals forHamlet July 2015
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 9
he commented ldquoI was intrigued to see whatthe real historical event would be like andto be a part of this extraordinary moment ofremembrance Then what really sealed thedeal was this beautiful poemrdquo
Benedict feels that the discovery ofRichardrsquos remains has changed peoplersquosperceptions ldquoI think the debate in historicaland archaeological terms about the reality ofhim and his kingship is whatrsquos extraordinaryto witness nowrdquo
He also recognises the perilous appealof Shakespearersquos Richard ldquoYou wouldnrsquotlook twice at him necessarilyrdquo he said ldquobutonce he had you in his beamhellip Hersquos a verydangerous charming powerful manrdquo
Cumberbatch was boldly instrumentalin Dame Judi Denchrsquos appearance in TheHollow Crown The Wars of the Roses Heattended a Shakespearean workshop eventat which the veteran actress was appearing When the audience were asked if they hadany questions he leapt into action askingldquoWould you like to be in Richard III withmerdquo Dame Judi naturally accepted
And fans of Sherlock will already knowthat Andrew Scott who played criminalmastermind Moriarty will also be appearing
in The Wars of the Roses as the French KingLouis
But itrsquos Cumberbatchrsquos run as Hamlet
at Londonrsquos Barbican that is arguably the Shakespeare event of 2015 It sold out inrecord time (although the venue promisethat day tickets will be available for eachperformance) as fans worldwide foughtfor their chance to see Benedict play theDane It is clearly the fruition of a dream forCumberbatch Indeed when asked at 2012rsquos
Cheltenham Literary Festival which play he would choose if he could only perform onemore stage role he opted for Hamlet ldquoEveryactor wants to have a go at itrdquo he said ldquoand I want to have my go at it and I will But wersquore working out when and howrdquo
Well the ldquowhen and howrdquo is right nowBenedict Cumberbatchrsquos career has come fullcircle from his first professional performanceof Shakespeare to playing his dream role Ifyoursquore lucky enough to have a ticket yoursquoll
be witnessing the most talked-about andfeverishly-anticipated theatrical event in yearsIf not therersquos always those queues for daytickets Wersquoll see you there
Hamlet runs at the Barbican Theatre
London until 31 October
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Shakespeare On Sale
SAVE 25 Since 1941 Dover Publications has built its reputation by offering remarkable books at
amazing prices Discover our fine catalog of the works of William Shakespeare
The complete collection of comedies historiesand tragedies all in compact 5rdquo x 8rdquo unabridgedpaperback editions The lowest-priced editionsavailable for todayrsquos educators students actorsand Shakespeare lovers of every kind
Complete and unabridged text of a play plus acomprehensive study guide with scene-by-scenesummaries explanations and discussions of the plota question-and-answer section and more
Calla Editions reg Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
Our premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductionsof some of the most beautiful books ever published Filled with
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wwwdoverpublicationscomwilliam-shakespeare
To SAVE 25 Click Here
NO minimum order required bull Use CodeWLA2 at checkout bull Expires 123115
P l u s M or ehellip
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G A L L E R Yamp R E V I E WFor a generation of Cumberbatch fans lsquoBenedict at the Barbicanrsquo is the
most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime
Images Johan Persson Words Liz Barrett
Hamlet
ldquoTo be or not to be ndashthat is the questionrdquo[III 1] Controversially the playrsquos most iconicspeech was moved to the beginningAs we went to press however thisdecision had apparently been reversed
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 11
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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At last A magazine with all the Will in the world
Hamlet Shakespearersquos hottest ticketBENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
is Burning at the Barbican
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Welcome to Issue 8 of Shakespeare Magazine
Welcome
SHAKESPEARE magazine 3
P h o t o D a v i d H a m m o n d s
Shakespeare is our greatest most discussed most studied mostwritten-about author And yet we Shakespeare fans are oftenmade to feel that the Bard is some minor niche obsession thatcuts us o ff from what everyone else is getting excited about
So itrsquos great for us when Shakespeare becomes headline news ndashand I mean real news as opposed to the mediarsquos endlessly recycledShakespeare non-stories
Which brings me to Benedict Cumberbatchrsquos Hamlet Undoubtedlya real news story and a real Shakespeare story right now it feels likethe biggest thing to hit London since Henry VIIIrsquos fourth stag partye papers have been having a field day reporting on every aspect of
Benrsquos Barbican performances Some of it has been trivial sure But itrsquosalso touched on interesting subjects What is accepted theatre etiquettendash for journalists as well as fans Why is Hamlet such a pinnacle foractors And what happens if you move its most famous speech to thestart of the play
So this issue wersquore unashamedly celebrating Benedict Cumberbatchrsquos
Hamlet If yoursquore new to Shakespeare you probably donrsquot know thathe wasnrsquot actually the most popular and successful playwright of hisday But 400 years later hersquos the undisputed number one And thatrsquosdefinitely something to shout about
Enjoy your magazine
Pat Reid Founder amp Editor
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Contents
Shakespeare MagazineIssue Eight
August 2015
Founder amp EditorPat Reid
Art EditorPaul McIntyre
Staff WritersBrookeomas (UK)
Mary Finch (US)
WritersLiz Barrett
Andrew BretzPaul F CockburnRosalind LyonsHelen Mears
Jen Richardson
Chief Photographer Piper Williams
Thank YouMrs Mary Reid
Mr Peter RobinsonMerchant Taylorsrsquo School Crosby
Web designDavid Hammonds
Contact Usshakespearemagoutlookcom
FacebookfacebookcomShakespeareMagazine
Twitter UKShakespeare
Website wwwshakespearemagazinecom
4 SHAKESPEARE magazine
At last A magazine with all the Will in the world
Issue 8FREE
Hamlet
SweetHomeShakespearersquosStratford-upon-Avon itrsquos our
essential guide
ScreenSavers
Video GamesThe future of
Shakespeare
NativeTongues
The sound ofShakespeare
in Scotland
Paintingthe BardThe haunting
Shakespeare artof Rosalind Lyons
Shakespearersquos hottest ticketBENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
is Burning at the Barbican
6 BigBen
Itrsquos the Shakespeare event
of the Year BenedictCumberbatch is Hamlet
18 No PlaceLike Home
Back to where it all began
exploring Shakespearersquos hometown Stratford-upon-Avon
28 PaintingShakespeare
Magical haunting and dream-like the Shakespeare art ofRosalind Lyons
34 Killingthe King
Actor Aidan OrsquoReilly tells ushow hersquos preparing to playShakespearersquos Richard III
39 BonniePrince Billy
You havenrsquot heard Shakespeareuntil yoursquove heard it in theoriginal Scottishhellip
44 e Gamersquos
AfootCould the dizzying digitalworld of video games be
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Benedict Cumberbatch
6 SHAKESPEARE magazine
BigBen
ldquoHow weary stale fl at and unpro fi table
Seem to me all theuses of this worldrdquo [I 2]
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Perhaps the quintessentially English actor
Benedict Cumberbatch is taking on the
quintessentially English poet and playwright
William Shakespeare His new Hamlet
is the fastest-selling production in London
history but which other Shakespeare roles
has Benedict played And how does he feel
about tackling The Big One
Words Helen Mears Photos Johan Persson
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 7
Lyndsey Turnerrsquos 2015production of Hamlet
features striking setdesigns by Es Devlin
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Benedict Cumberbatch
8 SHAKESPEARE magazine
and Romeo and Juliet playing Orlando andBenvolio respectively
Shakespeare does not feature again inCumberbatchrsquos CV Instead he worked his way through acclaimed TV work such as hisportrayal of Steven Hawking in 2004 bio-drama Hawking and his role as the troubledartist Vincent Van Gogh in 2010rsquos VanGogh Painted with Words and film roles in Atonement (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) before breaking big in 2010 with theBBCrsquos Sherlock The programme was a world- wide success and propelled Cumberbatchonto the acting A-list Since then he hasfeatured in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) 12Years a Slave (2014) and two of the Hobbit films (2013-14) in which he voiced thedragon Smaug He also made a huge successof The Imitation Game (2014) in which heplayed codebreaker Alan Turing
Now Benedict is returning to Shakespeare with vengeance with two major roles on
stage as tragic hero Hamlet and on BBCTV as arch-villain Richard III in The HollowCrown The Wars of the Roses A taster came inthe BBCrsquos Lifetime of British Drama promo where he beautifully recites the Seven Agesof Man speech from As You Like It over clipsfrom classic BBC dramas past and present
Incredibly Cumberbatch is himself adistant descendant of Richard III The actorread Carol Ann Duffyrsquos specially-composedpoem lsquoRichardrsquo at his ancestorrsquos re-interment
at Leicester Cathedral in March 2015 Hefelt honoured to have been involved and itseemed particularly apt that he was filmingthe role of Richard at the time of thishistoric event ldquoHaving just played his verydifferent Shakespearean characterisationrdquo
Benedict will beseen as Richard IIIin the second cycleof the BBCrsquos The
Hollow Crown
B enedict Cumberbatchrsquos professionalrelationship with Shakespeare began early inhis career back in 2001 He appeared in theNew Shakespeare Companyrsquos productions inRegentrsquos Park playing the King of Navarrein Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost and Demetrius in A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream As he told Whatrsquos
On Stage in 2005 ldquoThey were my first twoprofessional roles in the theatrerdquo In theinterview he also stated that Shakespeare was his favourite all-time playwright Thispresumably influenced his decision to returnto Regentrsquos Park in 2002 for As You Like It
ldquoYou wouldnrsquot look twice at Richard Hersquos avery dangerous charming powerful manrdquo
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Benedict with MartinFreeman (left) in theBBCrsquos Sherlock
Rehearsals forHamlet July 2015
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 9
he commented ldquoI was intrigued to see whatthe real historical event would be like andto be a part of this extraordinary moment ofremembrance Then what really sealed thedeal was this beautiful poemrdquo
Benedict feels that the discovery ofRichardrsquos remains has changed peoplersquosperceptions ldquoI think the debate in historicaland archaeological terms about the reality ofhim and his kingship is whatrsquos extraordinaryto witness nowrdquo
He also recognises the perilous appealof Shakespearersquos Richard ldquoYou wouldnrsquotlook twice at him necessarilyrdquo he said ldquobutonce he had you in his beamhellip Hersquos a verydangerous charming powerful manrdquo
Cumberbatch was boldly instrumentalin Dame Judi Denchrsquos appearance in TheHollow Crown The Wars of the Roses Heattended a Shakespearean workshop eventat which the veteran actress was appearing When the audience were asked if they hadany questions he leapt into action askingldquoWould you like to be in Richard III withmerdquo Dame Judi naturally accepted
And fans of Sherlock will already knowthat Andrew Scott who played criminalmastermind Moriarty will also be appearing
in The Wars of the Roses as the French KingLouis
But itrsquos Cumberbatchrsquos run as Hamlet
at Londonrsquos Barbican that is arguably the Shakespeare event of 2015 It sold out inrecord time (although the venue promisethat day tickets will be available for eachperformance) as fans worldwide foughtfor their chance to see Benedict play theDane It is clearly the fruition of a dream forCumberbatch Indeed when asked at 2012rsquos
Cheltenham Literary Festival which play he would choose if he could only perform onemore stage role he opted for Hamlet ldquoEveryactor wants to have a go at itrdquo he said ldquoand I want to have my go at it and I will But wersquore working out when and howrdquo
Well the ldquowhen and howrdquo is right nowBenedict Cumberbatchrsquos career has come fullcircle from his first professional performanceof Shakespeare to playing his dream role Ifyoursquore lucky enough to have a ticket yoursquoll
be witnessing the most talked-about andfeverishly-anticipated theatrical event in yearsIf not therersquos always those queues for daytickets Wersquoll see you there
Hamlet runs at the Barbican Theatre
London until 31 October
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Shakespeare On Sale
SAVE 25 Since 1941 Dover Publications has built its reputation by offering remarkable books at
amazing prices Discover our fine catalog of the works of William Shakespeare
The complete collection of comedies historiesand tragedies all in compact 5rdquo x 8rdquo unabridgedpaperback editions The lowest-priced editionsavailable for todayrsquos educators students actorsand Shakespeare lovers of every kind
Complete and unabridged text of a play plus acomprehensive study guide with scene-by-scenesummaries explanations and discussions of the plota question-and-answer section and more
Calla Editions reg Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
Our premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductionsof some of the most beautiful books ever published Filled with
breathtaking artwork and other deluxe features each Calla Editionrecalls a time when bookmaking was considered an artform
wwwdoverpublicationscomwilliam-shakespeare
To SAVE 25 Click Here
NO minimum order required bull Use CodeWLA2 at checkout bull Expires 123115
P l u s M or ehellip
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G A L L E R Yamp R E V I E WFor a generation of Cumberbatch fans lsquoBenedict at the Barbicanrsquo is the
most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime
Images Johan Persson Words Liz Barrett
Hamlet
ldquoTo be or not to be ndashthat is the questionrdquo[III 1] Controversially the playrsquos most iconicspeech was moved to the beginningAs we went to press however thisdecision had apparently been reversed
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 11
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Welcome to Issue 8 of Shakespeare Magazine
Welcome
SHAKESPEARE magazine 3
P h o t o D a v i d H a m m o n d s
Shakespeare is our greatest most discussed most studied mostwritten-about author And yet we Shakespeare fans are oftenmade to feel that the Bard is some minor niche obsession thatcuts us o ff from what everyone else is getting excited about
So itrsquos great for us when Shakespeare becomes headline news ndashand I mean real news as opposed to the mediarsquos endlessly recycledShakespeare non-stories
Which brings me to Benedict Cumberbatchrsquos Hamlet Undoubtedlya real news story and a real Shakespeare story right now it feels likethe biggest thing to hit London since Henry VIIIrsquos fourth stag partye papers have been having a field day reporting on every aspect of
Benrsquos Barbican performances Some of it has been trivial sure But itrsquosalso touched on interesting subjects What is accepted theatre etiquettendash for journalists as well as fans Why is Hamlet such a pinnacle foractors And what happens if you move its most famous speech to thestart of the play
So this issue wersquore unashamedly celebrating Benedict Cumberbatchrsquos
Hamlet If yoursquore new to Shakespeare you probably donrsquot know thathe wasnrsquot actually the most popular and successful playwright of hisday But 400 years later hersquos the undisputed number one And thatrsquosdefinitely something to shout about
Enjoy your magazine
Pat Reid Founder amp Editor
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Contents
Shakespeare MagazineIssue Eight
August 2015
Founder amp EditorPat Reid
Art EditorPaul McIntyre
Staff WritersBrookeomas (UK)
Mary Finch (US)
WritersLiz Barrett
Andrew BretzPaul F CockburnRosalind LyonsHelen Mears
Jen Richardson
Chief Photographer Piper Williams
Thank YouMrs Mary Reid
Mr Peter RobinsonMerchant Taylorsrsquo School Crosby
Web designDavid Hammonds
Contact Usshakespearemagoutlookcom
FacebookfacebookcomShakespeareMagazine
Twitter UKShakespeare
Website wwwshakespearemagazinecom
4 SHAKESPEARE magazine
At last A magazine with all the Will in the world
Issue 8FREE
