Tag Archives: william shakespeare

A THOUSAND DREADFUL THINGS: SHAKESPEARE AND THE FEAR OF BLACK VENGEANCE

Ron Cephas Jones (right) will discuss Titus Andronicus in special Shakespeare program from Brooklyn Public Library and the Public Theater (photo by Joan Marcus)

Who: Ron Cephas Jones, Eisa Davis, William Jackson Harper, Raúl Esparza, Jill Lepore, Michael Sexton, Ayanna Thompson, Stephen Greenblatt, Philip Lorenz
What: Digital Shakespeare program
Where: Brooklyn Public Library and the Public Theater
When: Sunday, November 22, free with RSVP, 7:00; Thursday, December 3, free with RSVP, 7:00; Thursday, December 17, free with RSVP, 7:00
Why: Shakespeare readings and discussions have multiplied during the pandemic, with actors and scholars presenting impassioned soliloquies online, followed by fascinating talks about the legacy of the Bard, particularly in this time of Covid-19, isolation, and social and political unrest; Red Bull Theater’s RemarkaBULL Podversations have been especially enlightening, highlighted by scintillating episodes with Chukwudi Iwuji and Patrick Page. Now the Brooklyn Public Library and the Public Theater have teamed up for a free three-part digital voyage into Shakespeare, kicking off November 22 at 7:00 with “A Thousand Dreadful Things: Shakespeare and the Fear of Black Vengeance,” an exploration of Aaron the Moor from Titus Andronicus, with Ron Cephas Jones, who played Aaron at the Public in 2011, William Jackson Harper, and Public Theater Shakespeare scholar in residence Ayanna Thompson, author of Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America. On December 3 at 7:00, “What Is the City but the People? Shakespeare, Art, and Citizenship” features Pulitzer Prize-winning profession Stephen Greenblatt, author of Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics, and actor and playwright Eisa Davis looking at modern democracy; and on December 17 at 7:00, “Two Monsters of Nature: Lope de Vega and William Shakespeare” links the theater of Lope de Vega and Shakespeare, with readings in Spanish and English by Tony winner Raúl Esparza and commentary by Cornell professor of comparative language Philip Lorenz. All three programs will be moderated by Public Theater Shakespeare Initiative director Michael Sexton and are free with RSVP.

OTHELLO 2020

Who: Grantham Coleman, Franchelle Stewart Dorn, Jennifer Ikeda, Harry Lennix, Patrick Page, Madeline Sayet, Jessika D. Williams, David Sterling Brown, Erika Lin, Ayanna Thompson, more
What: Performances and discussions surrounding Shakespeare’s Othello
Where: Red Bull Theater livestream
When: October 5, 7, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26, 28, free with RSVP
Why: One of the most remarkable aspects of William Shakespeare’s plays is how relevant they remain today, as companies infuse the histories, comedies, and tragedies with contemporary relevance. Red Bull Theater, one of the most active troupes during the pandemic lockdown, will take on the Bard’s The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice with “Othello 2020,” a series of special programs that explore the work’s lasting impact as it continues to thrill and challenge audiences around the world. “All of us at Red Bull are excited to deepen our exploration and understanding of the intersection of race and classical theater,” artistic director Jesse Berger said in a statement. “This October, with Shakespeare’s Othello as our launching point, we invite audiences to take a deep dive into these issues as we examine them from a variety of perspectives over the course of four key projects. Together, we’ll ask, ‘What does Othello mean for us in 2020’?” The initiative begins October 5 with the RemakaBULL Podversation “Exploring Iago” with Patrick Page, who will perform one of Iago’s most important speeches (“Thus do I ever make my fool my purse: / For I mine own gained knowledge should profane, / If I would time expend with such a snipe. / But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor”), then talk about it with associate artistic director Nathan Winkelstein; Page played Iago opposite Avery Brooks’s Othello in 2005 at the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

