Shakespeare in the News
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All information is compiled from various sources of media. Note: all links are for reader convenience only. The Green-Eyed Blogger receives no compensation of any kind from these links.
August 2026
The New York Times broke the news that Oskar Eustis, who has served as the artistic director of The Public Theater in NYC (which produces the famous summer "Shakespeare in the Park" program) for over 20 years, will step down in July 2028. They published an edited interview where Eustis reflects on the current state of public theater in general and of The Public Theater in particular, and shared some insights on business and public theaters. In particular, he noted a shift away from fully produced works and towards presentation of partially produced works in the post-Covid world because of financial strain. The Los Angeles Times published an interesting follow-up piece on the role of donors in supporting the arts, now that, in Eustis's words from the New York Times interview, "I think the American nonprofit theater movement is over."
In a new interview for Empire, Kenneth Branagh—known best for his roles in film adaptations of Shakespeare's histories and tragedies—mentions that acting in Shakespeare prepared him for his new action film, Mayday, which co-stars Ryan Reynolds and is set for release in September. It was not the drama of the plots, or the rhythm of the verses, that prepared Branagh for this new role: it was the fight scenes.
News Archives
July 2026
New York City's vibrant classical theater scene, nourished by its smaller theater companies, features another wonderful summer of Shakespeare in outdoor spaces. The Drilling Company presents As You Like It at 145 Stanton Street as part of their "Shakespeare in the Parking Lot" series from July 16 to August 1 (Thursdays to Saturdays, 7 PM). The Hudson Classical Theater Company presents Hamlet in Riverside Park from June 25 to July 19 (Thursdays to Sundays, 6:30 PM). The Classical Theatre of Harlem presents Othello in Marcus Garvey Park from July 5 to July 26 (Tuesdays to Sundays at 8:30 PM except for Fridays at 9 PM).
A Shakespeare professor from King's College, Lucy Munro, has uncovered previously floor plans of Shakespeare's house in Blackfriars. An urban planning document drafted by the city and dated to 1668 confirmed the house's size and location. Close to the Blackfriars theater, the house may have even served as a workspace for Shakespeare and John Fletcher during their collaboration on the play Two Noble Kinsmen.
January 2026
Showings continue of the film Hamnet, directed by Chloé Zhao and released in late November 2025, that portrays the birth and death of Shakespeare's son Hamnet and his inspiration in writing the play Hamlet. Of course, there is not necessarily a direct line of inspiration between the two events: while there is some evidence (such as the interchangeability of the names Hamnet and Hamlet in Shakespeare's England) to suggest one, there is other evidence (such as that of Hamlet as an adaptation play) to contest it.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater has announced a 75-minute adaptation of Hamlet––notably Shakespeare's longest work, which would run in full at somewhere between 4 or 5 hours––as part of their "Short Shakespeare" series. Performances begin at the end of this month (January 31) and run through the end of the next (February 28). The production's target audience includes Chicago's school-age population.
Those who fear that Shakespeare is no longer popular among the young people will be relieved to hear that the Yale Daily News has reported higher student interest than ever in courses exclusively dedicated to Shakespeare's plays. The English Department, in collaboration with Yale's Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies Department, will offer three courses focused on Shakespeare: "Shakespeare's Political Plays," "Shakespeare and Popular Culture," and "Acting Shakespeare."
November 2025
A British window washer named Steven Wadlow noticed a theatricality in the eyes of the man whose portrait hung on his mantelpiece. His father had bought the portrait back in the 1960s and the sitter may indeed have been William Shakespeare. Wadlow is investigating the authenticity of the painting: if it is, in fact, William Shakespeare, this painting will become the only the third accepted visual representation of the Bard.
Theatre Royal Haymarket (in London's revered West End) has given its opening shows of Shakespeare's Othello, which runs until January 17, 2026. The production, which is directed by Tom Morris, features David Harewood in the title role (Othello) and Toby Jones as his disloyal right-hand man (Iago); the world of their performance is accompanied by music by PJ Harvey. The performance leans into the explosive, vengeful nature of the play.
In the middle of a busy end-of-year that features Macbeth and an upcoming production of Twelfth Night, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is taking some time to expand access to Shakespeare's plays. Thanks to their First Encounters program, they will perform King Lear, abridged and adapted for children as young as 9 years old, at an academy school in Peterborough, England on December 2.