Hamlet
SweetHomeShakespearersquosStratford-upon-Avon itrsquos our
essential guide
ScreenSavers
Video GamesThe future of
Shakespeare
NativeTongues
The sound ofShakespeare
in Scotland
Paintingthe BardThe haunting
Shakespeare artof Rosalind Lyons
Shakespearersquos hottest ticketBENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
is Burning at the Barbican
6 BigBen
Itrsquos the Shakespeare event
of the Year BenedictCumberbatch is Hamlet
18 No PlaceLike Home
Back to where it all began
exploring Shakespearersquos hometown Stratford-upon-Avon
28 PaintingShakespeare
Magical haunting and dream-like the Shakespeare art ofRosalind Lyons
34 Killingthe King
Actor Aidan OrsquoReilly tells ushow hersquos preparing to playShakespearersquos Richard III
39 BonniePrince Billy
You havenrsquot heard Shakespeareuntil yoursquove heard it in theoriginal Scottishhellip
44 e Gamersquos
AfootCould the dizzying digitalworld of video games be
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Benedict Cumberbatch
6 SHAKESPEARE magazine
BigBen
ldquoHow weary stale fl at and unpro fi table
Seem to me all theuses of this worldrdquo [I 2]
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Perhaps the quintessentially English actor
Benedict Cumberbatch is taking on the
quintessentially English poet and playwright
William Shakespeare His new Hamlet
is the fastest-selling production in London
history but which other Shakespeare roles
has Benedict played And how does he feel
about tackling The Big One
Words Helen Mears Photos Johan Persson
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 7
Lyndsey Turnerrsquos 2015production of Hamlet
features striking setdesigns by Es Devlin
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Benedict Cumberbatch
8 SHAKESPEARE magazine
and Romeo and Juliet playing Orlando andBenvolio respectively
Shakespeare does not feature again inCumberbatchrsquos CV Instead he worked his way through acclaimed TV work such as hisportrayal of Steven Hawking in 2004 bio-drama Hawking and his role as the troubledartist Vincent Van Gogh in 2010rsquos VanGogh Painted with Words and film roles in Atonement (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) before breaking big in 2010 with theBBCrsquos Sherlock The programme was a world- wide success and propelled Cumberbatchonto the acting A-list Since then he hasfeatured in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) 12Years a Slave (2014) and two of the Hobbit films (2013-14) in which he voiced thedragon Smaug He also made a huge successof The Imitation Game (2014) in which heplayed codebreaker Alan Turing
Now Benedict is returning to Shakespeare with vengeance with two major roles on
stage as tragic hero Hamlet and on BBCTV as arch-villain Richard III in The HollowCrown The Wars of the Roses A taster came inthe BBCrsquos Lifetime of British Drama promo where he beautifully recites the Seven Agesof Man speech from As You Like It over clipsfrom classic BBC dramas past and present
Incredibly Cumberbatch is himself adistant descendant of Richard III The actorread Carol Ann Duffyrsquos specially-composedpoem lsquoRichardrsquo at his ancestorrsquos re-interment
at Leicester Cathedral in March 2015 Hefelt honoured to have been involved and itseemed particularly apt that he was filmingthe role of Richard at the time of thishistoric event ldquoHaving just played his verydifferent Shakespearean characterisationrdquo
Benedict will beseen as Richard IIIin the second cycleof the BBCrsquos The
Hollow Crown
B enedict Cumberbatchrsquos professionalrelationship with Shakespeare began early inhis career back in 2001 He appeared in theNew Shakespeare Companyrsquos productions inRegentrsquos Park playing the King of Navarrein Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost and Demetrius in A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream As he told Whatrsquos
On Stage in 2005 ldquoThey were my first twoprofessional roles in the theatrerdquo In theinterview he also stated that Shakespeare was his favourite all-time playwright Thispresumably influenced his decision to returnto Regentrsquos Park in 2002 for As You Like It
ldquoYou wouldnrsquot look twice at Richard Hersquos avery dangerous charming powerful manrdquo
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Benedict with MartinFreeman (left) in theBBCrsquos Sherlock
Rehearsals forHamlet July 2015
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 9
he commented ldquoI was intrigued to see whatthe real historical event would be like andto be a part of this extraordinary moment ofremembrance Then what really sealed thedeal was this beautiful poemrdquo
Benedict feels that the discovery ofRichardrsquos remains has changed peoplersquosperceptions ldquoI think the debate in historicaland archaeological terms about the reality ofhim and his kingship is whatrsquos extraordinaryto witness nowrdquo
He also recognises the perilous appealof Shakespearersquos Richard ldquoYou wouldnrsquotlook twice at him necessarilyrdquo he said ldquobutonce he had you in his beamhellip Hersquos a verydangerous charming powerful manrdquo
Cumberbatch was boldly instrumentalin Dame Judi Denchrsquos appearance in TheHollow Crown The Wars of the Roses Heattended a Shakespearean workshop eventat which the veteran actress was appearing When the audience were asked if they hadany questions he leapt into action askingldquoWould you like to be in Richard III withmerdquo Dame Judi naturally accepted
And fans of Sherlock will already knowthat Andrew Scott who played criminalmastermind Moriarty will also be appearing
in The Wars of the Roses as the French KingLouis
But itrsquos Cumberbatchrsquos run as Hamlet
at Londonrsquos Barbican that is arguably the Shakespeare event of 2015 It sold out inrecord time (although the venue promisethat day tickets will be available for eachperformance) as fans worldwide foughtfor their chance to see Benedict play theDane It is clearly the fruition of a dream forCumberbatch Indeed when asked at 2012rsquos
Cheltenham Literary Festival which play he would choose if he could only perform onemore stage role he opted for Hamlet ldquoEveryactor wants to have a go at itrdquo he said ldquoand I want to have my go at it and I will But wersquore working out when and howrdquo
Well the ldquowhen and howrdquo is right nowBenedict Cumberbatchrsquos career has come fullcircle from his first professional performanceof Shakespeare to playing his dream role Ifyoursquore lucky enough to have a ticket yoursquoll
be witnessing the most talked-about andfeverishly-anticipated theatrical event in yearsIf not therersquos always those queues for daytickets Wersquoll see you there
Hamlet runs at the Barbican Theatre
London until 31 October
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Shakespeare On Sale
SAVE 25 Since 1941 Dover Publications has built its reputation by offering remarkable books at
amazing prices Discover our fine catalog of the works of William Shakespeare
The complete collection of comedies historiesand tragedies all in compact 5rdquo x 8rdquo unabridgedpaperback editions The lowest-priced editionsavailable for todayrsquos educators students actorsand Shakespeare lovers of every kind
Complete and unabridged text of a play plus acomprehensive study guide with scene-by-scenesummaries explanations and discussions of the plota question-and-answer section and more
Calla Editions reg Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
Our premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductionsof some of the most beautiful books ever published Filled with
breathtaking artwork and other deluxe features each Calla Editionrecalls a time when bookmaking was considered an artform
wwwdoverpublicationscomwilliam-shakespeare
To SAVE 25 Click Here
NO minimum order required bull Use CodeWLA2 at checkout bull Expires 123115
P l u s M or ehellip
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G A L L E R Yamp R E V I E WFor a generation of Cumberbatch fans lsquoBenedict at the Barbicanrsquo is the
most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime
Images Johan Persson Words Liz Barrett
Hamlet
ldquoTo be or not to be ndashthat is the questionrdquo[III 1] Controversially the playrsquos most iconicspeech was moved to the beginningAs we went to press however thisdecision had apparently been reversed
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 11
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Contents
Shakespeare MagazineIssue Eight
August 2015
Founder amp EditorPat Reid
Art EditorPaul McIntyre
Staff WritersBrookeomas (UK)
Mary Finch (US)
WritersLiz Barrett
Andrew BretzPaul F CockburnRosalind LyonsHelen Mears
Jen Richardson
Chief Photographer Piper Williams
Thank YouMrs Mary Reid
Mr Peter RobinsonMerchant Taylorsrsquo School Crosby
Web designDavid Hammonds
Contact Usshakespearemagoutlookcom
FacebookfacebookcomShakespeareMagazine
Twitter UKShakespeare
Website wwwshakespearemagazinecom
4 SHAKESPEARE magazine
At last A magazine with all the Will in the world
Issue 8FREE
Hamlet
SweetHomeShakespearersquosStratford-upon-Avon itrsquos our
essential guide
ScreenSavers
Video GamesThe future of
Shakespeare
NativeTongues
The sound ofShakespeare
in Scotland
Paintingthe BardThe haunting
Shakespeare artof Rosalind Lyons
Shakespearersquos hottest ticketBENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
is Burning at the Barbican
6 BigBen
Itrsquos the Shakespeare event
of the Year BenedictCumberbatch is Hamlet
18 No PlaceLike Home
Back to where it all began
exploring Shakespearersquos hometown Stratford-upon-Avon
28 PaintingShakespeare
Magical haunting and dream-like the Shakespeare art ofRosalind Lyons
34 Killingthe King
Actor Aidan OrsquoReilly tells ushow hersquos preparing to playShakespearersquos Richard III
39 BonniePrince Billy
You havenrsquot heard Shakespeareuntil yoursquove heard it in theoriginal Scottishhellip
44 e Gamersquos
AfootCould the dizzying digitalworld of video games be
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Benedict Cumberbatch
6 SHAKESPEARE magazine
BigBen
ldquoHow weary stale fl at and unpro fi table
Seem to me all theuses of this worldrdquo [I 2]
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Perhaps the quintessentially English actor
Benedict Cumberbatch is taking on the
quintessentially English poet and playwright
William Shakespeare His new Hamlet
is the fastest-selling production in London
history but which other Shakespeare roles
has Benedict played And how does he feel
about tackling The Big One
Words Helen Mears Photos Johan Persson
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 7
Lyndsey Turnerrsquos 2015production of Hamlet
features striking setdesigns by Es Devlin
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Benedict Cumberbatch
8 SHAKESPEARE magazine
and Romeo and Juliet playing Orlando andBenvolio respectively
Shakespeare does not feature again inCumberbatchrsquos CV Instead he worked his way through acclaimed TV work such as hisportrayal of Steven Hawking in 2004 bio-drama Hawking and his role as the troubledartist Vincent Van Gogh in 2010rsquos VanGogh Painted with Words and film roles in Atonement (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) before breaking big in 2010 with theBBCrsquos Sherlock The programme was a world- wide success and propelled Cumberbatchonto the acting A-list Since then he hasfeatured in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) 12Years a Slave (2014) and two of the Hobbit films (2013-14) in which he voiced thedragon Smaug He also made a huge successof The Imitation Game (2014) in which heplayed codebreaker Alan Turing
Now Benedict is returning to Shakespeare with vengeance with two major roles on
stage as tragic hero Hamlet and on BBCTV as arch-villain Richard III in The HollowCrown The Wars of the Roses A taster came inthe BBCrsquos Lifetime of British Drama promo where he beautifully recites the Seven Agesof Man speech from As You Like It over clipsfrom classic BBC dramas past and present
Incredibly Cumberbatch is himself adistant descendant of Richard III The actorread Carol Ann Duffyrsquos specially-composedpoem lsquoRichardrsquo at his ancestorrsquos re-interment
at Leicester Cathedral in March 2015 Hefelt honoured to have been involved and itseemed particularly apt that he was filmingthe role of Richard at the time of thishistoric event ldquoHaving just played his verydifferent Shakespearean characterisationrdquo
Benedict will beseen as Richard IIIin the second cycleof the BBCrsquos The
Hollow Crown
B enedict Cumberbatchrsquos professionalrelationship with Shakespeare began early inhis career back in 2001 He appeared in theNew Shakespeare Companyrsquos productions inRegentrsquos Park playing the King of Navarrein Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost and Demetrius in A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream As he told Whatrsquos
On Stage in 2005 ldquoThey were my first twoprofessional roles in the theatrerdquo In theinterview he also stated that Shakespeare was his favourite all-time playwright Thispresumably influenced his decision to returnto Regentrsquos Park in 2002 for As You Like It
ldquoYou wouldnrsquot look twice at Richard Hersquos avery dangerous charming powerful manrdquo
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Benedict with MartinFreeman (left) in theBBCrsquos Sherlock
Rehearsals forHamlet July 2015
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 9
he commented ldquoI was intrigued to see whatthe real historical event would be like andto be a part of this extraordinary moment ofremembrance Then what really sealed thedeal was this beautiful poemrdquo
Benedict feels that the discovery ofRichardrsquos remains has changed peoplersquosperceptions ldquoI think the debate in historicaland archaeological terms about the reality ofhim and his kingship is whatrsquos extraordinaryto witness nowrdquo
He also recognises the perilous appealof Shakespearersquos Richard ldquoYou wouldnrsquotlook twice at him necessarilyrdquo he said ldquobutonce he had you in his beamhellip Hersquos a verydangerous charming powerful manrdquo
Cumberbatch was boldly instrumentalin Dame Judi Denchrsquos appearance in TheHollow Crown The Wars of the Roses Heattended a Shakespearean workshop eventat which the veteran actress was appearing When the audience were asked if they hadany questions he leapt into action askingldquoWould you like to be in Richard III withmerdquo Dame Judi naturally accepted
And fans of Sherlock will already knowthat Andrew Scott who played criminalmastermind Moriarty will also be appearing
in The Wars of the Roses as the French KingLouis
But itrsquos Cumberbatchrsquos run as Hamlet
at Londonrsquos Barbican that is arguably the Shakespeare event of 2015 It sold out inrecord time (although the venue promisethat day tickets will be available for eachperformance) as fans worldwide foughtfor their chance to see Benedict play theDane It is clearly the fruition of a dream forCumberbatch Indeed when asked at 2012rsquos
Cheltenham Literary Festival which play he would choose if he could only perform onemore stage role he opted for Hamlet ldquoEveryactor wants to have a go at itrdquo he said ldquoand I want to have my go at it and I will But wersquore working out when and howrdquo
Well the ldquowhen and howrdquo is right nowBenedict Cumberbatchrsquos career has come fullcircle from his first professional performanceof Shakespeare to playing his dream role Ifyoursquore lucky enough to have a ticket yoursquoll
be witnessing the most talked-about andfeverishly-anticipated theatrical event in yearsIf not therersquos always those queues for daytickets Wersquoll see you there
Hamlet runs at the Barbican Theatre
London until 31 October
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Shakespeare On Sale
SAVE 25 Since 1941 Dover Publications has built its reputation by offering remarkable books at
amazing prices Discover our fine catalog of the works of William Shakespeare
The complete collection of comedies historiesand tragedies all in compact 5rdquo x 8rdquo unabridgedpaperback editions The lowest-priced editionsavailable for todayrsquos educators students actorsand Shakespeare lovers of every kind
Complete and unabridged text of a play plus acomprehensive study guide with scene-by-scenesummaries explanations and discussions of the plota question-and-answer section and more
Calla Editions reg Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
Our premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductionsof some of the most beautiful books ever published Filled with
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NO minimum order required bull Use CodeWLA2 at checkout bull Expires 123115
P l u s M or ehellip
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G A L L E R Yamp R E V I E WFor a generation of Cumberbatch fans lsquoBenedict at the Barbicanrsquo is the
