October 2016
Hag-Seed; Margaret Atwood Retells The Tempest
October/29/2016 16:43 Interpretation | Shakespeare
A Heartbeat Away: Shakespeare and Autism
Shakespeare takes center stage in a novel intervention for children with autism. A new study from the Nisonger Center at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center shows children with autism had improved communication and language skills after ten weeks of Shakespeare classes.
A remarkable article on how Shakespeare's The Tempest is being used to help students with autism spectrum disorder. More.
Shakespeare and Medicine
A great article that looks at Shakespeare's writing through the prism of medicine - what he (and his contemporaries) knew about medical conditions, and where that knowledge came from. More.
Welles, O'Toole, Wheldon and Milton Discuss Hamlet
A fascinating discussion about playing Hamlet from a 1963 BBC TV program (or programme, as you like it). It's a peculiarly chaotic interview, with everyone talking over each other, Wheldon (the host), not controlling the discussion at all, and some fairly poor camera work. However, it's worth listening to what Welles, O'Toole, and Milton are saying. They're thoughtful, humorous, and in their own separate ways, deeply in tune with Shakespeare's masterpiece.
Shakespeare's Co-Writers
Shakespeare did not work alone, but was profoundly influenced by those around him -- actors, directors, writers and other theater professionals. This delightful infographic from the Oxford University Press neatly captures the vibrant artistic environment in which he worked.
Shared Light
The Globe, which opened in 1997, is a reconstruction of a Shakespearean theatre.
Emma Rice, the Shakespeare Globe's artistic director, will step down at the end of the 2017 season, after clashing with management over the use of sound equipment and lighting rigs. At the heart of the disagreement is whether the Globe should focus on traditional productions that mimic the constraints of Elizabethan theatre tech, or incorporate current theatrical methods (the "shared light" issue in theatre shorthand). For now, the traditionalists have won. More.
Henry VI, Part 1 By W. Shakespeare... and Christopher Marlowe.
From Wikipedia: A portrait, supposedly of Christopher Marlowe. There is in fact no evidence that the anonymous sitter is Marlowe, but the clues do point in that direction. Marlowe was 21 years old in 1585, when the painting was made. He was also the only 21-year old student at Corpus Christi, where the painting was later found.
New scholarship from the Oxford University Press suggests that Shakespeare had help from Christopher Marlowe when writing Henry VI, parts 1, 2 and 3. Corpus analysis helps solve the puzzle! More.
Shakespeare Embodied
October/21/2016 16:32 Performance | Shakespeare
“We say, ‘When I say Shakespeare, you say …?' And we turn it into a kind of a call-and-response thing, and we hear things like ‘Dead!’ ‘White guy!' You know. ‘Who cares!’ ”
A great piece from WBUR on Actor's Shakespeare Project, which works with teachers to bring Shakespeare's plays to life. More.
Choices, Choices...
Wondering whi to see, and in what order? Wonder no longer, as Good Tickle Brain gives you a easy to use (and amusing) flowchart on how to choose. Enjoy!