On Wednesday afternoons at 2:00, the free webinar “Exploring Othello in 2020” consists of salon seminars examining the work in the context of racial justice and the BLM movement, featuring BIPOC voices, moderated by Shakespeare scholar Ayanna Thompson; each week will feature readings, by Keith Hamilton Cobb (American Moor), Franchelle Stewart Dorn (’Tis Pity She’s a Whore), Jennifer Ikeda (Women Beware Women), Anchuli Felicia King (White Pearl), Harry Lennix (Radio Golf), Madeline Sayet (Where We Belong), and Jessika D. Williams, who is currently portraying Othello at the American Shakespeare Center in Virginia. On October 12 at 7:30, Cobb will deliver a live benefit reading of his one-man show, American Moor, in which he auditions for a white director, followed on October 15 at 7:30 by a Bull Session with scholar Erika Lin, original director Kim Weild, and members of the company. On October 19, Red Bull teams up with the American Shakespeare Center for a benefit reading of King’s Keene, which takes place at at a Shakespeare conference, directed by Ethan McSweeny and starring Grantham Coleman, followed October 22 at 7:30 by a Bull Session with scholar David Sterling Brown and members of the company, moderated by Anne G. Morgan. All events are free with advance RSVP.

THE NAATCO NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROJECT: ROMEO AND JULIET

Who: National Asian American Theatre Company, Two River Theater
What: Virtual benefit reading of modern verse translation
Where: Two River Rising,
When: Wednesday, September 30, and Thursday, October 1, $25, 7:00
Why: In 2015, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival announced “Play On Shakespeare,” an ambitious project in which thirty-six contemporary playwrights would provide modern translations of all thirty-nine of the Bard’s plays. On September 30 and October 1, the NAATCO National Partnership Project (NNPP), in a collaboration between the National Asian American Theatre Company and Two River Theater in New Jersey, will present an online benefit reading of South Korean playwright Hansol Jung’s (Wild Goose Dreams, Cardboard Piano) interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, originally commissioned for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. The all-Asian American cast features Mitchell Winter as Romeo, Stephanie Hsu as Juliet, Joel de la Fuente as Capulet, David Huynh as Mercutio, Tina Chilip as Tybalt, Vanessa Kai as Lady Capulet, Mia Katigbak as the nurse, Andrew Pang as Friar Laurence, Jon Norman Schneider as Petruchio, and Jeena Yi as Benvolio, with all performers taking on multiple roles; Obie winner Chay Yew (A Language of Their Own, Wonderland) serves as director.

“To most theater lovers, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a dramatic palimpsest; resonant and complicated, it remains a core myth for many,” TRT artistic director John Dias said in a statement. “Itself layered with borrowed stories and cultural appropriation, R&J beats with a universal heart of love and hate. The play still has much to teach us, and I love the echoes and layers that Hansol has added to it.” The first part of the show will be livestreamed on September 30 at 7:30, with part two streaming October 1 at 7:30, followed by a Q&A. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Asian Pride Project, which “celebrates the journeys, triumphs, and struggles of LGBTQ individuals and our Asian and Pacific Islander families and communities.” Future NNPP productions include NAATCO collaborating with Long Wharf Theatre on Madhuri Shekar’s Queen in February 2021 as well as with New York Theatre Workshop and Soho Rep.

PTP/NYC VIRTUAL FALL SEASON

PTP/NYC’s Julius Caesar will start streaming on September 24 and features a female and nonbinary cast from Middlebury College

Who: PTP/NYC (Potomac Theatre Project)
What: Zoom plays
Where: PTP/NYC YouTube channel
When: Thursday, September 24, October 1, October 8, October 15, free (donations accepted), 7:30 (each show streams through the following Sunday)
Why: Every summer we look forward to the arrival of PTP/NYC (the Potomac Theatre Project) at the Atlantic’s Stage 2 in Chelsea. For thirty-three years, the troupe has been presenting works in Maryland and New York and at Middlebury College, where it was founded in 1987 by Cheryl Faraone, Richard Romagnoli, and Jim Petosa. The company specializes in revivals of shows by the inimitable Caryl Churchill and Howard Barker as well as Anthony Minghella, Sarah Kane, Neal Bell, Snoo Wilson, Harold Pinter, Vaclav Havel, Tom Stoppard, and others. But because of the pandemic lockdown, PTP/NYC’s thirty-fourth repertory season is going virtual, running online September 24 through October 18, with a new Zoom show streaming every Thursday night at 7:30 on YouTube and available for viewing through the following Sunday. The season begins September 24 with Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, directed by Faraone and featuring a female and nonbinary cast from Middlebury College: Em Ballou, Ellie Bavier, Becca Berlind, Olivia Blackmer, Nuasheen Chowdhury, Catie Clark, Maggie Connolly, Molly Dorion, Meili Hwang, Charlotte Katz, Wengel Kifle, Emily Ma, Peyton Mader, Gabi Martin, Sara Massey, Wynn McClenahan, Madison Middleton, Gabby Valdivieso, and Daphne West.