most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime
Images Johan Persson Words Liz Barrett
Hamlet
ldquoTo be or not to be ndashthat is the questionrdquo[III 1] Controversially the playrsquos most iconicspeech was moved to the beginningAs we went to press however thisdecision had apparently been reversed
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 11
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Benedict Cumberbatch
6 SHAKESPEARE magazine
BigBen
ldquoHow weary stale fl at and unpro fi table
Seem to me all theuses of this worldrdquo [I 2]
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Perhaps the quintessentially English actor
Benedict Cumberbatch is taking on the
quintessentially English poet and playwright
William Shakespeare His new Hamlet
is the fastest-selling production in London
history but which other Shakespeare roles
has Benedict played And how does he feel
about tackling The Big One
Words Helen Mears Photos Johan Persson
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 7
Lyndsey Turnerrsquos 2015production of Hamlet
features striking setdesigns by Es Devlin
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Benedict Cumberbatch
8 SHAKESPEARE magazine
and Romeo and Juliet playing Orlando andBenvolio respectively
Shakespeare does not feature again inCumberbatchrsquos CV Instead he worked his way through acclaimed TV work such as hisportrayal of Steven Hawking in 2004 bio-drama Hawking and his role as the troubledartist Vincent Van Gogh in 2010rsquos VanGogh Painted with Words and film roles in Atonement (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) before breaking big in 2010 with theBBCrsquos Sherlock The programme was a world- wide success and propelled Cumberbatchonto the acting A-list Since then he hasfeatured in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) 12Years a Slave (2014) and two of the Hobbit films (2013-14) in which he voiced thedragon Smaug He also made a huge successof The Imitation Game (2014) in which heplayed codebreaker Alan Turing
Now Benedict is returning to Shakespeare with vengeance with two major roles on
stage as tragic hero Hamlet and on BBCTV as arch-villain Richard III in The HollowCrown The Wars of the Roses A taster came inthe BBCrsquos Lifetime of British Drama promo where he beautifully recites the Seven Agesof Man speech from As You Like It over clipsfrom classic BBC dramas past and present
Incredibly Cumberbatch is himself adistant descendant of Richard III The actorread Carol Ann Duffyrsquos specially-composedpoem lsquoRichardrsquo at his ancestorrsquos re-interment
at Leicester Cathedral in March 2015 Hefelt honoured to have been involved and itseemed particularly apt that he was filmingthe role of Richard at the time of thishistoric event ldquoHaving just played his verydifferent Shakespearean characterisationrdquo
Benedict will beseen as Richard IIIin the second cycleof the BBCrsquos The
Hollow Crown
B enedict Cumberbatchrsquos professionalrelationship with Shakespeare began early inhis career back in 2001 He appeared in theNew Shakespeare Companyrsquos productions inRegentrsquos Park playing the King of Navarrein Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost and Demetrius in A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream As he told Whatrsquos
On Stage in 2005 ldquoThey were my first twoprofessional roles in the theatrerdquo In theinterview he also stated that Shakespeare was his favourite all-time playwright Thispresumably influenced his decision to returnto Regentrsquos Park in 2002 for As You Like It
ldquoYou wouldnrsquot look twice at Richard Hersquos avery dangerous charming powerful manrdquo
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Benedict with MartinFreeman (left) in theBBCrsquos Sherlock
Rehearsals forHamlet July 2015
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 9
he commented ldquoI was intrigued to see whatthe real historical event would be like andto be a part of this extraordinary moment ofremembrance Then what really sealed thedeal was this beautiful poemrdquo
Benedict feels that the discovery ofRichardrsquos remains has changed peoplersquosperceptions ldquoI think the debate in historicaland archaeological terms about the reality ofhim and his kingship is whatrsquos extraordinaryto witness nowrdquo
He also recognises the perilous appealof Shakespearersquos Richard ldquoYou wouldnrsquotlook twice at him necessarilyrdquo he said ldquobutonce he had you in his beamhellip Hersquos a verydangerous charming powerful manrdquo
Cumberbatch was boldly instrumentalin Dame Judi Denchrsquos appearance in TheHollow Crown The Wars of the Roses Heattended a Shakespearean workshop eventat which the veteran actress was appearing When the audience were asked if they hadany questions he leapt into action askingldquoWould you like to be in Richard III withmerdquo Dame Judi naturally accepted
And fans of Sherlock will already knowthat Andrew Scott who played criminalmastermind Moriarty will also be appearing
in The Wars of the Roses as the French KingLouis
But itrsquos Cumberbatchrsquos run as Hamlet
at Londonrsquos Barbican that is arguably the Shakespeare event of 2015 It sold out inrecord time (although the venue promisethat day tickets will be available for eachperformance) as fans worldwide foughtfor their chance to see Benedict play theDane It is clearly the fruition of a dream forCumberbatch Indeed when asked at 2012rsquos
Cheltenham Literary Festival which play he would choose if he could only perform onemore stage role he opted for Hamlet ldquoEveryactor wants to have a go at itrdquo he said ldquoand I want to have my go at it and I will But wersquore working out when and howrdquo
Well the ldquowhen and howrdquo is right nowBenedict Cumberbatchrsquos career has come fullcircle from his first professional performanceof Shakespeare to playing his dream role Ifyoursquore lucky enough to have a ticket yoursquoll
be witnessing the most talked-about andfeverishly-anticipated theatrical event in yearsIf not therersquos always those queues for daytickets Wersquoll see you there
Hamlet runs at the Barbican Theatre
London until 31 October
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Shakespeare On Sale
SAVE 25 Since 1941 Dover Publications has built its reputation by offering remarkable books at
amazing prices Discover our fine catalog of the works of William Shakespeare
The complete collection of comedies historiesand tragedies all in compact 5rdquo x 8rdquo unabridgedpaperback editions The lowest-priced editionsavailable for todayrsquos educators students actorsand Shakespeare lovers of every kind
Complete and unabridged text of a play plus acomprehensive study guide with scene-by-scenesummaries explanations and discussions of the plota question-and-answer section and more
Calla Editions reg Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
Our premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductionsof some of the most beautiful books ever published Filled with
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To SAVE 25 Click Here
NO minimum order required bull Use CodeWLA2 at checkout bull Expires 123115
P l u s M or ehellip
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G A L L E R Yamp R E V I E WFor a generation of Cumberbatch fans lsquoBenedict at the Barbicanrsquo is the
most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime
Images Johan Persson Words Liz Barrett
Hamlet
ldquoTo be or not to be ndashthat is the questionrdquo[III 1] Controversially the playrsquos most iconicspeech was moved to the beginningAs we went to press however thisdecision had apparently been reversed
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 11
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Benedict Cumberbatch
6 SHAKESPEARE magazine
BigBen
ldquoHow weary stale fl at and unpro fi table
Seem to me all theuses of this worldrdquo [I 2]
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Perhaps the quintessentially English actor
Benedict Cumberbatch is taking on the
quintessentially English poet and playwright
William Shakespeare His new Hamlet
is the fastest-selling production in London
history but which other Shakespeare roles
has Benedict played And how does he feel
about tackling The Big One
Words Helen Mears Photos Johan Persson
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 7
Lyndsey Turnerrsquos 2015production of Hamlet
features striking setdesigns by Es Devlin
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Benedict Cumberbatch
8 SHAKESPEARE magazine
and Romeo and Juliet playing Orlando andBenvolio respectively
Shakespeare does not feature again inCumberbatchrsquos CV Instead he worked his way through acclaimed TV work such as hisportrayal of Steven Hawking in 2004 bio-drama Hawking and his role as the troubledartist Vincent Van Gogh in 2010rsquos VanGogh Painted with Words and film roles in Atonement (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) before breaking big in 2010 with theBBCrsquos Sherlock The programme was a world- wide success and propelled Cumberbatchonto the acting A-list Since then he hasfeatured in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) 12Years a Slave (2014) and two of the Hobbit films (2013-14) in which he voiced thedragon Smaug He also made a huge successof The Imitation Game (2014) in which heplayed codebreaker Alan Turing
Now Benedict is returning to Shakespeare with vengeance with two major roles on
stage as tragic hero Hamlet and on BBCTV as arch-villain Richard III in The HollowCrown The Wars of the Roses A taster came inthe BBCrsquos Lifetime of British Drama promo where he beautifully recites the Seven Agesof Man speech from As You Like It over clipsfrom classic BBC dramas past and present
Incredibly Cumberbatch is himself adistant descendant of Richard III The actorread Carol Ann Duffyrsquos specially-composedpoem lsquoRichardrsquo at his ancestorrsquos re-interment
at Leicester Cathedral in March 2015 Hefelt honoured to have been involved and itseemed particularly apt that he was filmingthe role of Richard at the time of thishistoric event ldquoHaving just played his verydifferent Shakespearean characterisationrdquo
Benedict will beseen as Richard IIIin the second cycleof the BBCrsquos The
Hollow Crown
B enedict Cumberbatchrsquos professionalrelationship with Shakespeare began early inhis career back in 2001 He appeared in theNew Shakespeare Companyrsquos productions inRegentrsquos Park playing the King of Navarrein Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost and Demetrius in A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream As he told Whatrsquos
On Stage in 2005 ldquoThey were my first twoprofessional roles in the theatrerdquo In theinterview he also stated that Shakespeare was his favourite all-time playwright Thispresumably influenced his decision to returnto Regentrsquos Park in 2002 for As You Like It
ldquoYou wouldnrsquot look twice at Richard Hersquos avery dangerous charming powerful manrdquo
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Benedict with MartinFreeman (left) in theBBCrsquos Sherlock
Rehearsals forHamlet July 2015
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 9
he commented ldquoI was intrigued to see whatthe real historical event would be like andto be a part of this extraordinary moment ofremembrance Then what really sealed thedeal was this beautiful poemrdquo
Benedict feels that the discovery ofRichardrsquos remains has changed peoplersquosperceptions ldquoI think the debate in historicaland archaeological terms about the reality ofhim and his kingship is whatrsquos extraordinaryto witness nowrdquo
He also recognises the perilous appealof Shakespearersquos Richard ldquoYou wouldnrsquotlook twice at him necessarilyrdquo he said ldquobutonce he had you in his beamhellip Hersquos a verydangerous charming powerful manrdquo
Cumberbatch was boldly instrumentalin Dame Judi Denchrsquos appearance in TheHollow Crown The Wars of the Roses Heattended a Shakespearean workshop eventat which the veteran actress was appearing When the audience were asked if they hadany questions he leapt into action askingldquoWould you like to be in Richard III withmerdquo Dame Judi naturally accepted
And fans of Sherlock will already knowthat Andrew Scott who played criminalmastermind Moriarty will also be appearing
in The Wars of the Roses as the French KingLouis
But itrsquos Cumberbatchrsquos run as Hamlet
at Londonrsquos Barbican that is arguably the Shakespeare event of 2015 It sold out inrecord time (although the venue promisethat day tickets will be available for eachperformance) as fans worldwide foughtfor their chance to see Benedict play theDane It is clearly the fruition of a dream forCumberbatch Indeed when asked at 2012rsquos
Cheltenham Literary Festival which play he would choose if he could only perform onemore stage role he opted for Hamlet ldquoEveryactor wants to have a go at itrdquo he said ldquoand I want to have my go at it and I will But wersquore working out when and howrdquo
Well the ldquowhen and howrdquo is right nowBenedict Cumberbatchrsquos career has come fullcircle from his first professional performanceof Shakespeare to playing his dream role Ifyoursquore lucky enough to have a ticket yoursquoll
be witnessing the most talked-about andfeverishly-anticipated theatrical event in yearsIf not therersquos always those queues for daytickets Wersquoll see you there
Hamlet runs at the Barbican Theatre
London until 31 October
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Shakespeare On Sale
SAVE 25 Since 1941 Dover Publications has built its reputation by offering remarkable books at
amazing prices Discover our fine catalog of the works of William Shakespeare
The complete collection of comedies historiesand tragedies all in compact 5rdquo x 8rdquo unabridgedpaperback editions The lowest-priced editionsavailable for todayrsquos educators students actorsand Shakespeare lovers of every kind
Complete and unabridged text of a play plus acomprehensive study guide with scene-by-scenesummaries explanations and discussions of the plota question-and-answer section and more
Calla Editions reg Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
Our premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductionsof some of the most beautiful books ever published Filled with
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To SAVE 25 Click Here
NO minimum order required bull Use CodeWLA2 at checkout bull Expires 123115
P l u s M or ehellip
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G A L L E R Yamp R E V I E WFor a generation of Cumberbatch fans lsquoBenedict at the Barbicanrsquo is the
most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime
Images Johan Persson Words Liz Barrett
Hamlet
ldquoTo be or not to be ndashthat is the questionrdquo[III 1] Controversially the playrsquos most iconicspeech was moved to the beginningAs we went to press however thisdecision had apparently been reversed
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 11
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Perhaps the quintessentially English actor
Benedict Cumberbatch is taking on the
quintessentially English poet and playwright
William Shakespeare His new Hamlet
is the fastest-selling production in London
history but which other Shakespeare roles
has Benedict played And how does he feel
about tackling The Big One
Words Helen Mears Photos Johan Persson
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 7
Lyndsey Turnerrsquos 2015production of Hamlet
features striking setdesigns by Es Devlin
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Benedict Cumberbatch
8 SHAKESPEARE magazine
and Romeo and Juliet playing Orlando andBenvolio respectively
Shakespeare does not feature again inCumberbatchrsquos CV Instead he worked his way through acclaimed TV work such as hisportrayal of Steven Hawking in 2004 bio-drama Hawking and his role as the troubledartist Vincent Van Gogh in 2010rsquos VanGogh Painted with Words and film roles in Atonement (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) before breaking big in 2010 with theBBCrsquos Sherlock The programme was a world- wide success and propelled Cumberbatchonto the acting A-list Since then he hasfeatured in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) 12Years a Slave (2014) and two of the Hobbit films (2013-14) in which he voiced thedragon Smaug He also made a huge successof The Imitation Game (2014) in which heplayed codebreaker Alan Turing
Now Benedict is returning to Shakespeare with vengeance with two major roles on
stage as tragic hero Hamlet and on BBCTV as arch-villain Richard III in The HollowCrown The Wars of the Roses A taster came inthe BBCrsquos Lifetime of British Drama promo where he beautifully recites the Seven Agesof Man speech from As You Like It over clipsfrom classic BBC dramas past and present