July 2025
New York City's The Drilling Company presents its 30th season of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, with a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" that runs from July 17 through August 2. This production uses its venue––a parking lot on Manhattan's Lower East Side––as the geographical setting for the play.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival celebrates its 90th birthday this year. The festival staged its first performance on July 2, 1935, in a season that featured Twelfth Night and The Merchant of Venice (the first continues to be frequently performed; the second has largely fallen out of fashion).
Bowdoin College Professor of English Aaron Kitch publishes a new book looking at Shakespeare's interest in "natural philosophy," a category that includes science, philosophy, and religion. Shakespeare's Theater of Nature: Science, Religion, and the Orders of Mimesis in Early Modern Europe (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025) analyzes the use of natural philosophy and theology in eight Shakespearean plays. It also takes into account the outdoor environment in which Shakespeare staged his works––the Globe––and how that environment affected what and how Shakespeare sought to represent.
February 2025
Free Shakespeare in the Park returns to NYC's Central Park from August 7 through September 14, thanks to the Public Theater's 2025 production of Twelfth Night. Directed by Saheem Ali, the production will be the first to be held in the newly renovated Delacorte Theater. The star-studded cast includes three acclaimed actors with a primarily TV and film background: Lupita Nyong'o (Black Panther, 12 Years a Slave) as Viola, Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy) as Olivia, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) as Sir Andrew Aguecheek. The rest of the cast and crew will be announced this summer.
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced their production line-up through January 2026––and it contains quite a few surprises. Director Michael Longhurst will present a version of Much Ado About Nothing set in the world of professional football (April 12 - May 24). Hamlet meets the music of Radiohead in Hamlet Hail to the Thief (June 4 - 28). The season rounds out its Shakespeare offerings with two more traditional stagings: The Winter's Tale (July 12 - August 30) and Measure for Measure (Septeember 13 - October 25). Over the holidays, the RSC brings a show for the whole family: an adaptation of Roald Dahl's charming tale The BFG (November 25 - January 31).
The Folger Shakespeare Library hosted its third annual Reading Room Festival from January 30 through February 2. The festival features staged readings of new adaptations and original plays inspired by Shakespeare, open rehearsals, panel discussions, and workshops. This year's festival seemed to focus on the inclusion of foreign languages and cultural diversity in present-day Shakespearean performances.
January 2025
Shakespeare's Macbeth, translated from English into French by Yves de Bonnefoy, will play at the famous Comédie-Française (France's national theatre company) from January 24 through May 11. Silvia Costa (a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres––an honor bestowed by the French government) has staged the production and designed the set.
The Improvised Shakespeare Company––a group that devises multi-act plays inspired by the Bard––will present three shows over two nights this month (January 10 and 11). In keeping with their mission, the entire play will be spontaneously written and performed in verse.
Former teacher Julian Morgan is continuing his series of puzzle books (which include a book themed around Latin, and one around Charles Dickins) with one that focuses on the Bard. The book comprises 100 puzzles and draws upon all 38 of Shakespeare's plays, as well as biographical and historical context, for its sources. The project also served, he told The Yorkshire Post, as motivation for him to read all the plays––some again, some for the first time. He rediscovered, in particular, the joy of reading King Lear and Romeo and Juliet.
The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival is producing their first wintertime production this year, from January 30 to February 2: As You Like It. These free performances will all be held outdoors and in the open air, as Florida is mild even in these winter months. The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival's annual summertime production––this year, The Winter's Tale––will run in mid-July.
July 2024
The Folger Shakespeare Library, the largest Shakespeare collection in the world, has officially reopened its doors after an $80 million renovation. Admission is pay-what-you-wish. On display include early editions of Shakespeare's works; a printing press similar to the one that printed the First Folio; and playbills, posters, and props from Shakespearean productions throughout history. Contemporary artist Fred Wilson created a new installation for the Folger, using a quote from Othello, a black glass mirror, and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I: "I view the mirror as Shakespeare himself: larger than life, deeply profound, and giving every person who views his work much more than he, Shakespeare, could have ever gotten."
The Chicago Shakespeare Theatre is launching Shakes in the City, their program of free, open-air, pop-up Shakespeare productions. On the playbill this summer is Twelfth Night in a new interpretation by director Tyrone Phillips that accelerates the play (the production is 45 minutes long) and sets it in the Caribbean during Carnaval. Some of the performances even include an Afro-Caribbean dance workshop for the audience.
