PAST PROGRAM:
“BEFORE SHAKESPEARE”: The Tales That Inspired the Plays
SHAKESPEARE’S LATE PLAYS have an abstract, dreamlike quality; in fact, they’ve always felt a bit like folktales to me. During the shut-down of schools, museums, and libraries during the Covid-19 pandemic, I’ve had lots of time to get re-acquainted with these dramas. The stories Shakespeare used for his inspiration date back centuries before his lifetime. As I explored the plays’ origins, I found stories that seemed perfect for retelling.
The video link above will play the full program, as performed live on February 14th, 2021.
Viewing is free of charge. If you wish to support the project, you may purchase a ticket “retroactively”, or make a donation using the links below. Your generosity will be gratefully appreciated!
Perhaps my favorite of all Shakespeare’s plays - and not only because George Bernard Shaw famously snubbed it as “stagy trash of the lowest melodramatic order.” One of the plays (many) storylines comes from Bocaccios’ Decameron - in which a group of friends decide to Social Distance from the plague and pass their time telling stories. (Why does that scenario sound so familiar?)
(Note: This program contains sexual themes.)
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