Incredibly Cumberbatch is himself adistant descendant of Richard III The actorread Carol Ann Duffyrsquos specially-composedpoem lsquoRichardrsquo at his ancestorrsquos re-interment
at Leicester Cathedral in March 2015 Hefelt honoured to have been involved and itseemed particularly apt that he was filmingthe role of Richard at the time of thishistoric event ldquoHaving just played his verydifferent Shakespearean characterisationrdquo
Benedict will beseen as Richard IIIin the second cycleof the BBCrsquos The
Hollow Crown
B enedict Cumberbatchrsquos professionalrelationship with Shakespeare began early inhis career back in 2001 He appeared in theNew Shakespeare Companyrsquos productions inRegentrsquos Park playing the King of Navarrein Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost and Demetrius in A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream As he told Whatrsquos
On Stage in 2005 ldquoThey were my first twoprofessional roles in the theatrerdquo In theinterview he also stated that Shakespeare was his favourite all-time playwright Thispresumably influenced his decision to returnto Regentrsquos Park in 2002 for As You Like It
ldquoYou wouldnrsquot look twice at Richard Hersquos avery dangerous charming powerful manrdquo
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Benedict with MartinFreeman (left) in theBBCrsquos Sherlock
Rehearsals forHamlet July 2015
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 9
he commented ldquoI was intrigued to see whatthe real historical event would be like andto be a part of this extraordinary moment ofremembrance Then what really sealed thedeal was this beautiful poemrdquo
Benedict feels that the discovery ofRichardrsquos remains has changed peoplersquosperceptions ldquoI think the debate in historicaland archaeological terms about the reality ofhim and his kingship is whatrsquos extraordinaryto witness nowrdquo
He also recognises the perilous appealof Shakespearersquos Richard ldquoYou wouldnrsquotlook twice at him necessarilyrdquo he said ldquobutonce he had you in his beamhellip Hersquos a verydangerous charming powerful manrdquo
Cumberbatch was boldly instrumentalin Dame Judi Denchrsquos appearance in TheHollow Crown The Wars of the Roses Heattended a Shakespearean workshop eventat which the veteran actress was appearing When the audience were asked if they hadany questions he leapt into action askingldquoWould you like to be in Richard III withmerdquo Dame Judi naturally accepted
And fans of Sherlock will already knowthat Andrew Scott who played criminalmastermind Moriarty will also be appearing
in The Wars of the Roses as the French KingLouis
But itrsquos Cumberbatchrsquos run as Hamlet
at Londonrsquos Barbican that is arguably the Shakespeare event of 2015 It sold out inrecord time (although the venue promisethat day tickets will be available for eachperformance) as fans worldwide foughtfor their chance to see Benedict play theDane It is clearly the fruition of a dream forCumberbatch Indeed when asked at 2012rsquos
Cheltenham Literary Festival which play he would choose if he could only perform onemore stage role he opted for Hamlet ldquoEveryactor wants to have a go at itrdquo he said ldquoand I want to have my go at it and I will But wersquore working out when and howrdquo
Well the ldquowhen and howrdquo is right nowBenedict Cumberbatchrsquos career has come fullcircle from his first professional performanceof Shakespeare to playing his dream role Ifyoursquore lucky enough to have a ticket yoursquoll
be witnessing the most talked-about andfeverishly-anticipated theatrical event in yearsIf not therersquos always those queues for daytickets Wersquoll see you there
Hamlet runs at the Barbican Theatre
London until 31 October
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Shakespeare On Sale
SAVE 25 Since 1941 Dover Publications has built its reputation by offering remarkable books at
amazing prices Discover our fine catalog of the works of William Shakespeare
The complete collection of comedies historiesand tragedies all in compact 5rdquo x 8rdquo unabridgedpaperback editions The lowest-priced editionsavailable for todayrsquos educators students actorsand Shakespeare lovers of every kind
Complete and unabridged text of a play plus acomprehensive study guide with scene-by-scenesummaries explanations and discussions of the plota question-and-answer section and more
Calla Editions reg Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
Our premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductionsof some of the most beautiful books ever published Filled with
breathtaking artwork and other deluxe features each Calla Editionrecalls a time when bookmaking was considered an artform
wwwdoverpublicationscomwilliam-shakespeare
To SAVE 25 Click Here
NO minimum order required bull Use CodeWLA2 at checkout bull Expires 123115
P l u s M or ehellip
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G A L L E R Yamp R E V I E WFor a generation of Cumberbatch fans lsquoBenedict at the Barbicanrsquo is the
most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime
Images Johan Persson Words Liz Barrett
Hamlet
ldquoTo be or not to be ndashthat is the questionrdquo[III 1] Controversially the playrsquos most iconicspeech was moved to the beginningAs we went to press however thisdecision had apparently been reversed
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 11
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Benedict Cumberbatch
8 SHAKESPEARE magazine
and Romeo and Juliet playing Orlando andBenvolio respectively
Shakespeare does not feature again inCumberbatchrsquos CV Instead he worked his way through acclaimed TV work such as hisportrayal of Steven Hawking in 2004 bio-drama Hawking and his role as the troubledartist Vincent Van Gogh in 2010rsquos VanGogh Painted with Words and film roles in Atonement (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) before breaking big in 2010 with theBBCrsquos Sherlock The programme was a world- wide success and propelled Cumberbatchonto the acting A-list Since then he hasfeatured in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) 12Years a Slave (2014) and two of the Hobbit films (2013-14) in which he voiced thedragon Smaug He also made a huge successof The Imitation Game (2014) in which heplayed codebreaker Alan Turing
Now Benedict is returning to Shakespeare with vengeance with two major roles on
stage as tragic hero Hamlet and on BBCTV as arch-villain Richard III in The HollowCrown The Wars of the Roses A taster came inthe BBCrsquos Lifetime of British Drama promo where he beautifully recites the Seven Agesof Man speech from As You Like It over clipsfrom classic BBC dramas past and present
Incredibly Cumberbatch is himself adistant descendant of Richard III The actorread Carol Ann Duffyrsquos specially-composedpoem lsquoRichardrsquo at his ancestorrsquos re-interment
at Leicester Cathedral in March 2015 Hefelt honoured to have been involved and itseemed particularly apt that he was filmingthe role of Richard at the time of thishistoric event ldquoHaving just played his verydifferent Shakespearean characterisationrdquo
Benedict will beseen as Richard IIIin the second cycleof the BBCrsquos The
Hollow Crown
B enedict Cumberbatchrsquos professionalrelationship with Shakespeare began early inhis career back in 2001 He appeared in theNew Shakespeare Companyrsquos productions inRegentrsquos Park playing the King of Navarrein Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost and Demetrius in A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream As he told Whatrsquos
On Stage in 2005 ldquoThey were my first twoprofessional roles in the theatrerdquo In theinterview he also stated that Shakespeare was his favourite all-time playwright Thispresumably influenced his decision to returnto Regentrsquos Park in 2002 for As You Like It
ldquoYou wouldnrsquot look twice at Richard Hersquos avery dangerous charming powerful manrdquo
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Benedict with MartinFreeman (left) in theBBCrsquos Sherlock
Rehearsals forHamlet July 2015
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 9
he commented ldquoI was intrigued to see whatthe real historical event would be like andto be a part of this extraordinary moment ofremembrance Then what really sealed thedeal was this beautiful poemrdquo
Benedict feels that the discovery ofRichardrsquos remains has changed peoplersquosperceptions ldquoI think the debate in historicaland archaeological terms about the reality ofhim and his kingship is whatrsquos extraordinaryto witness nowrdquo
He also recognises the perilous appealof Shakespearersquos Richard ldquoYou wouldnrsquotlook twice at him necessarilyrdquo he said ldquobutonce he had you in his beamhellip Hersquos a verydangerous charming powerful manrdquo
Cumberbatch was boldly instrumentalin Dame Judi Denchrsquos appearance in TheHollow Crown The Wars of the Roses Heattended a Shakespearean workshop eventat which the veteran actress was appearing When the audience were asked if they hadany questions he leapt into action askingldquoWould you like to be in Richard III withmerdquo Dame Judi naturally accepted
And fans of Sherlock will already knowthat Andrew Scott who played criminalmastermind Moriarty will also be appearing
in The Wars of the Roses as the French KingLouis
But itrsquos Cumberbatchrsquos run as Hamlet
at Londonrsquos Barbican that is arguably the Shakespeare event of 2015 It sold out inrecord time (although the venue promisethat day tickets will be available for eachperformance) as fans worldwide foughtfor their chance to see Benedict play theDane It is clearly the fruition of a dream forCumberbatch Indeed when asked at 2012rsquos
Cheltenham Literary Festival which play he would choose if he could only perform onemore stage role he opted for Hamlet ldquoEveryactor wants to have a go at itrdquo he said ldquoand I want to have my go at it and I will But wersquore working out when and howrdquo
Well the ldquowhen and howrdquo is right nowBenedict Cumberbatchrsquos career has come fullcircle from his first professional performanceof Shakespeare to playing his dream role Ifyoursquore lucky enough to have a ticket yoursquoll
be witnessing the most talked-about andfeverishly-anticipated theatrical event in yearsIf not therersquos always those queues for daytickets Wersquoll see you there
Hamlet runs at the Barbican Theatre
London until 31 October
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Shakespeare On Sale
SAVE 25 Since 1941 Dover Publications has built its reputation by offering remarkable books at
amazing prices Discover our fine catalog of the works of William Shakespeare
The complete collection of comedies historiesand tragedies all in compact 5rdquo x 8rdquo unabridgedpaperback editions The lowest-priced editionsavailable for todayrsquos educators students actorsand Shakespeare lovers of every kind
Complete and unabridged text of a play plus acomprehensive study guide with scene-by-scenesummaries explanations and discussions of the plota question-and-answer section and more
Calla Editions reg Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
Our premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductionsof some of the most beautiful books ever published Filled with
breathtaking artwork and other deluxe features each Calla Editionrecalls a time when bookmaking was considered an artform
wwwdoverpublicationscomwilliam-shakespeare
To SAVE 25 Click Here
NO minimum order required bull Use CodeWLA2 at checkout bull Expires 123115
P l u s M or ehellip
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G A L L E R Yamp R E V I E WFor a generation of Cumberbatch fans lsquoBenedict at the Barbicanrsquo is the
most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime
Images Johan Persson Words Liz Barrett
Hamlet
ldquoTo be or not to be ndashthat is the questionrdquo[III 1] Controversially the playrsquos most iconicspeech was moved to the beginningAs we went to press however thisdecision had apparently been reversed
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 11
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Benedict with MartinFreeman (left) in theBBCrsquos Sherlock
Rehearsals forHamlet July 2015
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 9
he commented ldquoI was intrigued to see whatthe real historical event would be like andto be a part of this extraordinary moment ofremembrance Then what really sealed thedeal was this beautiful poemrdquo
Benedict feels that the discovery ofRichardrsquos remains has changed peoplersquosperceptions ldquoI think the debate in historicaland archaeological terms about the reality ofhim and his kingship is whatrsquos extraordinaryto witness nowrdquo
He also recognises the perilous appealof Shakespearersquos Richard ldquoYou wouldnrsquotlook twice at him necessarilyrdquo he said ldquobutonce he had you in his beamhellip Hersquos a verydangerous charming powerful manrdquo
Cumberbatch was boldly instrumentalin Dame Judi Denchrsquos appearance in TheHollow Crown The Wars of the Roses Heattended a Shakespearean workshop eventat which the veteran actress was appearing When the audience were asked if they hadany questions he leapt into action askingldquoWould you like to be in Richard III withmerdquo Dame Judi naturally accepted
And fans of Sherlock will already knowthat Andrew Scott who played criminalmastermind Moriarty will also be appearing
in The Wars of the Roses as the French KingLouis
But itrsquos Cumberbatchrsquos run as Hamlet
at Londonrsquos Barbican that is arguably the Shakespeare event of 2015 It sold out inrecord time (although the venue promisethat day tickets will be available for eachperformance) as fans worldwide foughtfor their chance to see Benedict play theDane It is clearly the fruition of a dream forCumberbatch Indeed when asked at 2012rsquos
Cheltenham Literary Festival which play he would choose if he could only perform onemore stage role he opted for Hamlet ldquoEveryactor wants to have a go at itrdquo he said ldquoand I want to have my go at it and I will But wersquore working out when and howrdquo
Well the ldquowhen and howrdquo is right nowBenedict Cumberbatchrsquos career has come fullcircle from his first professional performanceof Shakespeare to playing his dream role Ifyoursquore lucky enough to have a ticket yoursquoll
be witnessing the most talked-about andfeverishly-anticipated theatrical event in yearsIf not therersquos always those queues for daytickets Wersquoll see you there
Hamlet runs at the Barbican Theatre
London until 31 October
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Shakespeare On Sale
SAVE 25 Since 1941 Dover Publications has built its reputation by offering remarkable books at
amazing prices Discover our fine catalog of the works of William Shakespeare
The complete collection of comedies historiesand tragedies all in compact 5rdquo x 8rdquo unabridgedpaperback editions The lowest-priced editionsavailable for todayrsquos educators students actorsand Shakespeare lovers of every kind
Complete and unabridged text of a play plus acomprehensive study guide with scene-by-scenesummaries explanations and discussions of the plota question-and-answer section and more
Calla Editions reg Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
Our premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductionsof some of the most beautiful books ever published Filled with
breathtaking artwork and other deluxe features each Calla Editionrecalls a time when bookmaking was considered an artform
wwwdoverpublicationscomwilliam-shakespeare
To SAVE 25 Click Here
NO minimum order required bull Use CodeWLA2 at checkout bull Expires 123115
P l u s M or ehellip
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G A L L E R Yamp R E V I E WFor a generation of Cumberbatch fans lsquoBenedict at the Barbicanrsquo is the
most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime
Images Johan Persson Words Liz Barrett
Hamlet
ldquoTo be or not to be ndashthat is the questionrdquo[III 1] Controversially the playrsquos most iconicspeech was moved to the beginningAs we went to press however thisdecision had apparently been reversed
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 11
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Shakespeare On Sale
SAVE 25 Since 1941 Dover Publications has built its reputation by offering remarkable books at
amazing prices Discover our fine catalog of the works of William Shakespeare
The complete collection of comedies historiesand tragedies all in compact 5rdquo x 8rdquo unabridgedpaperback editions The lowest-priced editionsavailable for todayrsquos educators students actorsand Shakespeare lovers of every kind
Complete and unabridged text of a play plus acomprehensive study guide with scene-by-scenesummaries explanations and discussions of the plota question-and-answer section and more