The Criterion Channel presents a new streaming collection this month: "Pop Shakespeare," which features eight film adaptations of Shakespeare's plays from the late 1970s to the 2010s. Six of the movies selected are direct adaptations; the other two, China Girl (1987) and My Own Private Idaho (1991), reimagine Shakespeare's original story (Romeo and Juliet and Henry IV, respectively). The films vary widely in style, from Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet (1996) to Kenneth Branagh's Love's Labour's Lost (2000).
June 2024
The Folger Shakespeare Library has found its new Director in Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Kings College London. She will assume her position in October of this year. Not everyone is pleased with the choice, though: an opinion piece published in the New York Post denounced the use of her "woke" teaching approaches and portrayed her view of Shakespeare as opposite that of Henry Folger.
The famous Delacorte Theater in NYC's Central Park––the home of Shakespeare in the Park––is undergoing renovation this year. However, the Public Theater plans to keep alive the tradition of free, high-quality Shakespeare performances, thanks to live performances by their mobile unit (which travels around NYC's five boroughs) and increased streaming of recorded past performances.
This year's Santa Cruz Shakespeare Festival is organized around the theme of generations, and will present As You Like It (Jul 13 - Sep 1) and Hamlet (Jul 31 - Aug 31) and alongside Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" and Tennessee Williams's "The Glass Menagerie." Both Shakespearean performances rethink the setting: in As You Like It, the forest of Arden becomes the backstage of a theater; Hamlet is relocated to a court resembling the White House under Richard Nixon.
May 2024
Judi Dench is receiving much publicity for her latest book, Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent. The book chronicles about 120 hours' worth of conversations between Dench and Brendan O'Hea, director and actor at The Globe Theatre. Dench reflects on her entire Shakespearean career, from her debut as Ophelia in Hamlet at age 22. She also reflects on the time that has passed, and how Shakespeare's words have remained with her for over 65 years.
The Royal Shakespeare Company puts on its first season under new artistic directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey. Evans and Harvey have planned a summer full of contemporary reinterpretations––a two-day run of King Lear performed in Ukrainian and As You Like It in a brief 80 minutes (and directed by none other than Brendan O'Hea)––juxtaposed with a more traditional Othello in the fall.
London's National Army Museum presents an exhibition entitled "Shakespeare and War" to accompany the book Shakespeare at War: A Material History. With engravings, playbills, newspapers, and watercolors, the exhibition presents both how Shakespeare is used to call for and offer critiques of war––from the 17th century to today, including a focus on the war in Ukraine. The exhibition runs until September 1, 2024.
January 2024
Paul McCartney recently revealed to iHeart that the Beatles' 1970 hit song, "Let It Be," was likely inspired by Hamlet. In Act V, Scene 2, Hamlet says "let it be" (line 370) as he dies. McCartney had memorized several Shakespearean speeches by heart for school, and he now believes that these lines from Hamlet served as subconscious inspiration.
On February 27, UK Cinemas will play a new, modern film adaptation of Hamlet starring Sir Ian McKellen. Directed by Sean Mathias, the film is a reprise of the 2021 live performance at Theatre Royal Windsor. The production was cast without consideration of age or gender and stars Frances Barber, Jonathan Hyde, Jenny Seagrove, Francesca Annis, and others alongside McKellen. Read The Guardian article announcing the adaptation here.
Screen Rant released an article rating actor Julia Stiles's three Shakespearean films. She acted in 10 Things I Hate About You (an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew) in 1999, Hamlet in 2000, and O (an adaptation of Othello) in 2001. The movies were ranked: first, 10 Things I Hate About You; second, O; and third, Hamlet.
December 2023
Sir Ian McKellen will play Falstaff in a new Shakespearean production directed by Robert Icke: a condensed version of Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 entitled "Player Kings." Despite his extensive list of Shakespearean credits, he has never before played Falstaff. The production will run in Manchester and London, beginning in March 2024.
Darmouth College hosts a student-curated exhibit on Shakespeare in honor of the 400th Anniversary of the First Folio. The exhibit, entitled "The Whirligig of Time," includes playbills, quartos, folios, set designs, and other precious items from Darmouth's collections. The exhibit will run until mid-March 2024.
November 2023
According to CBS News, a portrait of Shakespeare and a copy of the "Lovers and Madmen" speech from A Midsummer Night's Dream was sent to the edge of space on November 8, in honor of the 400th anniversary of the First Folio. The portrait went attached to a weather balloon, with a camera and GPS tracker.
The New York Times gave Kenneth Branagh's West End production of King Lear mixed reviews, commending Kenneth Branagh's performance and command of the language, but critiquing the unrealized emotional power of the story and the disunity of the ensemble.
