Will Shakespeare
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Printed Date: 6/09/25 at 4:46pm
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Topic: Will Shakespeare
Posted By: Juliet
Subject: Will Shakespeare
Date Posted: 8/22/05 at 10:19am
| Does anyone know where I can get the casting list for "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged]" |
Replies:
Posted By: dougb
Date Posted: 8/22/05 at 11:48am
| I am not sure what you mean by a casting list but the play has a cast of three men (youngish). It is also available on video. |
Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 8/23/05 at 3:51pm
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dougb is correct.
When we performed the show we used the full title which I believe is "The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) performed in 97 minutes by three guys in tights." The show is great fun. It does very well with college audiences and theater afficianados. It's a tougher sell to the general population. Good luck. ------------- "None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 8/23/05 at 4:45pm
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This is one of the funniest plays I've ever seen. I would love to
get the opportunity to be involved in a production. I remember we went to see it before it got so popular - and, not really knowing what I was in for - I wasn't at all excited about seeing bastardized Shakespeare. One of the best times I've ever had watching a play. |
Posted By: Tom_Rylex
Date Posted: 8/23/05 at 8:02pm
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Topper, When you write, "It's a tougher sell to the general population," what aspects of the show (or experience) are you basing this on? I was planning on ordering the script soon for evaluation. I like the premise, and it looks like a very funny, high intensity show on the surface. I'm curious about who this show appeals to. Is there anything particular about the show that makes it more of an in-joke for the theatre creatures or college audience? -Tom ------------- The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. -R. Frost |
Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 8/23/05 at 11:38pm
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Dear Tom:
Generally (and I mean VERY generally) I've always detected an aversion by your average theater-goer to seeing an evening of Shakespeare -- in ANY form. Perhaps because it has been "required reading" in so many schools that there has been an unvoiced resentment towards the Bard. The most common complaint I've heard in the past is "He's just too talky!" And unfortunately, many an audience member leaves a Shakespeare play feeling remanded like they SHOULD have enjoyed it more than they actually did. I'm reminded of a line (paraphrased) from "I Hate Hamlet" in which the character of the Hollywood agent remarks, "Shakespeare?! Come on, that's like algebra on stage!" Unfortunately, I believe many people share that opinion. In fact, I know of a theater in our town who refused to do "I Hate Hamlet" because the title referred to Shakespeare and their market research showed that that would be [their words] "a tough sell." The irony is, this is Minneapolis/St.Paul -- a town with a rich history of live theater that is widely supported by an active theater-going community. In fact, two of the most successful (read: "Sold Out") recent Fringe festival productions had Shakespearian motifs. "Kung Fu Hamlet" is the play told as a Kung Fu movie complete with dubbed dialogue by offstage voices and actual chop-socky action instead of swordfights. "Corleone" is a what-if scenario that arose had Shakespeare written "The Godfather." Both shows were extremely well-done and enthusiastically received. However, I'm sure you'll agree the crowds that attend the Fringe Festival are not your average theater-going crowd. That's why I believe "Compleat Wrks" appeals to a different bunch as well. More educated perhaps. More literate and adventurous, definitely. The fact of the matter is, most people are not as well-versed or familiar with Shakespeare's plays as those of us who work in the theater or recreate there. People are reluctant to attend a comedy where they are afraid they won't get the jokes. While the creators have attempted to bring Shakespeare back to the masses (and a couple of scenes recall Saturday Night Live sketches or Renaissance Festival acts) the initial challenge is overcoming the initial reluctance of getting Mr & Mrs John Q Patron to shell out their hard-earned ticket money in the first place. |
Posted By: Mike Polo
Date Posted: 8/24/05 at 8:04am
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When we did Compleat Works several years ago, we had no problem selling it to the public... word of mouth did the job and then some. Seats were at a premium by middle weekend and we have more requests to bring back that show than any other except our fundraiser. In addition, we ended up taking the second act to competition and placing second... we were informed by the rest of the competitors that "we were robbed", but the adjudicator apparently felt the competition was for more serious fare. The moral of the story is this; if you can get preview coverage before you open, word of mouth should do the rest. ------------- Mike Polo Community Theater Green Room http://www.communitytheater.org http://www.twitter.com/CTGreenRoom"> 
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Posted By: Shatcher
Date Posted: 8/24/05 at 11:56am
| I must say I agree with Mike. A group here in Omaha has done the show twice and sold out the second production 2 weeks before opening. Very little prior knowledge of will's work is needed to enjoy the show. Because its the langauge not the theme of his plays that turns people off you should have no problem. In fact attendance ath the theatres next bard show went up. Good luck I know you will love this play! |
Posted By: POB14
Date Posted: 8/24/05 at 1:01pm
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This play is fall-on-the-floor, wet-your-pants, embarass-yourself-by-making-rude-noises funny. Get a local radio station to put one of your people on doing the Rap version of Othello. Do two posters: "Hate Shakespeare? You'll LOVE . . . " and "Love Shakespeare? You'll LOVE . . ." Knock people out on the street and drag them in; they'll pay afterwards, it's that good.
------------- POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |
Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 8/25/05 at 1:54pm
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I agree wholeheartedly the play is
spit-milk-out-your-nose funny. (Note to concessions: Do not serve milk!) However, if you re-read the previous postings you'll notice the time it took to overcome audience reluctance: Mike Polo says "...seats were at a premium by MIDDLE weekend" and Shatcher says it was the SECOND production that sold out. (Emphasis mine) What happened the first weeks? General audience fear and trepidation. Either aversion ot Shakespeare outright, concern over attending a show they're not familiar with, or both. It took word-of-mouth (ie: reassurances by trusted friends) that this is NOT A TYPICAL SHAKESPEARE SHOW! I'm a big fan of the bard, but I too catch myself exiting an exceptionally well-done Shakespeare performance thinking with pleasant surprise, "Son of a gun, I actually ENJOYED that show." You know your audiences best. If you can convince people ahead of time they're in for an unusually fun time in the theater, that's the tough sell you've got to overcome. ------------- "None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone |
Posted By: Mike Polo
Date Posted: 8/26/05 at 8:46am
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Topper, You make your point, though I think you may be overstating the case. Shakepeare's works usually do quite well in our area. In our theater, opening weekend is always a tough sell when doing something that lacks name recognition. We can sell out opening night of "The Odd Couple" with ease. Three-quarters of a house is excellent for "Catfish Moon". When we did Compleat Works, we did 80% opening night, and sold out the rest; a better turnout than average for that season. Did the name "Shakespeare" turn some off, sure. Can I say that was the only reason? Nope. Not even close. I think that each group has a different audience, and your experience may vary... Yes, some people are daunted by the Bard, just as some won't go see anything but a comedy and some will only see shows they recognize. The quality of the show preceding can have a definite effect on the audiences for the following show. After a while, you can learn what to expect from your audience, and pretty much predict how a show is going to do. And if you really want to boost your audience numbers, do an entire season of big name comedies. ------------- Mike Polo Community Theater Green Room http://www.communitytheater.org http://www.twitter.com/CTGreenRoom">
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