African-American Shakespeare Company presents Merry Wives

The African-American Shakespeare Company, one of San Francisco's treasures, will present their version of The Merry Wives of Windsor from May 4-26 at the Buriel Clay Theatre in the African-American Art & Culture Complex.

Directed by Becky Kemper, this production is set in the 1960’s in the shared back yards of a city neighborhood, and adopts the style of the popular urban black theater movement known as the “Chitlin Circuit.”

March Madness Shakespeare-style

              

Our friends at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater are hosting a Shakespeare Showdown wherein you can select your favorite characters. Simply download the brackets or go to their site or their Facebook Page and join in.

                  

Glee Editions Shakespeare Collection

Glee Editions has collected monologues and dramatic excerpts for all Shakespeare 37 plays. While these are totally random, it is a wonderful collection of stage and film productions--all in one place.

You can see Antony and Cleopatra with Timothy Dalton and Lynn Redgrave or a 1976 Comedy of Errors with Judi Dench and Roger Rees.

There's even a 1998 Twelfth Night with Helen Hunt as Viola and Kyra Sedgwick as Olivia and Richard Burton performing the "To Be" soliloquy in the 1964 Hamlet.

Macbeth in Uganda

Using a lineup of Ugandan and British actors, the National Theater of Uganda is staging Macbeth in Kampala. British-born director, Tom Adlam played the title role and Rehema Nanfuka played Lady Macbeth. Also in the cast are Samuel Lutaaya as Malcolm and Brian Emurwon as Banquo.

Here's a review at the allAfrica website.

Shakespeare and Autism

Through collaboration between The Ohio State University Nisonger Center, The Ohio State University Department of Theatre, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, a unique opportunity has been created to study an exciting new intervention. The Hunter Heartbeat Method, created by Kelly Hunter of the Royal Shakespeare Company, has been used with children with autism spectrum disorders for the past 20 years. Over the years, teaching strategies and intervention methods have been refined and have been anecdotally effective in improving social and communication skills with children of all ages and across the autism spectrum. Read More

Othello: The Remix

Othello: The Remix returns to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater after a highly-praised run at Shakespeare's Globe in London last summer. The show runs from March 12–April 28 at Navy Pier.

Probably the best thing to say about this amazing production is simply watch the video trailer:

Bikini Shakespeare in Chicago

If you happen to be in Chicago soon, you might want to check out Bikini Theater's Tempest. 

Here's what the Gorilla Tango Theater says about the show:

Bikini Shakespeare returns with its latest installment, The Tempest! This island romp will feature the bikinis and speedos you can't resist, with the hilarity and poetry of Shakespeare. Watch as Prospero toys with the lives of some unsuspecting ship-wrecked courtiers, just as they had toyed with his in a time long forgotten. Magic, spirits, monsters, power, and love all come into play as Prospero spins a web of revenge and redemption.

If you want to know the "hidden meaning" behind this production, look at what director, Katie Horowitz had to say in the Chicago Reader.