October 2018
Detroit Recovery -- Powered by...Shakespeare?
A hugely heartening story out of Detroit, where Sam White, artistic Director of Shakespeare in Detroit has with pluck and vision pushed forward her vision of Shakespeare as part of Detroit's revival. Taking cues from Jospeh Papp and his seminal work with the Public Theater in the 1970s, she has swooped in, staged performances in crumbling spaces, and now created a growing alliance with Aamir Farooqi, head of Banyan Investments. Read more here.
No Shame in That
Mere weeks after the bizarre incident of being "job shamed", former Cosby actor Geoffrey Owens was spotted performing works of Shakespeare in Montclair, New Jersey. Shakespeare is Owens' first love. And we love that. Play on! More.
if You Can't Get to Stratford, Try Fuzhou
In yet another indicator of Shakespeare's influence and reach, a project to build a replica of Shakespeare's hometown is now underway. In addition to celebrating the life of the Bard, Sanweng (meaning "Three Masters") the town will highlight the works of Tang Xianzu, and Miguel de Cervantes. By happy (for us) coincidence, all three master poet/playwrights died the same year, 1616. More.
What's in a Word?
This is an absolutely fascinating story out of China. The Chinese government is cracking down on the incorrect use of standard words in the Chinese language — what we might term "wordplay". The putative cause is the potential for "cultural and linguistic chaos". Some observers see something darker, an attempt perhaps to limit political dissent through the clever use of language and puns. Shakespeare would be red in the face, had he read such things….