“Not your ordinary Shakespeare - Gonzaga Bulletin” plus 1 more |
| Not your ordinary Shakespeare - Gonzaga Bulletin Posted: Whether you're a fan or a foe, you will love the Gonzaga University Readers Theater Project's presentation of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare." "Complete Works" is a fast-paced and witty tour through all of the 37 works of Shakespeare that will have audience members engaged throughout the entire 70-minute performance. The production was first created in 1981 by a Californian trio who hoped to simplify the sometimes baffling work of the legendary playwright, and has since been performed by the creators and hundreds of other theater companies around the world. It's difficult to pinpoint just one word to describe all the action and excitement intertwined into the storyline of "Complete Works," but if sophomore David FauntLeRoy had to choose one, it would be "wacky." FauntLeRoy is among the 10 undergraduate actors starring in the show that brings literary classics like "Othello" and "Hamlet" to life. His modern-day spin on Romeo's character in "Romeo and Juliet" will have the audience gasping for air from laughter, and ladies, be sure to look out for him as he provides us with a little eye candy during the cast's replication of "Macbeth." "Expect to laugh and get out of your seats," FauntLeRoy warns Zags attending "Complete Works" this weekend. Is anyone else having difficulty remembering the last time that the audience was asked to participate during one of Shakespeare's plays? You're not alone, and there's a simple explanation for that. "Any expectations you have will be thrown out the door," senior Beth Thompson said before her dress rehearsal Monday night. "People's presumptions about Shakespeare often include men in tights and a lot of confusion, but this show will help people better understand his work in a way that is interesting and fun," Thompson said. Unlike any other Shakespearean production, "Complete Works" is full of sword-slashing action, passionate love scenes and a head-bobbing rap. Erin Fitzgerald is one of two freshmen eager to perform this weekend. "This production is unique because it allows the audience to understand Shakespeare more easily through a modern lens," she said. Leading the actors of the The Readers Theater is Fr. Kevin Connell, who is proud to identify himself as one of the three people who formed the club during the spring of 2007. He gives a lot of credit to his cast for the show they have put together for this weekend, especially given the little time they've had to prepare (the cast has only rehearsed once or twice a week for the last five weeks). Connell loves working with The Readers Theater because it allows students to explore plays they wouldn't normally perform, and "Complete Works" is no exception. "If you love Shakespeare, you'll love this show," Connell said. "If you hate Shakespeare, you'll love this show even more." Admission is a free-will donation for any show goers this weekend. Proceeds will be donated to St. Aloysius Gonzaga High School in Nairobi, Kenya. Members of the GU Readers Theater Project couldn't be more thrilled to be next in line for the show's worldwide tour. Performances will be held at the Magnuson Theater Feb. 24-26 at 7 p.m. Those who plan on making it to the production should arrive early because The Readers Theater has a reputation of selling shows out quickly. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php | |
| Conference, play highlight Islam’s Western legacy - Twin Cities Planet Posted: February 23, 2011 With the recent uprisings in the Middle East, University of Minnesota anthropology professor William Beeman has been able to say a lot about the region he knows best. "I've been doing a lot of commenting on the contemporary situation," the Middle East specialist said, "and even though today we tend to think the Islamic world is behind the West, we wouldn't be where we are without its influence." Beeman's point resonates with the theme of "Shared Cultural Spaces," a conference hosted by the University's religious studies program that starts Thursday. An interdepartmental group of faculty designed the conference to highlight the Islamic influence on Western arts, architecture, philosophy, literature and sciences, said key conference organizer Jeanne Kilde, the director of the religious studies program. She said the event has drawn together faculty, students and community members from a range of backgrounds due to a focus on Islam across University disciplines. "We have drawn faculty from all over [the College of Liberal Arts]," she said. "We are able to do that in this particular historical moment where national identity depends on this type of discussion." The conference will also feature the premiere of the play "Journey," which will be performed each night at 8 p.m. at Rarig Center. Kilde said the play was not part of the vision for the conference until an initial brainstorming meeting with University faculty presented an opportune coincidence. At the meeting, Beeman mentioned the play, which is New York director Mohammad Ghaffari's adaptation of the 12th Century medieval novel "Hayy ibn Yaqzan." Kilde said this was a surprise to English professor Nabil Matar, who has done a significant amount of research on the novel.
"The literary influence of this work was very, very great for the West," he said. "The play brings the theme of the conference to life in a very important way." Beeman said the performance, which follows a young boy raised without human contact on his quest for understanding, has a surprisingly contemporary look and feel despite its medieval origins. "I'm hoping people will be able to realize that here we have a work more than 1,000 years old," he said, "and yet it is able to speak to a contemporary audience in very profound way." Preparations for the conference, which is expected to attract 150 to 200 attendees per session, began last April when the National Endowment for the Humanities called for proposals for an initiative focusing on Islam and the humanities, Kilde said. After drafting a proposal, the group submitted its idea for the conference, which received a $170,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Matar said. He said the planning process incorporated focus on both the academic community, including the 17 scholars who will travel from around the nation to speak, and a public audience including community partners like the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Hennepin County Libraries and a number of K-12 educators. "The NEH parameters for the project called for something not just exclusive to the academy," Kilde said. "We knew we had to include a community engagement piece." The group brought together about 30 community representatives for a workshop on Feb. 4. To fulfill grant requirements, Kilde said, they will reconvene after attending the workshop to develop national programming in line with the themes presented in the conference. Students are also getting involved. Twenty-five of them have volunteered to act as ushers and support staff for the conference, Derk Renwick, the conference volunteer coordinator, said. Matar said he hopes members of the public are able to sense the intersection of cultures, particularly in the face of negative representations of Islam in recent media coverage. "These are not two civilizations set apart from each other," he said. "Dialogue has been going on between them for centuries, and it has been very enriching for both civilizations." All conference sessions and performances are free for the public and will take place in various locations on campus. After its campus premiere, "Journey" will run at the Children's Theatre Company March 3 through 13. Copyright: © 2011 The Minnesota Daily
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Beeman, the producer of the play, said the coincidence presented a good entry point for the theme of the conference, which is illustrated in the novel's influence on Western literary classics like "Robinson Crusoe" and "The Jungle Book."| You are subscribed to email updates from Literary-Classics - Bing News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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