Calla Editions reg Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
Our premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductionsof some of the most beautiful books ever published Filled with
breathtaking artwork and other deluxe features each Calla Editionrecalls a time when bookmaking was considered an artform
wwwdoverpublicationscomwilliam-shakespeare
To SAVE 25 Click Here
NO minimum order required bull Use CodeWLA2 at checkout bull Expires 123115
P l u s M or ehellip
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G A L L E R Yamp R E V I E WFor a generation of Cumberbatch fans lsquoBenedict at the Barbicanrsquo is the
most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime
Images Johan Persson Words Liz Barrett
Hamlet
ldquoTo be or not to be ndashthat is the questionrdquo[III 1] Controversially the playrsquos most iconicspeech was moved to the beginningAs we went to press however thisdecision had apparently been reversed
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 11
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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G A L L E R Yamp R E V I E WFor a generation of Cumberbatch fans lsquoBenedict at the Barbicanrsquo is the
most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime
Images Johan Persson Words Liz Barrett
Hamlet
ldquoTo be or not to be ndashthat is the questionrdquo[III 1] Controversially the playrsquos most iconicspeech was moved to the beginningAs we went to press however thisdecision had apparently been reversed
Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 11
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Benedict Cumberbatch
12 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoA villain kills my father and for thatI his sole son do thissame villain sendTo heavenrdquo [III 3]
ldquorsquoTis in mymemory lockrsquod And you yourself
shall keep the key of itrdquo[I 3] Ophelia (Siacircn Brooke)
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Benedict Cumberbatch
SHAKESPEARE magazine 13
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Benedict Cumberbatch
16 SHAKESPEARE magazine
ldquoAnd yet to me whatis this quintessence
of dustrdquo [II 2]
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Even more than London there
is one place above all that is
green and pleasant landhellip
Words Helen Mears
Pictures Helen Mears and Susan Braund
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 19
W e could be in any smallpicturesque Englishtown with its medievalchurch half-timberedTudor buildings shops
restaurants and delightful riverside walksBut Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town Itrsquos one of the best-known most- visited and probably most-loved locations inEngland Thatrsquos because itrsquos the birthplace of William Shakespeare Itrsquos also the place heseems to have considered his home After allShakespeare grew up there went to schoolthere and spent his final days there
So here is Shakespeare Magazinersquos on-the-ground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon Hereyoursquoll find hints and tips for first-time visitorsand returning aficionados alike What to see
the best ways to see it where to stay where toeat and how to get around while yoursquore there Are you ready Then letrsquos start our tourhellip
The BirthplaceSurely the must-visit spot for any self-respecting Bardolator this is where it all beganndash the six-roomed Merchantrsquos House on HenleyStreet where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare wife of glover John gave birth to their famousson Williame house is approached
HOME
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
through the Shakespeare Centre on the left-hand side of the Birthplace A short exhibitionshows you items such as a prized First Folioand the foot of Stratfordrsquos Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare wouldhave sold his wares A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself You enter through theself-contained annexe where William and Anne Shakespeare spent the first years oftheir married life and where their childrenSusannah Judith and Hamnet were born eannexe was later occupied by Williamrsquos sister Joan You can walk through the parlour andthe dining room to Johnrsquos workshop where heproduced gloves and other leather goods
A staircase leads to two bedrooms onefor the girls one for the boys and a loft spaceis visible where the apprentices would haveslept Finally you reach the birth room themain bedroom in which William and his sevensiblings were born
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell youtheir history and other gems of informationComplete your visit by watching classicShakespearean speeches performed in thegarden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud and then picking up some souvenirs inthe gift shop and excellent bookshop
e five house ticket is the best value givingyou entry to all of the properties (HarvardHouse is a current alternative to New Place)and allowing you to view Shakespearersquos Gravein Holy Trinity Church
The Avon and Boat trips A walk along the Avon is a must in any seasone gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willowssmoothly sailing swans and green parklandFor a diff erent perspective on the town you cantake a boat trip along the river itself Startingfrom near the RSCeatre you cruise gentlydown to the church where Shakespeare wasbaptised and buried before turning back andheading past the theatre and under CloptonBridge Itrsquos a bridge that William himself would have known built as it was around1480 e Avon is very pretty everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and alwayshungry) swans and picturesque houseboatse banks are lined with weeping willows that just might have been the inspiration for poorOpheliarsquos watery end in Hamlet If you wouldrather take a slower self-driven trip there arerowing boats canoes and small speedboatsfor hire Beware though these are not aseasy to control as they look and you may wellspend a good proportion of your allottedtime relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
The birth roomat ShakespearersquosBirthplace
Molly fromShakespeare Aloudin the Birthplacegarden
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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SHAKESPEARE magazine 21
other hapless river tra ffic Boat trips typicallylast for around 40 minutes and are especiallypleasant in the late afternoon when the sun setsslowly behind the church steeple For addedluxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served onboard or as a quicker cheaper alternative youcould take the chain ferry across the Avoneferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kindin the UK
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property theShakespeare Birthplace Trust care for fourother locations in and around Stratford allassociated with Williamrsquos family Nash House
and New Place were adjoining propertieseformer was the home of Judith Shakespeareand her husband while the latter was thefamily home that William purchased in 1597at the time the second most expensive housein the town Sadly it was demolished by asubsequent owner but the Trust are currentlyundertaking a massive renovation of the siteis means that the properties will not be opento the public until 2016 to coincide with the400th anniversary of Shakespearersquos death
Hallrsquos Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take youto Hallrsquos Croft the home of SusannahShakespeare and her husband the physician John Hallis is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how apractising physician would have worked at thetime A special mention too must goe Arterthe award winning independent craft shopadjoining the building and to the beautifulgarden in which open air performances ofShakespearersquos plays are sometimes performed
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy TrinityChurch viewedfrom the Avon
Nash House andNew Place
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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22 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage A short distance from Stratford is Shottery where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway familySet in yet another lovely garden this is thehouse in which Anne Hathaway grew upand was courted by the young William JohnShakespeare served with Anne Hathawayrsquosfather on the town council so their childrenprobably knew each other from a young agee family remained associated with thecottage for several centuries and have spunmany a yarn about the young lovers theveracity of which are highly questionable
However the stone floor of the kitchen isoriginal and we know that William must have walked those stones many many times
Mary Ardenrsquos Farme last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary Ardenrsquos Farm Shakespearersquos mother lived hereand itrsquos where she probably took the infant William when plague broke out in Stratfordshortly after his birth Open from March toNovember only the farm is run as a working
Tudor farm with costumed guides caring forthe buildings and the animals Itrsquos a great placefor a family day out with plenty to see and doand numerous activities runningere are
daily falconry shows archery animals to feedand games to play You can even treat yourselfto a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe ndash pottageand home-baked breads are a speciality
What if you donrsquot have a care town itself is fairly small and all themain attractions are within walking distanceHowever the easiest way to get around and toenable a visit to Anne Hathawayrsquos Cottage andMary Ardenrsquos farm is to the Hop On-Hop Off City Sightseeing busis will take you to allthe main town locations and also to Shotteryand Wilmcote A day ticket will give youunlimited access to the buses and allow you tovisit all of the Shakespeare properties e buscan be picked up by the statue of Touchstonethe jester at the top end of Henley Street
Walking Tours Another excellent way to see the main sites ofStratford and to learn some of the historicaltales of the town is to take a walking tour
Stratford-upon-Avon
Anne HathawayrsquosCottage
Mary Ardenrsquos Farm
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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ere are several options depending on thetype of tour yoursquod likee town guides runhistorical tours of the town every day (yesevery day) of the year For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walksled by costumed guides who will tell you someof the spooky tales of Stratford Both of thesetours start from the Swan Water Fountain onthe riverside
Or if you like the idea of being guidedby Shakespeare himself on a Saturday (andMonday to Saturday through the summerholidays) there are town walks led by the manhimself (or someone who looks an awful lotlike him)ese run from Tudor World onSheep Street an interesting museum in thehouse that belonged to the man who wasallegedly the model for Sir John Falsta ff
Holy Trinity Church Another must-see is the townrsquos 13th centurychurch with its distinctive spire that dominatesthe view from the river Remember that if youhave a ticket to the Birthplace properties yourvisit to the grave is free e church is famousfor being where William Shakespeare wasbaptised on 26 April 1564 e old font that
was used for the baptism is displayed in thechancel along with copies of both the registerof baptism for April 1564 and the register ofburials for April 1616 where Shakespearersquosname can be clearly seen Also in the chancelin front of the altar are the Shakespeare familygraves Williamrsquos bears its infamous curse
ldquoGOOD FRIEND FOR JESUSSAKE FOREBEAR
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HEREBLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARESTHESE STONES
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVESMY BONESrdquo
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare Itrsquos one of the few images which was produced within the lifetime of AnneShakespeare and probably one of the mostauthentic likenesses of her husband
The Guildhall and King EdwardrsquosSchoolDirectly opposite the site of New Place standthe Guildhall and the townrsquos old grammarschool Both of these places have links to theShakespeare family King Edwardrsquos Schoolis where the young William is believed tohave studied and itrsquos probably where hefirst encountered the classical texts which soinspired him As the son of a town councillorhe would have been entitled to a placee
old school is sometimes open to visitors at weekends or during the holidays but theschool has just won a lottery grant whichshould enable them to open it as a permanentattraction e Guildhall was sometimes hostto groups of travelling players and so it couldbe the site where young William first sawtheatrical performances It is widely believedthat John Shakespeare owing to his role astown bailiff was responsible for supervising the whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting
Stratford-upon-Avon
SHAKESPEARE magazine 23
The GuildhallDoom Painting
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Stratford-upon-Avon
is has been recovered and is now once againvisible above the chancel arch
The Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre and the riversidee riverside park is home to several interestingsights It is from here that you can get a view ofthe Clopton Bridge pick up a river cruise feedthe swans and admire the Gower Memoriale memorial was presented to the town in1888 and features a statue of Shakespeareseated upon a plinth overlooking statues offour of his best known charactersese areHamlet Prince Hal Sir John Falsta ff and Lady
Macbeth who represent Comedy HistoryPhilosophy and Tragedy Closer to the theatreis the beautiful Swan Water Fountain unveiledin 1996 If you see the water frothing fear notit seems to be a sport amongst local youngstersto fill the fountain with washing up liquid on aregular basis
e Royal Shakespeare Companyeatre was built in 1932 but has recently undergonea complete refurbishment in both the mainand the Swan theatres e building reopened
in 2010 with both theatres having beenconverted to boast thrust stages and curvedgalleries similar in shape to the originalElizabethan playhousese world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performshere throughout the year staging plays byShakespeare and his contemporaries as well asby newer authors ey also run an educationprogramme exhibitions family activitiesduring the school holidays and theatre toursTo see Stratford from an entirely diff erentangle take the lift up the 36 metre high towerfor spectacular views across the town
Where to eat and drinkStratford has an excellent range of eateriesto suit all tastes and budgets ere is pubgrub afternoon teas world cuisine finedining pizza pasta and fish and chips Manyrestaurants off er pre-theatre menus and ifyoursquove been on a town walk you may find thatyou can get discount vouchers for your foodere are many pubs in Stratford including theGarrick Inn the oldest pub in the town whereyou can taste the Shakesbeer specially brewedto celebrate Shakespearersquos 450th Birthday in2014 If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their showse Dirty Duck on Waterside is the place to drink
Where to stay Again Stratford-upon-Avon has a good varietyof hotels bed and breakfasts and holidayhomes All the main chains have hotels inthe town from budget brands to the luxurynamesere is an excellent choice of bedand breakfast establishments in and aroundthe town again these will suit all tastes and
budgets Airbnb also has an interesting rangeof rooms flats and houses to rent in StratfordHowever be sure to book early especially forthe prime summer months
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trustwwwshakespeareorguk
The GowerMemorial Will andPrince Hal
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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M
any places around the worldhave been named afterStratford-upon-Avon thebirthplace and home of William
Shakespeare And many of those Stratfordsare home to theatre festivals of varying sizesStratford in the state of Victoria in Australiahas an annual Shakespeare festival still goingevery year while Stratford in Connecticut inthe USA had a major theatre from the mid1950s to the mid 1980s Stratford Ontarioin Canada however stands out among thesetowns and festivals not merely in scope but ininternational reputation and prestige
In 1950 Canada had no home-growntradition of classical theatre Certainly
Shakespeare was performed but there hadbeen a strong anti-theatrical movement inCanada throughout the 19th century whoseeffects still lingered throughout the first half ofthe 20th As a cultural icon Shakespeare wasedifying to be sure but certainly not to beperformed The Stratford Festival changed allof that for Canada
