Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Shakespeare: To do? or Not to Do?"

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edh915
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Topic: Shakespeare: To do? or Not to Do?"
Posted: 12/08/14 at 12:00am

What's your opinion about doing Shakespeare in community theatre?

My acquaintances are about evenly split. Half say it should only be done by trained professionals.

The other half says it can be a great experience for any actor at any time.

My heart tells me that W.S. should be performed as often as possible - in an evangelizing frame of mind.

However my intellect tells me that nothing is as bad as Shakespeare poorly performed.

Where do we draw the line? Are there any Shakespearean plays that are "actor proof"? What has been your experience?

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hobbyactor
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Posted: 12/08/14 at 10:03am

I was recently involved in a community theater production of the Scottish play and it was very well received. We also have a local group that does Shakespeare in the Park every summer, and it has always gone quite well.

Do you think your group has the talent to pull it off?

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Majicwrench
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Posted: 12/08/14 at 4:51pm

Do it. We do one every couple years. Advice, cut cut, do not burden an actor nor an audience with all the long speeches.
We will be doing that Scottish play early next year, busy typing at the moment.

Hobbyactor posed a good question, but more than talent you need commitment, as we all know.

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edh915
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Posted: 12/10/14 at 9:02pm

I think I remember having been told once that the Scottish play is Shakespeare's shortest. The witches can be tricky, though. And the Porter is rarely as funny as he's supposed to be. But then, forewarned is forearmed. If you can spot the troublesome bits up front, you might be able to fix them.

I live in an area where there is quite a lot of community theatre (about 15 groups within a fifteen mile radius). The ones that do Shakespeare tend to be cliquish. The ones I work with shy away from Shakespeare. The closest they're willing to get is The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged or I Hate Hamlet.

I'm trying to figure which of Shakespeare's plays would have the greatest chance of getting produced by my group, and also have the greatest financial success. I think we have a decent talent pool, just unenlightened board members.

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bnk01
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Posted: 12/31/14 at 9:32am

Nothing is worse than badly done Shakespeare… but nothing is better than when it is done well.
If you "think they can handle it"… I'd be dubious. If you think they can knock it out of the park, that's when you should go for it.

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Majicwrench
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Posted: 12/31/14 at 12:10pm

"Excellence does not require perfection" is one of my fav sayings. Very few people knock things out of the park, but everyone still enjoys playing ball.
"That Scottish play" I have three young ladies who are wonderful dancers & singers, they will play witches. Going to be poorly seen, and not ugly. Porter, I have cut out. Never fond of Porter scene. Rehearsal starts Monday.

ED, Mid-Summer Dream is a fun, fast, funny show, my favorite, done it twice now. If yoiu had to pick one, that's it.

Edited by Majicwrench - 12/31/14 at 12:20pm

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Rorgg
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Posted: 1/06/15 at 11:12pm

Aggreed, I'd start with a comedy -- something like Midsummer or Much Ado, rather than something heavy like Macbeth. In fact, the only real call for doing Macbeth is if you have a male lead you really want to showcase.

And show which people are ridiculously skittish about saying "Macbeth."

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Majicwrench
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Posted: 1/07/15 at 1:22pm

We have done nothing but light fare for a couple years, and the gang really wanted to do something dark. Thus, our current project. We will see how the public reacts.
Ed, I know there is at least one shorter Will play

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edh915
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Posted: 1/14/15 at 11:14am

Majic:
Break many legs!

Shorter than "you know who"?
If I had to guess, I'd assume maybe Comedy of Errors(?)

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edh915
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Posted: 1/14/15 at 11:18am

Rorqq:
I agree with you and Majic that A Midsummer Night's Dream and A Comedy of Errors would have the greatest acceptance by the audience.

My main problem is getting our board to approve any Shakespeare play.