BBC Future summed up the 420-year-long search for a possible lost Shakespearean play, Love's Labor's Won. The play was first mentioned in a document in 1603. The article also includes information about other lost plays, such as Cardenio, and Titus Andronicus, which only survives in 1 known quarto.
October 2023
The Classical Theatre of Harlem has announced its 25th anniversary season, featuring an outdoor performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Marcus Garvey Park in July 2024. With A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Classical Theatre of Harlem will produce the only free Shakespeare in the Park season of 2024. The Public Theatre's annual Shakespeare in the Park festival in Central Park will not run in 2024, due to theatre renovations.
BBC plans to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio (this November) with extensive radio, television, and education programming. Highlights include the original series Shakespeare: The Rise of a Genius, with actors, scholars, and writers; archive performances of Shakespeare's works; a new performance of Hamlet starring Billy Howle; a day of music inspired by Shakespeare; and an animation of Romeo and Juliet for primary school students.
Pulitzer-prize winning playwright James Ijames discusses the transformation of Shakespeare's Hamlet into his own comedy, Fat Ham. The play ran at the Public Theatre in New York City in May and June 2022, then on Broadway from March to July 2023, and is now playing at The Huntington's Wimberly Theatre in Boston.
September 2023
The Public Theater's final production until 2025 (the iconic Central Park outdoor theater is undergoing renovations), The Tempest, closed on September 3. The Tempest featured music and lyrics by Benjamin Velez. The Daily Beast reviewed the production as fun and fresh, but lacking the depth of Shakespeare's original text and characters due to large cuts, the avoidance of darker themes such as dominance and subjugation, and the inclusion of musical numbers.
The American Shakespeare Center (ASC) has announced the productions in their Fall 2023 season. Perhaps most interestingly, The ASC will be producing two plays, Much Ado About Nothing (which started its run in July and will end on November 19) and Coriolanus (which runs from October 6 through November 18), with no director. That's right––the production is part of the "Actor's Renaissance" season, where the actors stage the production as an ensemble. The goal of this technique is to bring the actors and the audience closer to how productions were rehearsed during Shakespeare's time. In the words of the ASC, "it falls to [the actors to] find the pace and passion in every line, creating a bond between the players as well as with the audience."
In an interview with W Magazine, director Greta Gerwig cites Shakespeare's maximalist comedic style as part of her inspiration for the summer blockbuster film Barbie. "There wasn't anything that was too far or too crazy that couldn't be worked through, and then there'd be something in the middle that felt quite human," said Gerwig. "I was thinking about it in those terms: a heightened theatricality that allows you to deal with big ideas in the midst of anarchic play."
August 2023
Ellen McLaughlin opens up about her portrayal of the title character in King Lear at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. She identifies what the play is really about, for her: "[w]hat are we at essence?" She discusses the role of gender in the casting of Shakespeare, throughout history and today.
DC Theatre Arts gave a strong positive review to the American Shakespeare Center's production of The Taming of the Shrew, which runs through August 12. The review notes that the text of the play is unchanged––which is notably rare in today's context, given the play's controversial themes. The set design is also loyal to Shakespeare's era. The production is hailed as an example of being faithful to Shakespeare and resonating with a contemporary audience at the same time.
On August 4, Sir Michael Boyd, former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, passed away from cancer at age 68. He had joined the RSC as an associate director in 1996, following studies in directing in Moscow. In the rehearsal room, he was known for inspiring his actors to read the original text with a fresh spark. He served as RSC's artistic director from 2002 to 2012. In 2012, he received a knighthood in the Queen's Honor for his contributions to drama. The RSC published an official statement detailing his contributions to drama, theatre eduction, and the everyday functioning of the company.
July 2023
The Royal Shakespeare Company's summer performance of As You Like It has opened to very favorable reviews. Critics have regarded it as fun-loving and poignant, complementing in particular the actors' skill in reading verse. The actors in main roles all performed this play with the RSC back in the 1970s, and are returning to it some 40 years later. The production, which runs until August 5, is director Omar Elerian's RSC debut.
On July 4, The Guardian published a comprehensive positive review of Canada's Stratford festival, featuring productions of Much Ado About Nothing and Richard II. The performance of Much Ado About Nothing leans into the sexual comedy of the original play while adding a new element––scenes written by feminist playwright and actor Erin Shields. Richard II is equally fresh, set in a nightclub in 1970s New York City.