In the late 1940s the local newspapers andgovernment of the town conceived of the ideaof revitalising Stratfordrsquos sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
long association with the Bard They bandedtogether and under the leadership of TomPatterson they brought over Tyrone Guthrieand Alec Guinness for the first season in1953 Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
inHamlet
at Elsinore Castle in Denmarkand had been the manager of the Old Vic inLondon He wanted to create an acting spacethat echoed the original Globe theatre whereactors were surrounded by the audience incontrast to the proscenium arch theatres thatdominated the London and New York scenes
From the first performance which tookplace inside a giant circus-style tent on thebanks of the Avon River the festival workedto create a new aesthetic of Shakespeareanperformance The thrust stage of the FestivalTheatre designed by Tanya Moiseiwitschhas been recognised as one of the greatinnovations in stage design of the 20th centuryGenerations of actors have had to learn howto address an audience on three sides of themsometimes only an armrsquos length away
The festival has been central to the careersof Canadian actors such as ChristopherPlummer Martha Henry and even WilliamShatner Actors from the US and UK havesought to play the festival as well including
Peter Ustinov Christopher Walken and JessicaTandy Indeed these international stars notonly lend credibility but have indelibly markedthe festival For instance Maggie Smithrsquosperformance as Rosalind in As You Like It inthe 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in thecompany and the town
Today the festival has expanded to includemultiple performance spaces a theatre schooluniversity accredited courses and the largesttheatrical costume shop in North America
It has started countless careers inspiredcompanies such as Torontorsquos SoulpepperTheatre and helped shape the Canadiantheatre landscape for over 50 years
Stratford Festival ndash Ontario Canada
wwwstratfordfestivalca
MEANWHILE
IN CANADATherersquos more than just one Stratford you knowAnd the one in Ontario Canada has a world-renownedShakespeare Festival gives us a tour
Stratford Ontario
SHAKESPEARE magazine 25
ldquoFrom the fi rst performancethe Festival worked tocreate a new aesthetic ofShakespearean performancerdquo
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Planning to performa short selection
from Shakespeare
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes including monologues from
18 of Shakespearersquos best-known plays
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes all ldquoroad testedrdquo
at the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquos
annual Student Shakespeare Festival
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty ofShakespearersquos language intacte scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students inmind providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance audition or competition
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years Since 1996 he hasconducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailersand as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespearecom
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology
includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays
ldquoLays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience guided by a sagacious knowledgeable and intuitive
educator Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performancerdquo mdashLibrary Journal
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Roaslind Lyons
28 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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For UK artist Rosalind Lyons the Bard is a
constant presence in her creative life She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 29
Left TheRoaring Boys
PAINTINGSHAKESPEARE
S hakespeare has long been at the heart ofmy work sometimes directly and obviouslyin the subjects and often in the titlesBut always Shakespearersquos words charactersand stories are there in my head when Iam painting ndash a perpetual conscious andunconscious presence
My style echoes that of the Renaissancepainters and Elizabethan portraits andthese influences combined with a life-long love of Shakespeare made my firstvisit to Shakespearersquos Globe pivotal Iexperienced a powerful sense of connectionand recognition Here suddenly ideasand themes with which I had been so longpreoccupied were brought to life
I subsequently gained access to theGlobe to draw and later spent some time
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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as Artist in Residence thereat experienceprompted more in-depth exploration notonly of Shakespeare and painting but of therelationship between painting and theatreere are of course the strong visualconnections ndash both are spaces for spectacleand illusion But also compelling ideas oftransformation imagination storytelling andidentity And overall the theme of ambiguitye blurring of boundaries between realityand fiction male and female light andshadow past and present I am fascinated byhow we respond to history how we re-presentand re-imagine the past And the figures inmy paintings are imagined as belonging toboth now and then ndash flitting back and forthacross the threshold between past and presentbetween Shakespearersquos time and our own
modern worldI have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare but many subjects ofmy paintings are anonymouse figuresare unknown their place purpose role is amysteryis anonymity is unsettlingereare clues in the setting in the costumes ndash orperhaps I should just say in the clothes theyare wearing ndash but the context is not obviousI am fascinated by the dramatic convention ofcross-dressing ndash and particularly the inherent
confusion as with Rosalind ( As You Like It )and Viola (Twelfth Night ) in the idea of aboy playing a girl playing a boy Many of thecharacters I invent are androgynous theirgender and age uncertainis ambiguityof identity interests me in the context ofvisual illusion and theatrical transformationthe idea of inbetween-ness and somethingunresolved
Like theatre my paintings are concerned with inventing characters and the creation
Right No MoreYielding But A
Dream
Roaslind Lyons
30 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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of an imaginary world and I am particularlyattracted to the fools fairies and witchesIn A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream the fairiesrsquoactions may seem malevolent or benign or just mischievous but there is definitely a dark
side an underlying sense of threate Fool too is intriguing Shakespearersquosfools frequently describe themselvesor are referred to as a nobody but areunquestionably much moree fool is anoutsider concerned with but at the same timeseparate from the story He ndash or sometimesshe ndash doesnrsquot quite belong anywhere butseems to exist on the boundary between thefamiliar and the uncanny
I am attracted to the strange to mysteryand shadows and try to express through myimages a strong feeling that it could be thator maybe something else As Orsino says atthe conclusion of Twelfth Night ldquoA naturalperspective that is and is notrdquo While makinga painting and even when it is finished Idonrsquot know really who my characters are ndashthey remain elusive But I like not knowingand ultimately meanings always change anddepend on individual perceptions
My experience at the Globe led to aparticular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performerhow their identity transforms and fluctuatesI was attracted by this when watching
Rosalind Lyons
SHAKESPEARE magazine 31
Above A MidwinterNightrsquos Dream
Right Three Fools
Far right FollowingDarkness
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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rehearsals observing actors shift between selfand impersonation between diff erent realitiesand identities When they are not acting theyndash metaphorically and often literally ndash melt
into the shadows I am interested too in thephysical and symbolic threshold between lsquoonrsquoand lsquooff rsquo-stage the transformation inherentin an actor moving from the wings onto thestage assuming another self and anotheridentity Particularly evocative is the fact thatactors were colloquially known as shadowsin the Elizabethan playhouses ndash suggestingsomething unknowable and insubstantialIn the Prologue to Henry V Shakespeare hasthe Chorus describe the players as lsquociphersrsquoimplying deception and secrecy
Artists in the past who have tackledShakespeare have generally produced imagesthat directly illustrate the text or representfamous actors or scenes from a particularperformance Today as well as on the stageShakespearersquos plays are frequently re-imaginedin very successful film and TV adaptationsbut I have struggled to find more than ahandful of contemporary fine artists whohave engaged with Shakespeare on any levelPerhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional too lsquopopularrsquoor simply just too lsquooldrsquo But in the theatreand in literature there is an ever-increasingenthusiasm for innovative interpretationsof the plays and for me Shakespeare is aconstant inspiration
e Prologue of Henry V also urges theaudience to ldquoPiece out our imperfections withyour thoughtsrdquo to liberate the imaginationand create another kind of reality to shapeour own fantasies within the ldquowooden Ordquo of
the theatre In my paintings I endeavour todo the same
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons atwwwrosalindlyonscom
Above These Two CreaturesBelow Therersquos Magic In Thy Majesty
Roaslind Lyons
32 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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$amp( ) +-01
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
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$amp( ) +-01
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
34 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Looking forRichard AidanOrsquoReilly is playingShakespearersquosbaddest monarch
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 35
You are legally blind having been
diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career
ldquoMy parents did a good job raising me Inever grew up thinking of it as a handicap orthinking it could hold me back from what I wanted to do I couldnrsquot play sports at all soI think my parents were grateful that I hadsomething that I was passionate about from avery young age
ldquoI went to a public elementary school with a program designed for the blind so itfelt very natural for me to be the way that I was And acting has always been part of thatrdquo
You went to RADA in London Was
there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US
ldquoItrsquos always been an ambition of mine to
travel as far and wide as possible Also myhero growing up was Peter OrsquoToole ndash Iread his autobiography in high school andlearned he had gone to RADA and decided I wanted to go there too So I auditioned therenot knowing that RADA is arguably thebest drama school in the English-speaking world Consequently I was quite relaxed atthe audition which is probably why I gotin My ignorance can sometimes serve me well Going to RADA was a life-changing
Aidan OrsquoReilly is an actor with an
inspiring story Legally blind since he
was six months old he forged a passionfor drama at an early age Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londonrsquos Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center
In 2012 Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma a rare cancer He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment
and is now cancer-free We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californiarsquos Marin
Shakespeare Company We asked himto share his story and to give us his
take on one of Shakespearersquos most
fascinating characters
Interview by Jen Richardson
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Aidan OrsquoReilly
36 SHAKESPEARE magazine
experience I was lucky enough to havecontact with brilliant professors and Irsquom stillin awe of the students I went to school withI wouldnrsquot trade that experience for anythingrdquo After graduating from RADA you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center Tell us a bit
about that
ldquoThat was one of the happiest times of mylife In many ways I got spoiled I was a working actor 11 months out of the yeartouring nationally seeing parts of the USI had never been to before doing plays Iloved and working with directors who werevehemently faithful and respectful to the text When I wasnrsquot on the road I was in residenceat the Blackfriars Playhouse in StauntonVirginia with many extraordinary actorsI was very lucky to be thererdquo
Three years ago you were diagnosed
with sarcoma How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014
ldquoThe only reason Irsquom still alive is because ofmy mother Lily and my wife Jocelynn AlsoI was fortunate that we caught it before it hadspread and it was on my leg and away fromany major organs
ldquoI am very grateful for my team of doctorsat UCSF who did an incredible job in mytreatment and follow-up care Irsquom glad to beback to workrdquo Yoursquore now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company
Howrsquos it going so far
ldquoAt this point Irsquom in the paperwork stage
of things A lot of reading the HenryVI s biographies of Richard as well asperformance history of the play itself Irsquomdoing a fair amount of limping around myapartment as well I canrsquot wait to get intorehearsals next weekrdquo Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them
ldquoRobert and Lesley [Currier MSCrsquos Artistic
Director and Managing Director] arefascinating people Their intelligence andhumour is contagious Without questionthere is a lot to be learned from themrdquo Richard IIIrsquos remains were discovered
in 2012 and reburied this year Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal
ldquoYes and no My job isnrsquot to play the historicalRichard but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan believesthat Richard IIIrsquosobsession withcontrol is whatcauses his downfall
ldquoPeter OrsquoToole wasmy hero He went to
RADA so I wanted to go there toordquo
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Crowning gloryAidan with MarinShakespearersquosRobert Currier
created Itrsquos helpful to know the facts of thesituation in order to gain insight into whathas been changed in Shakespearersquos versionof events
ldquoI met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through themedical information that has come to lighton Richardrsquos body and I will certainly usethat to inform my physical choicesrdquo Unlike many actors yoursquore the right
age to play the historical Richard III
Do you feel Richardrsquos relative youth
has been overlooked
ldquoI do Richard is a young man who believeshe is hardened by the experiences he andhis family endured during the War of theRoses and believes himself to be beyondhuman emotions and the lsquorestrictionsrsquo of aconscience He isnrsquot He pays the bill for thehorrible things he does That lack of self-knowledge is not exclusive to youth but I feelit makes him more sympathetic and relatableto an audiencerdquo Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda
Where do you stand on thatldquoI think Shakespeare has a soft spot foroutsiders and underdogs Although his playssometimes work within the confines of thebiases of Elizabethan society he canrsquot help butmake his lsquovillainsrsquo fascinating human beings
For as horrible as Richard is itrsquos amazing tosee how audiences relate and respond to himrdquo Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the playldquoThe history plays are full of extraordinarypeople who waste their lives and intelligence who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of thecrown Itrsquos still happening today What is theattraction of power Richard never pauses tothink of why he wants the crown or if hersquodbe any good as king Turns out hersquos not butitrsquos this bizarre obsession with control thatpropels him to kill everyone off thatrsquos in his way Itrsquos also fascinating that the one characterthat is consistently kind to Richard is hisfather York
ldquoI think an argument can be made thatRichard in his warped way is trying to liveup to the image he has of his father Ofcourse York is dead and gone by the timeRichard III begins but you can glean a lotabout Richardrsquos inner workings in the way hespeaks about his father Of course itrsquos foolishto try to answer questions that Shakespearedoesnrsquot and Irsquom not trying to say this solvesa mystery but I think itrsquos interesting Itrsquos only
