In 1592, the bubonic plague hits London. It isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. Theatres—including the Globe—close for almost half a year. William Shakespeare writes King Lear. In 2020 (cautioned groan), Jessica B. Hill is slated to play two Shakespearean heroines at the Canadian Stratford Festival:[Read More…]
Tag: Shakespeare
Words with Will lets playwrights talk back to Shakespeare
Content warning: The following deals with discussions of sexual assault and death. Words with Will is an annual theatre workshop hosted by Repercussion Theatre Company that explores William Shakespeare’s works through a critical lens. Each year, playwrights are invited to personally engage with Shakespeare and his texts, as well as[Read More…]
To do work or not to do work: That is the question when social distancing
As cases of COVID-19 continue to exponentially rise around the world, health professionals are mandating that the global community practice ‘social distancing.’ This term refers to a conscious effort made by individuals to keep a physical distance between one another for the purpose of reducing the spread of an illness[Read More…]
“The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)” triumphs
Shakespeare has long been the butt of jokes and the subject of moans in classrooms. Though considered foundational to many curricula, his 500-year-old prose can be impenetrable. To resolve that issue and address many of the Bard’s prepubescent critics’, Tuesday Night Café Theatre (TNC) presented The Complete Works of Shakespeare[Read More…]
Interpreting Shakespeare’s sonnets
David Schalkwyk, a professor of Shakespeare Studies at Queen Mary University of London, delivered a lecture on Oct. 23 on William Shakespeare’s sonnets, focusing on the development of Shakespeare’s dramatic voice. The dramaturge is best known for his plays, meaning that his poetry is sometimes overlooked in popular culture. Schalkwyk’s[Read More…]
The darkness of Othello revealed in Opera Montreal’s Otello
Few stories are as tragic or as devastating as Shakespeare’s Othello, a drama that questions truth and character at its core. Guiseppi Verdi’s interpretation of the drama is equally haunting, with a satisfying balance of choral, solo, duet, and quartet pieces that highlight the complexities of the story. The libretto[Read More…]
Shaking up Shakespeare: Players’ Theatre gives new spin on timeless classic in Fortinbras
Centuries after its composition, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet remains a powerful cultural force in the world. Its oft-quoted words, “to be or not to be” are particularly salient with the approach of final exams. The breadth of its impact on popular culture, ranging from James Joyce’s Ulysses to Paul Cernea’s Hamlet[Read More…]