The RSC's Associate Schools Programme will be expanded into 5 new locations across England. The program, which targets areas in which opportunities for youth engagement in the arts are scarce, aims to inspire schoolchildren of all ages and levels with Shakespeare's language. Teachers attest to the program's efficacy: students develop self-confidence and become more comfortable expressing themselves.
June 2023
Meghan Winch wrote a piece for Collider evoking the influence of Shakespeare's plays on the hit TV series Succession. First up, evidently, is the comparison to King Lear: three children competing for their father's wealth once he abdicates the throne. The parallels continue with Macbeth, Richard III, and Hamlet. Beware––the article contains Succession series finale spoilers.
Wolfbane Productions in Virginia is putting on a new version of A Midsummer Night's Dream: outdoors, full of '90s pop songs from artists like Alanis Morissette and Mariah Carey. The inclusion of the music aims to make Shakespeare's plays accessible and enjoyable for everyone. The production runs from June 2 to June 24.
On June 1, Acting Artistic Director Erica Whyman announced the program for her last season at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). The program includes A Midsummer Night's Dream (directed by Eleanor Rhode in Spring 2024), and two adaptations of Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice 1936, which transports Shakespeare's play to London, and a 90-minute reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, with a target audience of 8-13 year olds and their families.
May 2023
David Tennant will assume the title role in the new Donmar Warehouse (London) production of Macbeth, opening on December 15 (December 8 for previews) and running through February 10, 2024. Tennant is no stranger to Shakespeare's works: having played Macbeth in a BBC Radio 4 broadcast last April, and Hamlet in an RSC production that was later adapted for television in 2008. The Donmar Warehouse's Macbeth is directed by Max Webster, director of the play adaptation of Life of Pi, which was awarded 5 Olivier awards last April.
The Guardian has just published a very favorable review of Farah Karim-Cooper's The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking about Race. The book showcases in-depth analysis of Shakespeare's plays and some of their most famous modern performances. Karim-Cooper advocates against seeing Shakespeare's work as representative of only one social group, and for staging even the "problematic" plays, as ways of exploring the injustices they contain.
Chloé Zhao, Oscar-winning adaptor of "Nomadland" for the big screen, will direct an adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet (2020). The novel centers on a young woman, Agnes, who falls for a playwright heavily inspired by William Shakespeare, with whom she bears a son named Hamnet. When a tragedy befalls their son, the father pens a play by the name of Hamlet. The script for this movie adaptation is written by Zhao and O'Farrell.
April 2023
The Frick Pittsburgh is partnering with Carnegie Mellon University to celebrate the First Folio with two exhibits. The first, "From Stage to Page: 400 Years of Shakespeare in Print," which runs from April 1 - October 1 of this year, allows visitors to see all four folios in one room. The second, "Inventing Shakespeare: Text, Technology, and the Four Folios," which runs from March 6 - December 1, explores how scholars have studied the folios over the last 70 years. They are also hosting four events, including a watch party of Shakespeare movie adaptations from the 1990s and 2000s.
The complete cast list is out for NYC's Shakespeare in the Park production of Hamlet, directed by Kenny Leon. The cast includes Ato Blankson-Wood in the title role, Solea Pfeiffer as Ophelia, Warner Miller as Horatio, Daniel Pearce as Polonius, Nick Rehberger as Laertes, John Douglas Thompson as Claudius, Lorraine Toussaint as Gertrude, Michell Winter as Rosencrantz, Brandon Gill as Guildenstern, Tyrone Mitchell Henderson as Osric/Priest, Greg Hildreth as Gravedigger, and Colby Lewis as First Player. The production runs from June 8 - August 6.
"Birmingham's First Folio," bought for the people of the English city in 1881, will start touring the city on April 23, the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth and death. The manuscript will visit Aston Hall, South Yardley Library, the Dorothy Parkes Centre, The Core Library Solihull, St. Barnabus' Church, and the Bullring & Grand Central station, and HM Prison Birmingham.
March 2023
The Shakespeare Theatre Company's King Lear, starring Patrick Page, opened on Feburary 24 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Critics have praised the casting, the originality, even the humor of the new production, which has been extended through April 8.
In honor of the 400th anniversary of the First Folio this year, an edited version of the play Shakespeare Unbound will be presented online on March 18. The event is free (donation optional). The play emphasizes the role of John Hemminges to the preservation of Shakespeare's work, and the online presentation will include discussions with scholars about the history of the First Folio.
Throughout all of April, the Fogler Shakespeare Library will be celebrating the 400th anniversary of the First Folio in Washington, D.C. Spectators can look forward to an exhibition, a world premiere play, lectures, workshops, and a city-wide scavenger hunt.