an element itrsquos not the answerrdquo Richard III is listed as a historical
play in the First Folio but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy
Which category would you put the
play in and why
ldquoI think of the history plays from Richard II to Richard III as one vast play an epic thatencompasses all the categories I think if youlook at Richardrsquos progression through those
plays you see a great mind warped by the War of the Roses and that certainly adds tothe tragic element I think of Richard III asthe final chapter of a great epicrdquo
Aidan OrsquoReilly stars in Marin ShakespeareCompanyrsquos Richard III from 4-27 September
Aidan OrsquoReilly
SHAKESPEARE magazine 37
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4556
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4656
Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4756
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4856
Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 39
Bonnie Prince
Brian Fergusonas Hamlet in theCitizens Theatre
production Photoby Tim Morozzo
Billy William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englandrsquos
Bard But how is he viewed north of the border
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics
Words Paul F Cockburn
T owards the end of May thisyear a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisinglyturned its attention to aforthcoming production of
ldquoone of William Shakespearersquos best lovedplaysrdquo ndash A Midsummer Nightrsquos DreamHowever this particular production wasnrsquotconsidered newsworthy because it came froman amateur group based in Dumfries andGalloway Not even that the CrossmichaelDrama Club were one of just seven amateurScottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companyrsquos Open Stages project which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoiresNo the lsquohookrsquo was how this newproduction was Shakespeare ldquobut no asyou micht ken itrdquo Because it had beenreimagined in Scots as A MidsimmerNichtrsquos Dreme
As it happens writer John Burns saysthat his principle reason for translating AMidsimmer Nichtrsquos Dreme was simply theintuition that it being in Scots would workto the benefit of the production ldquoItrsquos not
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4956
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5056
Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
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Scotland Shakes
40 SHAKESPEARE magazine
so much that 16th century English canrsquot docertain things more that using Scots brings itcloser to a Scottish audience and to audiences who might think Shakespeare too fancyrdquo hesays ldquoI feel too that Scots can catch the sheerphysical power of Shakespearersquos language He writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud My intention was touse Scots to produce a text that was actableand which would be accessible and enjoyablefor the audience and the Scots was a majorpart of thatrdquo
Arguably translating Shakespeare intoScots ndash viewed by many as a distinct languagefrom English ndash is just one way of finding thecontinued relevancies of Shakespearersquos writing with the here and now Certainly John Burns was keen to see if Scots ldquocould match the way
Shakespeare switches tonehellip from broad attimes bawdy humour to moments that aremore serious or even sinisterrdquo
Yet there is a wider perspective whether wersquore discussing translation into Scots orsaying Shakespearersquos words with a Scottishaccent Willy Maley and Andrew Murphyin their introduction to Shakespeare andScotland (published by Manchester UniversityPress in 2004) go as far as describing thetranslation of Shakespearersquos Macbeth into
Scots as ldquoa patriotic actrdquo not least becauseof ldquothe political commitment implicit intranslating from English to Scots reversing
the dominant dubbing practice infi
lmsrdquoGlasgow-based novelist and playwright Alan Bissett ndash who actively campaigned fora Yes vote during last yearrsquos IndependenceReferendum ndash has since written about howsince the 1970s Scottish theatre had ldquoadeep engagement with the shifting beastof Scottish politicsrdquo Although Bissett wasfocusing primarily on original works byScottish playwrights and directors itrsquos worthpointing out that Shakespeare ndash despite therebeing absolutely no evidence to prove he evertravelled north of Carlisle ndash has played hisown part in this
As Maley and Murphy point outldquoScotlandhellip never had precisely the samerelationship with the Bard as England hasbut has experienced a fraught process ofappropriation incorporation and resistancerdquoIn part this is because Shakespeare ndash in hislatter career ndash was among the first lsquoBritishrsquo writers Many of his later plays ndash Cymbeline King Lear even Hamlet ndash were produced
A tartan-cladAntipholus andDromio in Bard inthe Botanicsrsquo TheComedy of Errors
Brian FergusonrsquosHamlet CitizensTheatre productionPhoto by TimMorozzo
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under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
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Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
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Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
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Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
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Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5056
Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4156
under the patronage of Scotlandrsquos King JamesVI (aka James I of England) Each in theirown way can be said to touch on ldquothe matterof Britainrdquo the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamesrsquos newlsquounitedrsquo kingdom which the Stuart monarch was determined to see joined into oneat never quite happened of course
Even after the 1707 Act of UnionScotland retained its own legal educationaland religious systems along with anaccompanying sense of Scottish identity ndash which survived even the height of the Britishempire Yet from the 1970s on there havebeen notable changes in how Shakespeareis treated by Scotlandrsquos producing theatrecompanies Several years ago GlasgowrsquosCitizenseatre delivered a powerful Romeoand Juliet in part because of their decision toset the action in a present-day sectarian Westof Scotland ndash with accents to match
ldquoEnglish-accented Shakespeare carriesa specific resonance in Scotland one thatdirectors usually choose to avoidrdquo pointsout Mark Fisher a freelance journalist criticand author of the forthcoming book How toWrite Abouteatre
ldquoIrsquom not sure exactly when attitudesstarted to change but Irsquod say the argumentin favour of Scottish-accented productionshad been pretty much won by the 1990sBy that time companies such as Raindogand directors such as Hamish Glen hadbeen making a point of casting very Scottishproductions of Shakespearerdquo
One example of how things hadprogressed even by 1992 was the late KennyIrelandrsquos production of A Midsummer
Nightrsquos Dream his first as Artistic Directorat Edinburghrsquos Royal Lyceum ldquoHe castthe mechanicals with Scottish accents andeveryone else with English accentsrdquo MarkFisher explains ldquois I said in my review wasa fundamental error ndash or some such phrasee message it sent out was that people withScottish accents were foolish figures of fun whereas people with English accents wereserious figures of respect
ldquoIreland reacted furiously to my review
and made the case that he had based thecasting of the mechanicals around (the actor) Andy Gray who has a Scottish accent Inother words the meaning I inferred hadnot been deliberate I think itrsquos true to sayhowever that Ireland never cast a Shakespearelike that againrdquo
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the BotanicsScotlandrsquos only professional Shakespearecompany (see following pages)
ldquoWersquove never gone out of our way tomake Scottish versions of these texts norhave we gone out of our way to have classicaltraditional voicesrdquo he says ldquoMost of our coreactors have made their careers up here so wethink of them as Scottish actors
ldquoat is important to us to not overlylook outwards for the acting company As
much as possible we work with people who are based in Scotland Wersquore regularlyproducing Shakespeare here and we want tobe a part of the training to ensure that there isa range of strong classical actors hererdquo
Citizens Theatrewwwcitzcouk
Owen Whitehawas the Fool andDavid Hayman asLear in CitizensTheatrersquos King Lear Photo by TimMorozzo
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 41
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Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4356
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4456
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4656
Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4756
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4856
Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
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Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
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Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4256
Bard in theBotanicsrsquo As You Like
It takes Rosalind andOrlando into theopen air
ldquoTouring is something that we have wanted to do foryears but was somethingthat we could not afford
to do without fundingrdquo says Gordon Barr Artistic Director of Scotlandrsquos only professionaloutdoor Shakespeare festival Bard in theBotanics If therersquos any irony attached tothe companyrsquos first major tour of Scotland which took place in early 2015 itrsquos that theperformances of their acclaimed Romeo and Juliet ndash featuring a cast of five ndash were playedexclusively indoors
ldquoNobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute so itrsquos importantto usrdquo Barr adds ldquoOur work is so muchabout accessibility One of the joys of beingoutdoors is that people come to see the work who wouldnrsquot buy a ticket for a theatre Ifyou can bring a picnic sit out on the grass while watching the show it feels easier moreaccessible But people canrsquot come from Thursoto Glasgow for a night just to see a productionof Shakespeare They should be able to see itin Thurso So that is kind of where the urge totour came fromrdquo
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoorShakespeare within the grounds of GlasgowrsquosBotanic Gardens since 2003 This yearrsquoslsquoUnlikely Wondersrsquo season presented newproductions of Loversquos Labourrsquos Lost The Merchant of Venice Richard II and A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream in lsquoreprsquo between24 June and 1 August
The companyrsquos founder Scott PalmerBarr explains had done a lot of his training atthe Oregon Shakespeare Festival one of the
biggest in North America ldquoWith the kindof drive and enthusiasm that only Americanshave he managed to convince the entire cityof Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would work and that the weather wasnrsquot going to be
a problemrdquoTwo years later Palmer moved on and Barr
ndash originally involved as a director ndash succeededhim as Artistic Director ldquoIf anyone then hadsaid that I would end up spending 12 yearsrunning an outdoor Shakespeare festival I wouldnrsquot have believed themrdquo he says in hisoffice hidden behind some of the Botanicsrsquogardening sheds ldquoI very quickly fell in love with it once I started working here Despiteall the trials and tribulations that outdoortheatre in Scotland brings with it therersquos just
something magical and special about it Itrsquos a very close-knit company and thatrsquos sort of keptus all here as long as we have beenrdquo
While the annual summer season ofShakespeare plays in the Botanics will remainat the centre of what the company does ndashldquoOtherwise Bard in the Botanics becomesa rather strange namerdquo ndash Barr is very much
Outof theGarden
This year has seen Glasgowrsquos Bard in the Botanicsdo something completely unexpected They wentout on a tour of ndash whisper it ndash indoor venueshellip
Scotland Shakes
42 SHAKESPEARE magazine
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4356
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4456
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4656
Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4756
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4856
Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4956
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5056
Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4356
Scotland Shakes
SHAKESPEARE magazine 43
focused on building on the touring side ldquoBecause it was our first ever tour we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to theestablished Scottish touring circuitrdquo he addsldquoIt takes a while to build up relationships with the smaller venues thatrsquos going to bean ongoing process for us Even so we weretaking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mulland Stranraer ndash communities and venues thathavenrsquot had a lot of classical theatre comingthrough themrdquo
The choice of play was deliberate too ldquoIt was a production that was ready to go whichhad received five star reviews and sold out itsextended run in the Botanics in 2012 So weknew that the work was good but therersquos nodoubt that for a first tour we wanted to makeit easier for the venues to sell it Most venuesknow they can find an audience for Romeo and Juliet rdquo
In time he hopes that audiences aroundthe rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bardin the Botanics name sufficiently to take on theless familiar plays
ldquoYou just donrsquot know how quickly acommunity is going to turn out for Henry IV yetrdquo he says ldquoHopefully three or four toursdown the line theyrsquore going to turn out forBard in the Botanics ndash and if it happens to be
Henry IV well thatrsquos greatrdquoGiven their reimagining of A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream as a 1920s burlesque musicalis there a particular Bard in the Botanicsapproach to Shakespeare
ldquoOur kind of unofficial motto is lsquoBe BoldBe Braversquordquo Barr says ldquoIf wersquore continuingto stage these plays around 400 years afterShakespearersquos death I think therersquos an urgencyto ask lsquoWhyrsquo It is important to questionlsquoWhat is the story that we want to tellrsquo I wantto see how these plays intersect with historyand todayrsquos society not to present museumpieces
ldquoItrsquos always with an eye to try to releasesomething thatrsquos within the textrdquo Barrinsists ldquoWersquore not remotely interested ininnovation for innovationrsquos sake The playsare masterpieces thatrsquos essentially why wersquorestill doing them 400 years later But to revealsomething thatrsquos unexpected or new thatrsquosimportant to usrdquo
Bard in the Botanics
wwwbardinthebotanicscouk
Rosalind and Audreyin the forest Bardin the Botanicsrsquo As You Like It
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4456
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4656
Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4756
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4856
Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4956
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5056
Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4456
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Seasonco-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
HAMLETBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February ndash Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Allrsquos Well That Ends WellMon 25 ndash Wed 27 April Sat 30 April 2016
The most famous play in world drama Hamlet
turns a new face to every decade So many
elements - political madness sex murder ndash all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition
ldquoThrilling workrdquo The Guardian on Romeo amp Juliet
ldquoBullseyerdquo WhatsOnStage on Romeo amp Juliet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
wwwstf-theatreorguk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
wwwtobaccofactorytheatrescom
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office 0117 902 0344
ALLrsquoS WELL THAT ENDS WELLBy William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March ndash Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 ndash Fri 29 April Sat 30 April
A young woman using skills bequeathed herby her father saves the French Kingrsquos life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband But what if the chosen one wonrsquot play
