In anticipation of Shakespeare celebrations next year, we asked Oxford University Press and Oxford University staff members to choose their favourite Shakespeare adaptation. From classic to contemporary, the obscure to the infamous, we've collected a whole range of faithful and quirky translations from play text to film. Did your favourite film or television programme make the list?
The post What is your favourite Shakespeare adaptation? appeared first on OUPblog.
…wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” is the famous line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but I’m using it for today’s post to direct your attention to two things — 1) the new PT issue that went live on June 2 that is all about children and play, and 2) about Shakespeare plays and poetry. The word “play” has various meanings and one of them refers to drama. Children naturally act out stories with each other or their toys, and create little ‘plays,’ as it were. And so taking them to see plays is a natural extension, I think, of that basic child-like impulse to create them.
Last year, I wrote a post about the Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night, put on by the Unicorn Theatre in London. We also went to see Romeo and Juliet at the Globe theatre. I was convinced by my experiences there that children (and parents) need not be intimidated by Shakespeare’s plays. Of course, for most people, it is the poetic language of Shakespeare (the plays are mostly written in blank verse which is unrhymed iambic pentameter) that can be off-putting; however, if one gets to see the play acted, the language does not appear nearly so opaque and in fact contributes to the pleasure of watching the drama. In Winnipeg where I live, we have a local theatre company, Shakespeare in the Ruins, that puts on a Shakespeare play every summer in outdoor venues. This year they staged the Merry Wives of Windsor. We took both our children to the play and they enjoyed watching it.
Have you ever taken your children to a Shakespeare play? What was it and did they enjoy it? Does your city have a local company that stages plays for children? Do tell us here at PaperTigers.
This week’s Poetry Friday host is Kelly Polark.
(Steve Hickey)
Stories come alive for us in many ways and children’s theatre is one of them. When I was a child, there was very little in the way of theatre for kids. That has changed; today there are a number of theatres that cater exclusively to children. To its credit, even my small city of Winnipeg has its own theatre for children — Manitoba Theatre for Young People – that has put on outstanding productions for children of various ages.
When I went to London this spring, I was intent on giving my children theatre experiences to remember. Of course, there is no city like London to see live theatre, and the children’s theatre there did not disappoint. In particular, my husband and I wanted our children to see work by Shakespeare and luckily for us, the Unicorn Theatre was staging Twelfth Night at the time of our visit. Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s more accessible plays for children. I read a child-friendly version of the play to my daughter the night before our departure, and it was surprising what she remembered when she saw the production. When the black-clad Olivia first appears onstage, strewing petals into the water, my daughter immediately piped up “She’s sad because her brother died.”
The Puppet Barge is a theatre on a canal boat moored in northwest London. The theatre uses marionettes. They had a production based on poems from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic — A Child’s Garden of Verse. Using a delightful combination of marionettes, shadow puppets, and even a puppet show-within-a-show of Punch and Judy, the poems came alive through the performance.
What struck me about theatre in London was its multicultural hue. Shakespeare is acted by players of every race and color, and the marionettes displayed on the Puppet Barge came from all over the world. After all, to quote from Hamlet, the play’s the thing! And ‘play’ is certainly something children know all about! Is there some place in your city where your children can see live theatre? Do tell!
Twelfth Night in Historic Camden County
Illustration from The Granger Collection, New York
And it's always nice to have a holiday excuse to post one of Anna's recipes, this one for Twelfth Night Cake
"This a good day to please yourself. The harsh realities of the everyday world do not appeal to you today, and you would enjoy escaping to a brighter and prettier world, which would do no harm."
Damn right! Who am I to argue with my daily horoscope? Although I'd already fulfilled it by the time I read it. Looking for some ancient artwork from my very dim past - frankly, it could be anywhere. In a book? (which doesn't narrow it down in our house). In a portfolio (no). In a box? Hmm. So many boxes...I searched. I didn't find it. But delving into twenty years worth of collected ephemera (such a nice word and more pleasant than 'junk') I found a few treasures I'd picked up for future inspiration. I have no truck with the exasperated 'you never use this, why don't you get rid of it?' Things always come in handy. Eventually. If only for looking at...
This next was a good find as I am thinking about trying my hand at designing and hand printing simple fabric, retro-style...I love 1950's patterns possibly more than any other.
I even found this, which a certain Border Tart may recognise as a relic from an early venture...(about seven years ago I'd say). And yes, it was delicious. I can still taste it now, all crumbly and lemony...although I think we agreed it was more tablet than fudge. Tablet being harder and more Scottish - fudge being softer and more Western. No nationality comparisons meant at all.
Now here is an old, rather crude venture into paper cutting - a leftover Christmas card from 2000 - that was the year I made everyone homemade sweets, and had more time on my hands. (Did I ever really have the leisure time to make various flavoured fondants and hand dip them in chocolate?)
And finally these little darlings, just snippets picked up from a dealer in Reading
All of which is a bit irrelevant to my original intention of finding the old artwork. I was going to write a post about how much I am enjoying papercutting, and finding my old sketchbook full of silhouette designs. How the first really 'me' art I did was when picked I up an ink brush when I was seventeen and...but that will have to wait until next time.
For everyone if the UK which has been mightily rained on...for all you Canadian, US, Australian and New Zealand mothers, celebrating Mother's Day or remembering lost ones...for anyone who feels the "need to escape to a brighter and prettier world" - I give you a very small snapshot of our woods, covered in a gauze of bluebells. Acres and acres of them.
Beautiful bluebells....and wow, so much interesting stuff to explore on your blog.....where to start?! Well, maybe by saying YES to Children of the Stones....didn't think anyone else rememebred it. Fabulous stuff - and the strange gasping voice background music!
All best
Jane
I love those 50's designs!
Px
Thanks for the bluebells... just what I needed to cheer me up.
Yes.... it has been raining an awful lot in Bristol too.
My hens are getting webbed feet!
I adore your blog!! Just recently discoverd after looking through every single one of your epic studio move photo's. I too am one of the UK etsy gang and lovely it is to have you amongst us. Those bluebell woods are just a beautiful image. Looking forward to seeing all you lovely work.
Great bluebell shot - there's something so beautiful about a bluebell wood on a damp spring morning - you can definitely believe in fairies when walking through with the ferns brushing your legs. Love the fabric idea - sounds like a winner to me.
Your picture of bluebells sums it all up, my favourite time of the year.....Thankyou.
Sounds like you're having fun. I like the fabric idea ...I hope you give it a go.
Are you up for a cyber game?
In which case...tag.
(You need to check on my blog to find out what to do)
Your bits and pieces are a delight. It's always more entertaining to dig through someone else's ephemera. And thank you so for the Bluebells and the Happy Mother's Day Greeting.
Jenny
Those 50 patterns are gorgeous - You live in a treasure chest of words and images :)
Henry and the policeman!
What a wonderful set of finds. Those 50's prints are absolutely fantabulous - I also checked out the Tart's Tales blog, which I thought was wonderful!
Fantastic blog and pictures (and by the way, I love Children of the Stones too, found my old copy the other day!)
At least you remembered what you were looking for in the first place...I'll do the same thing, come across things long forgotten, spend ages poking through everything and then completely forget what I was searching for in the first place. If your photos show only a smidgen of the goods you have packed away, then I'd love to volunteer to help you out in the next round.
Thanks for the lovely bluebell greeting.