February 2023
This year marks the 400 year anniversary of the First Folio. In its honor, an article from the National Review explores the mystery surrounding Shakespeare's identity, including analysis of the eleven tributes to Shakespeare in the First Folio, various artistic representations of Shakespeare, and the exclusion of Shakespeare's sonnets and long poems from the collection.
In a new interpretation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, writer and director Zinnie Harris switches the dynamics between Lady Macbeth and her husband: it is now Macbeth who urges on the killing, and hallucinates blood on his hands. Macbeth (An Undoing) is running at the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh until February 25th. The production received good reviews (4/5 stars) from The Guardian and The Telegraph.
Dr. Erin Sullivan, who teaches Shakespeare at the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham, published an op-ed in Gulf News portraying Shakespeare as a "global citizen," and tracking the recent uptick in Shakespearean productions in the Arab world.
January 2023
The Folger Shakespeare Library will kick off the new year with The Reading Room, a new play festival in conversation with Shakespeare, featuring world premiere works and running from January 19-21. Later in the month, Folger will curate a series of lectures and workshops called Works in Progress (January 24-29).
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is undergoing a leadership change and a series of layoffs following financial difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is requesting government support during the 2023 legislative season, which begins on January 17.
December 2022
Adjoa Andoh, known for her role as Lady Danbury on Netflix's Bridgerton, will direct and star in Richard III next April. She plans to explore Richard's physical disability as racial difference.
Sir Mark Rylance is supporting Intermission Youth, a group which uses Shakespeare and theater to explore today's social issues, primarily with young and incarcerated people.
Round House Theatre's production of The Tempest draws on Shakespeare's original text, the music of Tom Waits, and the magic of Penn & Teller. The strong visual effects aim to astound the audience, like Prospero's magic astounds the other characters. The show runs until January 15, 2023.
November 2022
The top news story this month is the Royal Shakespeare Company's grand reopening of the Swan Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon. On the newly refurbished stage will run an adaptation of Maggie O-Farrell's book Hamnet, which imagines the life of Shakespeare's wife, daughters, and son.
The Old Globe will produce a new 8-episode podcast series called "Where There's a Will: Finding Shakespeare," hosted by The Old Globe's artistic director Barry Edelstein. The podcast will feature Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro, among others.
Creative New Zealand has ended funding for a popular school Shakespeare program. The funding cut, which questioned the relevance of Shakespeare to modern students and New Zealanders, is incredibly controversial.
October 2022
Streaming on Disney+ in the U.K. beginning October 14, Rosaline is a "fresh and comedic twist" on Romeo and Juliet. The title character, Romeo's lover before Juliet (a tertiary character in the play), "schemes to foil the famous romance and win back her guy." The film is based on the novel When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle.
A recent study suggests that more of Shakespeare's plays were collaborations that we often think. Using computer models, researchers analyzed the diction of the plays and matched the writing patterns to Shakespeare's contemporary authors. The analysis found George Peele's writing style in Titus Andronicus and George Wilkins's in Pericles, suggesting that these two plays may have been co-written.
In his address to the British nation, King Charles quoted Hamlet to pay tribute to his mother: "May 'flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.'" His tribute reminded listeners of the beauty of Shakespeare's poetry, and of the bond that Shakespeare's words have created among his audience.
September 2022
A unique musical adaptation of As You Like It by the Public Theater is nearing its end. The production features members of the NYC community alongside professional actors, as part of the Public Theater's Public Works program. Filled with music, joy, and even a large lion puppet, the production––which closes on September 11––is teeming with life.
Bare Bones Shakespeare, under the artistic direction of Julia Gayden Nelson, is putting on a one-woman production of Henry V. "The reality I'm playing with," says Nelson for KERA News, "is that 'The King' is a job title, not a gender." During the production, Nelson even has telephone conversations––with recordings of her own voice on the other side.
Premiering September 10 at the San Francisco Opera is a new work by composer John Adams based on Antony and Cleopatra. Adams explained to ABC News that Antony and Cleopatra was so attractive to him because it combines political struggle and a passionate love affair. Adams's work kicks off the 100th anniversary season of the San Francisco Opera.
August 2022
On July 22, 2022, a copy of the First Folio sold to a private collector through Sotheby's for 2.4 million USD. The copy, first published in 1623, includes an engraved portrait of Shakespeare alongside 36 plays edited by John Heminge and Henry Condell, members of The King's Men.