On October 1, PTP/NYC will stage Barker’s Don’t Exaggerate (desire and abuse), directed by Romagnoli and starring Robert Emmet Lunney as a WWI soldier who comes back from the dead. On October 8, Dan O’Brien’s intimate The House in Scarsdale: A Memoir for the Stage will be performed by O’Brien and Alex Draper, directed by Christian Parker. And on October 15, PTP/NYC revives Churchill’s Far Away, directed by Faraone — who previously helmed the British playwright’s Serious Money, The After-Dinner Joke, Vinegar Tom, and Top Girls for PTP — with Ro Boddie, Nesba Crenshaw, Caitlin Duffy, and Lilah May Pfeiffer. “These four plays, stretching across centuries, wholly different in form, structure, and plot, are nonetheless alike in distrust of structures both public and private, mordant humor, and at times a chilling view of the world we inhabit,” the company said in a statement. “This season recalls a founding tenet of the company — to present work which reflects ‘the nightmares and hoaxes by which we live.’” Tickets are free but donations to PTP/NYC are accepted, with ten percent going to the National Black Theatre.

FREE SHAKESPEARE ON THE RADIO: RICHARD II

richard ii radio

Who: Barzin Akhavan, Sean Carvajal, Michael Bradley Cohen, Sanjit De Silva, Biko Eisen-Martin, Michael Gaston, Stephen McKinley Henderson, André Holland, Miriam A. Hyman, Merritt Janson, Elijah Jones, Dakin Matthews, Jacob Ming-Trent, Maria Mukuka, Lupita Nyong’o, Okwui Okpokwasili, Estelle Parsons, Tom Pecinka, Phylicia Rashad, Reza Salazar, Thom Sesma, Sathya Sridharan, John Douglas Thompson, Claire van der Boom, Natalie Woolams-Torres, Ja’Siah Young
What: Audio broadcast of Richard II over four consecutive nights
Where: WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820
When: July 13-16, free (donations accepted), 8:00
Why: The Public Theater was originally set to present a rare production of Richard II from May 19 to June 21 at the Delacorte this season; the only other times Shakespeare in the Park tackled the first play in the Henriad were in 1961 with Gladys Vaughan, J. D. Cannon, and James Earl Jones and again in 1987 with Marian Seldes, Rocky Carroll, Tony Shalhoub, and Peter MacNicol in the title role. The pandemic lockdown changed those plans, so instead, the late-sixteenth-century play, known in full as The Life and Death of King Richard the Second, will be performed on the radio by an all-star cast, specifically adapted for this time of coronavirus and BLM protests against police brutality. “A fractured society. A man wrongfully murdered. The palpable threat of violence and revenge against a broken system. Revolution and regime change. This was Shakespeare’s backdrop for Richard II,” director Saheem Ali said in a statement. “I’m exceptionally proud of this production, recorded for public radio with a predominantly BIPOC ensemble. It’s my hope that listening to Shakespeare’s words, broadcast in the midst of a pandemic and an uprising, will have powerful resonance in our world.” The stellar cast includes André Holland as the king, Elijah Jones as Hotspur, Sean Carvajal as Gardner’s Man and Surrey, Michael Gaston as Northumberland, Stephen McKinley Henderson as Gardener, Miriam A. Hyman as Bollingbroke, Dakin Matthews as Gaunt, Okwui Okpokwasili as Willoughby and Abbot, Estelle Parsons as the Duchess of York, Phylicia Rashad as the Duchess of Gloucester, John Douglas Thompson as York, and Lupita Nyong’o as the narrator. For the production, the Public has teamed up with WNYC, which will stream the audio online and on the radio (93.9 FM and AM 820) in four hourlong parts, July 13-16 at 8:00.

