The Royal Shakespeare Company in Britain has announced a year-long festival, The Complete Works, which will have performances of all of Shakespeare's 37 plays as well as sonnets and poems. This report from Vincent Dowd.
This report from Vincent Dowd.
To present versions of all 37 Shakespeare plays, including the ones people tend to ignore like King John, plus the long works of verse, plus the sonnets is a huge undertaking.
In fact many of the productions aren't what you would expect of the RSC, but that's the point. Seventeen of the shows are from outside the UK, some are existing stagings and some brand new.
From South Africa comes the Baxter Theatre Centre's Hamlet, starring John Kani and directed by Janet Suzman. There'll be an all-Indian cast in A Midsummer Night's Dream. There's a version of Richard III with Kuwaiti actors, set in 1980s Iraq. The Berliner Ensemble brings its version of Richard II from the Spree to the Avon. The Two Gentleman of Verona are coming over from Rio de Janiero. Ten of the productions will be in languages other than English, at least in part.
It's an extraordinary undertaking and a huge gamble by the RSC under its leader Michael Boyd. But the organisation needs to show it's confident and ambitious: it's only a few years since the RSC's very future seemed imperilled.
A disastrous decision by Boyd's predecessor to abandon its permanent home in London made the Company seem a bit irrelevant. Energy levels dropped. Shakespeare was being done better elsewhere,mainly in smaller theatres. Well for the next year the RSC will offer a celebration of Shakespeare like no other anywhere and they're inviting the world's performers and directors and musicians to partake of the feast.
Vincent Dowd, Arts Reporter, BBC
works of verse
obras escritas en verso
sonnets
sonetos, que son poemas de 14 líneas
undertaking
un trabajo, empresa o ejercicio muy difícil
that's the point
esa es la razón
stagings
producciones (de una obra de teatro)
cast
el elenco o los actores de una obra de teatro
gamble
apuesta, asumir un gran riesgo, en este caso la Real Compañía de Shakespeare (Royal Sheakespeare Company o RSC por sus siglas en inglés) asume un gran riesgo al organizar este festival
Boyd's predecessor
El predecesor del Sr. Boyd
imperilled
en peligro
partake of the feast
participar en la fiesta, es este caso, participar en el festival
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