A new modern English version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, written by Jeffrey Whitty, will play at the Royal Garden of Prague Castle on August 6 and 7. The production is part of the annual Summer Shakespeare Festival in Prague and features the Prague Shakespeare Company.
The Public Theater's production of Richard III received a pretty poor review from the New York Post: "aimless," "awfully confusing," "a long, impenetrable night of theater that comes off under-rehearsed," and "[s]o much is going on, yet so little is going on" says NY Post reviewer Johnny Oleksinski.
July 2022
Running through July 21, The Public Theater's production of Richard III stars Danai Gurira, a classically trained actress known for her role in Black Panther. Gurira plays Richard, who talks notably about his disability throughout the play, as able, highlighting his blackness as his source of estrangement from the other characters. However, the production opens other roles to disabled actors, including Queen Anne, the Duchess of York, Edward IV, and Henry VII.
A new pop remix of Romeo and Juliet entitled "& Juliet" will come to Broadway following its award-winning run in London's West End. The performance looks at what could have happened had Juliet survived the end of the play, using pop songs from the last 30 years (including the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi, and Kelly Clarkson).
In the Castle Amphitheater of Provo, Utah, two Shakespearean plays will open later this month: Much Ado About Nothing (July 15 - July 23), and Macbeth (July 16 - July23). The two plays are somewhat united in war, and audiences will see the contrast between merry war in Much Ado About Nothing and ruthless war in Macbeth.
June 2022
Running June 3 to 26, "Much Ado About Nothing" presented by the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival leans into Shakespeare's lighter side. Director Bruce Longworth says he "can't think of a better one of Shakespeare's plays to be doing right now." In fact, the production was originally scheduled for 2020, with a darker focus, but Longworth since changed his approach to emphasize Shakespeare's comedy and playfulness.
The Actors' Shakespeare Project is remixing The Comedy of Errors with four actors and a DJ. In "The Bomb-Itty of Errors," the actors play multiple roles and rap the storyline. The production, which received praise from MTV, runs through June 26 at The Charleston Working Theater in Chelsea.
17-year-old Jacob Simmons, recent graduate of Covington High School, is Louisiana's finalist for the Poetry Out Loud National Championship. Simmons performed Sonnet 29 and explained to WGNO that Shakespeare helped him find his voice. The Poetry Out Loud National Championship will take place on June 5.
May 2022
On Saturday, April 23, Brave New World Repertory Theatre put on their 2021 Shakespeare on Stratford production. The company iconically uses porches as stages since its wildly popular 2005 production of "To Kill a Mockingbird." This year, they performed Shakespeare's sonnets live on Stratford Avenue in Brooklyn, and attendees say it felt like spring.
"The Northman," which opened in movie theatres on April 22, features a star-studded cast and a storyline very closely resembling that of Hamlet. But here's the thing: it actually aligns more closely with the plot of one of the source texts Shakespeare used while writing Hamlet--the myth of Amleth in "History of the Danes," by Saxo Grammaticus.
April 2022
In New York City, Broadway's "Macbeth" is on pause after Daniel Craig, playing the title role, contracted COVID-19. The official opening remains set for April 28 at the Lyceum Theatre. Many are wondering––is this the curse of the Scottish play?
Connecticut's state Bond Commission has approved a 3 million USD fund for the redevelopment of Stratford's Shakespeare Theatre, tragically destroyed in a fire in January 2019. Opened in 1955, the theater was a cultural landmark for many Stratfordians, having featured actors such as Katherine Hepburn and Christopher Plummer.
Open through July 17, "Shakespeare to Winehouse: Icons from the National Portrait Gallery London," at Australia's National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, showcases the only portrait for which Shakespeare ever sat. The exhibition, which has met with critical acclaim, also showcases portraits of the Brontë sisters, Charles Dickens, the Beatles, David Bowie, Nelson Mandela, and more.
March 2022
London-based theatre company Will & Co is touring the England with its "Bard in the Yard" program, which aims to connect particularly with young audiences. Under the programs, Shakespearean actors perform almost anywhere––in a garden, school, or park, to name a few possible locations. The program was born in the pandemic to spread the joy of a live performance even while physical theaters were closed.
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is partnering with TikTok to offer young theatergoers a discounted price to their shows. The RSC will produce TikTok content to encourage young people to see connections between their own lives and Shakespeare.
Beginning on March 12, the San Bernardo Symphony will present "Romeo and Juliet vs. West Side Story." The concert includes Tchaikovsky's Fantasy Overture, movements from Prokofiev's ballet retelling of Romeo and Juliet, and selections from Bernstein's West Side Story.