The adapted script is available here, and you can follow Ambereen Dadabhoy’s nightly synopsis here. “What must the King do now? Must he submit? / The King shall do it. Must he be deposed? / The King shall be contented. Must he lose / The name of King? I’ God’s name, let it go,” the king says, in words that still sting today. “My gorgeous palace for a hermitage, / My gay apparel for an almsman’s gown, / My figured goblets for a dish of wood, / My scepter for a palmer’s walking staff, / My subjects for a pair of carved saints / And my large kingdom for a little grave, / A little, little grave, an obscure grave; / Aumerle, thou weep’st, my tender-hearted cousin! / We’ll make foul weather with despised tears; / Our sighs and they shall lodge the summer corn / And make a dearth in this revolting land.”

RED BULL THEATER: RemarkaBULL PODVERSATIONS / CORIOLANUS

coriolanus

Who: Red Bull Theater company
What: Conversation about William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, live online unrehearsed reading of play
Where: Red Bull Theater website and Facebook Live
When: Monday, May 11 and 18, free (donations accepted), 7:30
Why: No other New York City theater company has taken advantage of livestreaming during the pandemic shutdown like Red Bull has. The troupe, which specializes in Elizabethan and Jacobean comedy and tragedy, has been hosting events on its online sites every Monday night at 7:30, alternating between RemarkaBULL Podversations, in which actors discuss famous speeches, and live, unrehearsed Zoom readings with the original casts of previous Red Bull productions. On April 13, Michael Urie took on the “Queen Mab” speech from Romeo & Juliet, followed April 27 by Elizabeth Marvel tackling Mark Antony’s “Cry Havoc” monologue from Julius Caesar. Meanwhile, the company held live reunion readings of John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore on April 20 and Ford, Thomas Dekker, and William Rowley’s The Witch of Edmonton on May 4. (While the podversations can still be viewed on the website, the readings are available only through the Friday of that week.)

podversation

Red Bull now turns its attention to the Bard’s Coriolanus, which it staged in the fall of 2016 at the Barrow Street Theatre in a dynamic production set during the Occupy movement that I wrote was transported to “up-to-the-minute contemporary times in a fast and furious immersive adaptation bursting with passion and energy.” On May 11 at 7:30, the podversation “There Is a World Elsewhere” delves into two speeches from the play, with Dion Johnstone, who starred as Cauis Martius, and Lisa Harrow, who played Volumnia, in conversation with Red Bull associate producer Nathan Winkelstein. And nearly the entire original cast will be back on May 18 for a live, unrehearsed reading, with Matthew Amendt as Tullus Aufidius, Zachary Fine as Titus Lartius, Rebecca S’Manga Frank as Virgilia, Harrow as Volumnia, Merritt Janson as Brutus, Johnstone as Cauis Martius, Aaron Krohn as General Cominius, Patrick Page as Menenius Agrippa, Olivia Reis as Young Martius, Lily Santiago as Valeria, Stephen Spinella as Sicinius, and Edward O’Blenis in multiple small roles, along with composer Brandon Wolcott, all performing from wherever they are sheltering in place. Both events are free, but donations are accepted. Up next will be Zoom reunion readings of Red Bull’s 2005-6 version of Thomas Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy on June 1 and Jeffrey Hatcher’s fab 2017 adaptation of Gogol’s The Government Inspector on June 15.

REMARKABULL PODVERSATIONS: “QUEEN MAB” WITH MICHAEL URIE

Who: Michael Urie, Nathan Winkelstein
What: Live discussion of “Queen Mab” speech from Romeo & Juliet
Where: Red Bull Theater’s website, Vimeo, Facebook (and Zoom for up to fifty participants; requires advance registration here)
When: Monday, April 13, free, 7:30
Why: Red Bull Theater’s RemarkaBULL Podversations streaming series kicks off April 13 at 7:30 with actor Michael Urie discussing Mercutio’s “Queen Mab” speech from William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet with host Nathan Winkelstein, the company’s associate producer. Red Bull specializes in Jacobean and Shakespearean works; Urie (Ugly Betty, Buyer & Cellar) starred in the troupe’s 2017 adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s 1836 satire, The Government Inspector. The monologue, delivered in Act 1, Scene 4, begins: “O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you. / She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes / In shape no bigger than an agate-stone / On the fore-finger of an alderman, / Drawn with a team of little atomies / Athwart men’s noses as they lie asleep.” Urie portrayed Mercutio in Folger Theatre’s 2005 production of the play, directed by PJ Paparelli. If you want to participate in the live chat, you need to register in advance for the Zoom feed here.