Play On Shakespeare, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to exploring the world of Shakespeare in performance through translation and adaptation has announced various UK events as part of their summer 2023 season.
Research in Action: Play On Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s Globe
July 12
Location: Sam Wanamaker Playhouse [London]
Shakespeare’s Globe holds an ongoing Research in Action series that gives audiences a chance to be a part of the Globe’s exploration of early modern and contemporary performance culture. Research in Action: Play On Shakespeare will focus on Play On’s translation project. Professional actors and writers will share scenes and speeches from Shakespeare’s works in modern verse translation, and discussions—led by Play On Shakespeare’s President and Co-Founder, Lue Douthit, and the Globe’s Head of Research, Will Tosh—will be interspersed throughout the event followed by an interactive experience for the audience. What do we learn about Shakespeare’s plays by putting the English of then and now in conversation?
Romeo and Juliet
Theatre Space North East
Translated by: Hansol Jung
Directed by: Corinne Kilvington & Jamie Brown
July 13-16
Location: 1719 (former Holy Trinity Church) Church Street East [Sunderland]
With crime and youth violence on the rise, a young friar arrives in Verona, hoping to bring peace. Those hopes are shattered when a street brawl brings challenges right to his door. But when a young lad, Romeo, asks the friar for help to marry Juliet—two people on either side of a feud challenging the city—the friar sees a way to bring the conflict to a close. If only he could make it work. Merging contemporary Sunderland with an ecclesiastical Verona, this production combines a professional cast with community members to bring to light the challenges facing our community.
The Tempest
Theatre Space North East
Translated by: Kenneth Cavander
Directed by: Corinne Kilvington & Jamie Brown; Musical Director: Lawrence Neale
August 17-20
Location: Marine Walk [Sunderland, England]
Prospero and her daughter Miranda are castaway on the island of Sunderland, along with all the remnants of their city’s long-discarded shipping industry, banished from their home by a usurping sister. But when an opportunity for revenge presents itself, Prospero and her magical spirit Ariel bring those to blame to the island’s shore, and the fun begins. Featuring a local community chorus alongside a professional cast, this production brings Sunderland’s seafaring history to life against the setting of the north sea.
Play On Shakespeare is a non-profit company promoting and creating contemporary modern translations of Shakespeare’s plays. Play On partners with artists and organizations across the globe to deliver these translations through theatrical productions, podcasts, and publications. Play On Shakespeare is made possible through generous support of the Hitz Foundation.
More details on the events can be found at Play On Shakespeare