February 2022
On February 2, New York City's The Public Theater announced the return of their free, outdoor Shakespeare in the Park productions. The season opens with Richard III, directed by Robert O'Hara and starring actress Danai Gurira in the title role. Next at the Delacorte Theater will be a musical adaptation of As You Like It. While the exact dates of the productions and ticket information have not yet been released, The Public Theater will seat audience members at full capacity.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) Library has purchased a rare First Folio from a private collector in the United States. The Folio, Canada's second copy, will be displayed at the Vancouver Art Gallery through March 20, alongside later editions of Shakespeare's works.
Columbia University is presenting a series of public events called Such Sweet Thunder: Ellington Plays Shakespeare––Love and Power in Adaptation, inspired by Duke Ellington's and Billy Strayhorn's 1957 Shakespearean suite. Running from February through April, events include listening sessions, viewings of prints and films, lectures, and conferences.
January 2022
Chicago attorney and collector Jeffery M. Leving recently gifted the University of Southern Carolina a Third Folio (the rarest of the four folios), printed in 1664. The copy, housed in the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, joins a Second and Fourth Folio. The three copies will provide students and faculty with unique research opportunities.
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, in honor of its 50th season, will feature three actors in "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Revised)" at the end of the month. The three actors will whimsically cover 37 plays in only 90 minutes.
The Tragedy of Macbeth, directed by Joel Coen (scroll down for October 2021 news post), has arrived in theaters, and will be available for streaming on Apple TV+ on January 14. The film's style resembles that of Orson Welles' "Othello" and Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet," and is already enjoying great popularity.
December 2021
Anthony Sher, actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company, has passed away. In 1985, he won a Laurence Olivier award for Best Actor for his performance as the title role in Richard III. In 2000, Sher was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British empire.
Drayton Lodge, a miniature castle in Norfolk built by Sir John Fastolf was saved from collapse thanks to a grant and the hard work of local developers. Sir John Fastolf inspired the character of Sir John Falstaff in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I, Henry IV, Part II, and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Stephen Spielberg's remake of West Side Story, starring Ansel Elgort (Tony) and Rachel Zegler (Maria) with screenplay by Tony Kushner, arrived in movie theaters in the U.S. and Canada on Dec 10, and will open worldwide in the coming days. It grossed 4.1 million USD on its opening day, and its reception from critics and audience members has been overwhelming positive.
November 2021
On November 6, the troupe Shakespeare & Company will air the first-ever documentary of Shakespeare productions by students. The film, entitled Speak What We Feel, chronicles Shakespeare & Company's annual Fall Festival of Shakespeare––a festival in which 500 students from the Massachusetts area perform Shakespeare's plays under the leadership of the company's stage directors. The film is already honored with the 2021 Berkshire International Film Festival's Best Documentary Film award.
The Chicago Shakespeare Theater's first Shakespeare production since the start of the Covid-19 pandemics has begun. As You Like It takes a twist, reimagined alongside the Beatles' greatest hits. Audience members were delighted by the degree to which Shakespeare and the Beatles complemented each other's words, and were once again reminded that Shakespeare (and the music of the Beatles) is timeless.
Knock at the Gate, an immersive audio experience created for the pandemic, is a reimagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth that broadcasted through November 1. It is designed to be listened to with a pair of headphones in the dark. The project raised $10,000 for The Actor's Fund and reached listeners worldwide.
October 2021
A Midsummer Night's Dream is playing in-person at Shakespeare's Globe throughout the month of October. The production, directed by Sean Holmes and designed by Jean Chan, is full of color, vivacity, and joy. A Midsummer Night's Dream is part of the Globe's Deutsche Bank project to enable secondary school pupils in London to see performances at the Globe for free.
Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga will star as famous husband and wife duo Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in a production of Macbeth directed by Sam Gold, with lead producer Barbara Broccoli. The performance will open on March 29, 2022, on Broadway in New York City.
The Tragedy of Macbeth, a film directed by Joel Coen and starring Denzel Washington in the title role and Frances McDormand as his wife, enjoyed its world premiere at the New York Film Festival. The newest film adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy, The Tragedy of Macbeth is entirely in black and white.
The American Shakespeare Center has closed in-person performances until December 10, 2021, when the company will return with a production of A Christmas Carol. However, recorded productions and online programs remain available.
September 2021
Lovely compilation! Short and sweet.
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