Star Wars, Southern Accents, and Sonic Stories
Plus: Did Shakespeare have his first kiss under this tree?
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Bonus News
Some extra Shakespeare for a snowy day. Celebrate by reciting “penalty of Adam.” News news cometh in the morning, Timon in the evening.
Quick Links
Judi Dench sidebar
The Marys in London are using the same Yale Shakespeare copies of The Tempest as the NYC folks. Some lucky New Yorker had the opportunity to buy a copy licked by Cheyanne Jackson.
Today in the macabre: Charlotte Clopton takes a bite out of her shoulder. via Edel Semple
Your annual reminder that there are bits of Lear in “I Am the Walrus.”
“My PhD from Cambridge exploring the history of magic in Shakespearean drama got me the offer.” via Rebekah King
More witchy Hamnet work. (archive)
…when Hamnet died — on that day, Jessie Buckley and I did not talk about the scene. In the morning, she would do fever writing about her dreams and then would pick some music, and as soon as I got to set, I would put the music on repeat so the whole set was harmonized to the vibration she wanted.
Grab your free tickets for Emma Smith’s Notre Dame Shakespeare lecture (Feb 10), and Will Tosh on Caesar for San Francisco Shakes (Feb 2).
STC’s 37th annual mock trial will be about “the pivotal role of the handkerchief and Emilia's hand in procuring the item.”
For those who like their revenges brought in all at once: Hamlet and The Eumenides all in one evening. (godspeed)
Oregon Shakespeare costumes get around.
One particularly notable rental was a gown from OSF’s production of Pride and Prejudice that was worn on SNL by Al Pacino.
A Macbeth set during the civil wars of 19th-century Yorubaland.
UK Celebrity Traitors murder while they smile and Alan Cumming is non-stop over on the other side of the pond.
“You became president of the Cambridge Footlights. How did that come about?” via Fergus Morgan
I auditioned for a lot of shows and knew I was a good actor, and was like: ‘Why are these 18-year-old directors telling me I’m rubbish and can’t do Shakespeare?’ So I was like: ‘Fuck it, I’ll just tell my own stories.’
A Venus & Adonis mural, “one of only two contemporary illustrations of a Shakespearean work.” (t’other. I think.)
Gerran Howell (Dennis on “The Pitt”) got his start playing Puck.
Elon Musk’s dream dinner party guests are William Shakespeare, Nikola Tesla, and Benjamin Franklin.
Does Shakespeare sound better in a Southern accent and What did Richard III sound like?
Lee Pace took a deep dive into Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare.
A “diffuse but visually arresting” (and silent) Anthony and Cleopatra.
Recommendations
Like this one.
Their Associate Director of Education and Engagement, Lezlie Cross, is a deeply awesome human and fellow William Winter stan. (Who?) This is your annual reminder that you can read many of Augustin Daly’s cuts online, many with notes by Winter and some with vintage costume lists. (My favorite is Touchstone’s “curiously formed cap.”)
The sonic story approach to Hamlet is fascinating—theater accessibility continues to evolve in really thoughtful ways. Also, the fact that OSF costumes end up everywhere from other theaters to SNL (Al Pacino in a Pride & Prejudice gown!) is such a perfect example of how theatrical infrastructure quietly connects across the industry. And I appreciate the Southern accent question—dialect absolutely changes how verse lands rhythmically. These roundups are always packed with rabbit holes worth exploring.