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Author	Message
edh915 Celebrity Joined: 11/19/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Topic: Shakespeare: To do? or Not to Do?" Posted: 12/08/14 at 12:00am
	What's your opinion about doing Shakespeare in community theatre? My acquaintances are about evenly split. Half say it should only be done by trained professionals. The other half says it can be a great experience for any actor at any time. My heart tells me that W.S. should be performed as often as possible - in an evangelizing frame of mind. However my intellect tells me that nothing is as bad as Shakespeare poorly performed. Where do we draw the line? Are there any Shakespearean plays that are "actor proof"? What has been your experience?

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hobbyactor Lead Joined: 12/22/11 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 47	Posted: 12/08/14 at 10:03am
	I was recently involved in a community theater production of the Scottish play and it was very well received. We also have a local group that does Shakespeare in the Park every summer, and it has always gone quite well. Do you think your group has the talent to pull it off?
	IP Logged

Majicwrench Celebrity Joined: 2/07/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 178	Posted: 12/08/14 at 4:51pm
	Do it. We do one every couple years. Advice, cut cut, do not burden an actor nor an audience with all the long speeches. We will be doing that Scottish play early next year, busy typing at the moment. Hobbyactor posed a good question, but more than talent you need commitment, as we all know.
	IP Logged

edh915 Celebrity Joined: 11/19/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Posted: 12/10/14 at 9:02pm
	I think I remember having been told once that the Scottish play is Shakespeare's shortest. The witches can be tricky, though. And the Porter is rarely as funny as he's supposed to be. But then, forewarned is forearmed. If you can spot the troublesome bits up front, you might be able to fix them. I live in an area where there is quite a lot of community theatre (about 15 groups within a fifteen mile radius). The ones that do Shakespeare tend to be cliquish. The ones I work with shy away from Shakespeare. The closest they're willing to get is The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged or I Hate Hamlet. I'm trying to figure which of Shakespeare's plays would have the greatest chance of getting produced by my group, and also have the greatest financial success. I think we have a decent talent pool, just unenlightened board members.
	IP Logged

bnk01 Lead Joined: 9/05/09 Online Status: Offline Posts: 32	Posted: 12/31/14 at 9:32am
	Nothing is worse than badly done Shakespeare… but nothing is better than when it is done well. If you "think they can handle it"… I'd be dubious. If you think they can knock it out of the park, that's when you should go for it.
	IP Logged

Majicwrench Celebrity Joined: 2/07/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 178	Posted: 12/31/14 at 12:10pm
	"Excellence does not require perfection" is one of my fav sayings. Very few people knock things out of the park, but everyone still enjoys playing ball. "That Scottish play" I have three young ladies who are wonderful dancers & singers, they will play witches. Going to be poorly seen, and not ugly. Porter, I have cut out. Never fond of Porter scene. Rehearsal starts Monday. ED, Mid-Summer Dream is a fun, fast, funny show, my favorite, done it twice now. If yoiu had to pick one, that's it. Edited by Majicwrench - 12/31/14 at 12:20pm
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Rorgg Celebrity Joined: 2/10/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 151	Posted: 1/06/15 at 11:12pm
	Aggreed, I'd start with a comedy -- something like Midsummer or Much Ado, rather than something heavy like Macbeth. In fact, the only real call for doing Macbeth is if you have a male lead you really want to showcase. And show which people are ridiculously skittish about saying "Macbeth."
	IP Logged

Majicwrench Celebrity Joined: 2/07/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 178	Posted: 1/07/15 at 1:22pm
	We have done nothing but light fare for a couple years, and the gang really wanted to do something dark. Thus, our current project. We will see how the public reacts. Ed, I know there is at least one shorter Will play
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edh915 Celebrity Joined: 11/19/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Posted: 1/14/15 at 11:14am
	Majic: Break many legs! Shorter than "you know who"? If I had to guess, I'd assume maybe Comedy of Errors(?)
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edh915 Celebrity Joined: 11/19/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Posted: 1/14/15 at 11:18am
	Rorqq: I agree with you and Majic that A Midsummer Night's Dream and A Comedy of Errors would have the greatest acceptance by the audience. My main problem is getting our board to approve any Shakespeare play.
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