the game How can she get him into bed How
can she make him love her
ldquo There is something approaching real
magic hererdquo The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
P h o t o s M
a r k D o u e t
Dorothea MyerBennett in Richard III
Benjamin Whitrowand Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4656
Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4756
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4856
Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4956
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5056
Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4656
Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4756
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4856
Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4956
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5056
Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4656
Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry video games now
on our culture So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigatehellip
Words Andrew Bretz
Shakespeare video games
46 SHAKESPEARE magazine
T eGamersquos A oot Silent Hill is one
big-name gamewhich includesShakespearereferences
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4756
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4856
Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4956
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5056
Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4756
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 47
German cardboard Macbeth datingfrom the early1800s
Hamlet reimaginedRyan Northrsquos To Be
Or Not To Be
W
hen you walk intothe wood panelled Victorian Gothicismof the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at theFolger Shakespeare Library in WashingtonDC video games are probably the lastthing on your mind Buried deep withinthe archives however are a set of fragilecardboard figures printed in Germany in theearly 1800s representing each of the maincharacters of Macbeth
Nineteenth century German children would play with these figures on smallcardboard stages no bigger than a dollhouseey could replicate the story as it was toldin Shakespeare or use their imagination tochange the ending letting Lady Macbethsurvive and bringing Duncan back from thedead if they so chosee limits of the game were the limits of their imagination
Today the lsquogamificationrsquo of Shakespeareis a big business from Ryan Northrsquos choose-your-own-adventure edition of Hamlet To Be Or Not To Be to IDW Gamesrsquosupcoming Kill Shakespeare board gamebased on the comic of the same name
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering intoschools libraries and the theatrical worldas well with the University of California atDavis the Stratford Festival in Ontario theGlobeeatre in London and the LondonMetropolitan Archives all experimenting with video game elements in exhibits productionsand research
Why video games In a sense this is thelogical next step in the media development ofShakespeare Hersquos everywhere in other media
books movies merchandise But videogamese answer for that depends on whoyou ask
StorytellingOccasionally individuals or publishinghouses develop video games that try to tellthe story of say Hamlet yet this is relativelyrare One example would be Elsinore a time-looping narrative adventure game set in the world of the play Players play the game as
Ophelia who wakes up knowing that in fourdays the entire court will be dead and shemust do something to stop ite problemis that she is stuck in a time loop reliving thesame four days over and over againat said Shakespearersquos presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused oncitation rather than adaptation of the playsat is video games for Xbox Playstationand other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespearersquos plays as a part of acommon cultural heritageese games donrsquotrestage say Hamlet but they quote the playIn these cases Shakespeare is used to establisha point of identification for the audience His writing tells the audience something aboutthe character or the situation
Given that audiences are supposedto be able to identify the quotations asShakespearean it is unsurprising that Hamlet is the most popular text for game designers to
cite Ine Elder Scrolls Online for instancea merchant NPC (non-player character)quotes Polonius when players interact sayingldquoNeither a borrower nor a lender berdquoe words establish the NPCrsquos role as a merchant while fitting the medieval world of thegame In the game LA Noire upon pickingup a fake shrunken head at a crime scene adetective leaps into high melodrama withldquoAlas poor Yorick I knew him Horatiordquoequotation and the clever voice acting establish
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4856
Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4956
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5056
Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4856
Shakespeare video games
48 SHAKESPEARE magazine
the characterrsquos strait-laced yet macabre senseof humour
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a partof a critique of a larger theme In the game Mass E ff ect the Elcor are a race of elephantinealiens who preface all statements with adescription of the emotion they are feelingand who speak in a slow monotonous drone As players interact with the expansive worldthey can discover a number of advertisementsfor an all-Elcor Hamlet e idea of theElcor actor ndash the ultimate in a flat woodenperformer ndash having to preface ldquoTo be or not
to berdquo with ldquomorose ruminationrdquo goes beyondthe simple humour of a bad Shakespeareperformance It subtly asks what it is aboutacting (and especially voice acting) that isvaluable
Shakespeare can appear in video gamesnot merely as a marker or contextualisationtool but as a part of a puzzle For example inthe game Silent Hill 3 players must arrange aset of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelfin an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game At the hardest levelthe puzzle clue takes the form of a poemthat references all the major tragedies Romeoand Juliet King Lear Macbeth Othello andof course Hamlet e bloody nature of thetragedies fits with the bloody nature of theSilent Hill series of games which fall into thesurvival horror genre
Popular video games have also servedas the inspiration for games that engage with Shakespeare in a more direct way For
example Daniel Fischlin at the Universityof Guelph in Ontario Canada led a teamthat created a Flash game called rsquoSpeare Itrsquos
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting thersquo80s hit Galaga which sees players identifyingand navigating through a series of enemies who turn into words upon being destroyede player progresses through the levelsby collecting the correct words to createShakespearean quotes learning Shakespeareantrivia along the way
ImmersionOne of the most exciting aspects of videogames is the ability to immerse the player inthe world of the game in a way that othermedia simply cannot do Being able to walkaround Prosperorsquos cell Julietrsquos balcony orto stand before the ghost of Hamletrsquos fatheras he cries out ldquoList list O listrdquo ndash theseexperiences are made possible through videogame technology
Students of Scenic Arts at the Universityof Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008 using a lsquomodrsquo(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1 e performance artproject allowed users to experience Prosperorsquosisland interacting with certain parts andexploring others Players could walk aroundan imaginative rendition of Prosperorsquos cell and witness or interact with elements of the playincluding diff erent characters like CalibanProspero and Miranda
Four days to savethe Danish court
Elsinore
Another Hamlet reference this timein LA Noire
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4956
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5056
Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 4956
Shakespeare video games
SHAKESPEARE magazine 49
Gina Bloom at the University of Californiaat Davis is presently spearheading a projectthat will be demonstrated in the lobby of theStratford Festival theatre in Ontario Canadathis summere project Play the Knave AShakespeare Performance Videogame lets usersdesign a virtual performance space and thenperform a scene from a Shakespeare playinhabiting this constructed space with anavatar As a Davis insider explains ldquoWe use akinect motion capture camera to capture theuserrsquos skeletal data so that players use theirentire bodies to control their avatarrsquos gesturesonscreen all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespearersquos scenerdquo is literally immersesthe players in the scene
Shakespearersquos Globe eatre in Londontook another tactic regarding immersionin the production of the game HemmingsrsquoPlay Company Hosted on the Playgroundportion of the Globersquos website and thusaimed at an audience of children the gamehas players taking on the role of Hemmingsan Elizabethan bear who leads a troupe oftheatrical animals such as Kit the Cat Dekker
the Dog and Slye the Foxe turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practicefrom patronage to lost props and the plagueBy the end of the game players must earnenough money to rebuild the Globe after itburns down during a performance of HenryVIII
Also from Shakespearersquos Globe are twoinnovative video experiences created forchildren aged five to 11 e first Exploring
Shakespeare features two boys on a tour ofthe Globe theatre who sneak off to explorebackstage e video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyedto things the boys find backstage etechnology combines live action film andanimation to create an interactive touchablegame Filled with mini-games quizzes andinteresting facts about Shakespeare the gameallows players to click through the narrativeor to stop and learn more as they go along
e second video called Staging It usesthe same technology as the first film but thistime is for the 11-16 age group In this gamee Globe has filmed two actors performingfamous duologues from A MidsummerNightrsquos Dream and Macbeth on the Globestage Rather than shoot it once the actorshave performed their lines in diff erent ways(happy flirtatious defensive and so on)creating several diff erent clips per linePlayers can watch each of the clips and addtheir choice to a dynamic storyboard tobuild up their final scene Impressively theplatform allows for up to 1000000 diff erentcombinations of clips
Apps and Mini-GamesItrsquos when you start to look outside of therealm of popular video game platformslike Xbox or Playstation that Shakespeare
Silent Hill 3 Brush upyour Shakespeare ifyou want to survive
Hemmingsrsquo PlayCompany fromShakespearersquosGlobe
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5056
Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5056
Shakespeare video games
50 SHAKESPEARE magazine
really starts to pop up wherever you looke ubiquity of Shakespeare is especiallynoticeable when you start to look at apps andmini-games designed for phones and tablets
In 2012 Big Fish Games released aniPhone and iPad game called Hamlet that featured all the main characters ofShakespearersquos play but transposed them intoa save-the-princess narrative puzzle game A time traveller lands in Denmark andaccidentally kills Hamlet and so players mustcomplete his journey for him saving Opheliaand killing Claudiuse Shakespeareancontent is minimal and heavily adapted andyet it fits with the puzzle format in whichShakespeare tends to be found in videogamese Chronicles of Shakespeare Romeo amp
Juliet ande Chronicles of Shakespeare A Midsummer Nightrsquos Dream are lusciously-illustrated puzzle games for the PC In themplayers act as one of the characters from theplays gathering items and clues through aShakespearean environment
Among the literally thousands of appsrelated to Shakespeare that can be found forthe iPad or Android tablet are
e Shakespearean Insult Creator which generates invectives drawn from a wholly Shakespearean vocabulary So nexttime you want to call someone a jerk trysomething more like ldquoou fusty follyfallenfustilarianrdquo
e Shakespeare Translator whichtranslates ldquonormal English words and phrasesinto the words of Shakespeare himselfrdquo
e Shakespeare Fortune Cookie which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game Shakespeare or Die a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotationsfrom the plays and asks you to identify theplay and character who spoke the line If youmake a mistake however beware the witchesese apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse tomake Shakespeare more accessible to everyone with an internet connection
Brave New WorldsIn a world where Shakespeare is an industrycounted in the millions of dollars per yearit is so easy to forget that Shakespearersquos playsare just that ndash playsere is a sense of joyand fun and happiness embedded in theexperience of watching them Games are oneof the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense ofplayfulness within Shakespeare So it makesperfect sense that now with the advent ofdigital technologies Shakespeare is movinginto the digital world with a vengeance
From big studio games likee ElderScrolls to small apps that can be downloadedfor free from talking bears to immersiveperformance experiences Shakespeare iseverywhere in video games Rather than beingan undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge games havein fact engaged with Shakespeare and his works for hundreds of years And they willprobably continue to do so for hundreds ofyears to come
rsquoSpeare is a scrollingarcade-stylegame with addedShakespeare trivia
Hamlet is aShakespeare-themed puzzle fromBig Fish Games
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5156
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5256
Meet thy makers
Helen Mears fell into bardolatryduring her teenage years and has
never recovered She is a volunteersteward at Shakespearersquos Globe
which ensures a regular diet of theBard She teaches English Film andMedia at Suffolk New College and isa specialist in teaching Shakespeareusing active methods Her favouriteShakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
and her favourite plays are the SecondHistory Tetralogy She hopes to
finish her Masters in the AdvancedTeaching of Shakespeare very soonFind her on Twitter hipster_hels
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist who specialises in writing about
arts and culture equality issues andpopular science Hersquos sufficiently
grey-haired for his English Literaturetraining to have sort of overlapped
with The BBC Television Shakespeareproject saving at least some of the
plays from death by academiaFind him on Twitter paulfcockburn
Jen Richardson first fell in love withShakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ldquoHe got under my skin and hersquos still theretodayrdquo After training with a Manchester-based drama tutor she went on to pursuean acting career Drama remains a greatinterest but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare throughher writing In her spare time Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avonsitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity ChurchFind her on Twitter The_JenJen
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructorof English Literature and Drama
specialising in early modern dramaHe has taught at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity the University of Guelph
Brock University and McMasterUniversity For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensiveat Ontariorsquos Stratford Festival His PhDdissertation was on the representationof sexual violence on the early modern
stage Find him on TwitterAndrewBretz001
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Rosalind Lyons is a painter whohas exhibited widely in both mixedand solo shows with work in UK
and international private collections A life-long love of Shakespeare isreflected in many of her paintings
and a particular recent focus isShakespearersquos Globe theatre where shespent a period as artist-in-residenceShe is currently studying for a PhD
in Painting and ShakespeareanTheatre at Anglia Ruskin University
in CambridgeFind her on Twitter roslyons
52 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Contributors
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5356
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5456
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5556
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656
7172019 Shakespeare Magazine 08
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshakespeare-magazine-08 5656