Welcome to Day 8 and 2018! Yay! Today brings us to one of my favourite Shakespearean plays – “Pericles; The Prince of Tyre”. Over the last few years I have become obsessed with trying to win this award for the most unusual choice of play, which has led to me reading a number of unusual Shakespearean texts. “Pericles; The Prince of Tyre” has it all, … Continue reading The 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 8 – Pericles, the Prince of Tyre
As New Years Eve is known as Hogmany in Scotland, what better choice for the 12 Plays of Christmas for Day 7 than ‘the Scottish Play’ itself, “MacBeth”. “MacBeth” is a tragedy centred around the character MacBeth, as he plots and takes over the role as King of Scotland. MacBeth, a soldier, bumps into witches who predict he will become Thane of Cawdor and well … Continue reading The 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 7 – MacBeth
Today we shall dive headfirst into the “Merry Wives of Windsor” for the 12 Plays of Christmas…. why? Well, long story short, there are many places called Windsor, and many plays with Falstaff in them. There are 2 plots within the play. The first involves Falstaff attempting to trick married women, saying that he loves them (in identical letters). The women are smart and compare … Continue reading 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 6 – The Merry Wives of Windsor
Welcome to Day 5 of the 12 Plays of Christmas. The 5th day of Christmas celebrates St Thomas Beckett, the Archbishop of Canterbury at one point. So today’s play is “Henry V”, as well, the Archbishop of Canterbury is a character in the play. That’s enough of a reason for me. “Henry V” is a play that hardly needs introduction, as well, Henry goes to … Continue reading The 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 5 – Henry V
Welcome to Day 4 of the 12 Plays of Christmas. Day 4 is the Feast of Holy Innocents – commemorating the children killed by King Herod. So I have selected one of my favourite plays, which includes an attempted baby killing, “The Winter’s Tale”. “The Winter’s Tale” was the first major I directed that picked up awards at the National Finals of the Sheillah Winn … Continue reading The 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 4 – “The Winter’s Tale”
Welcome to Day 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas. Today I have selected Shakespeare’s King John. Traditionally this day is the day of St John, so that’s my reasoning. “King John” is one of the History plays from Shakespeare, and one that is rarely performed. Filled with intrigue, “King John” should not be overlooked. The story follows the reign of King John. At the … Continue reading 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 3 – King John
Alright, welcome to Day 2 of the 12 Plays of Christmas. This one is a bit of a stretch, but, day 2 of Christmas is St Stephens Day, and he was a martyr known for making long speeches…. and who do we know who is a bit of a martyr and makes long speeches? Hamlet! “Hamlet” is my favourite play by far, I love everything … Continue reading 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 2 – “Hamlet”
Not that long ago I was planning my “12 Days of Christmas Knits” for my other blog, when the idea struck that clearly I needed to commemorate the 12 days of Christmas with Shakespearean plays, and an idea of how scenes could be staged, given my passion for the Otago University Sheilah Winn Festival of Shakespeare. If you would like a freebie, here is a … Continue reading The 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 1 – “Love’s Labour’s Lost”
This year we participated in the Write for Rights event from Amnesty International. Our aim was to help highlight the issues surrounding illegal timber poaching in Madagascar and the wrongful imprisonment of Clovis. So we wrote and performed a play, loosely connected to Dr Seuss’s “The Lorax”, using elements of Brecht and Commedia in performance. Here is the play live: Continue reading Amnesty International – Write for Rights – I speak for the trees
It’s not often that I get to post about a thing on multiple blogs…. sadly. But today I do. And it’s a bonus of living in a thriving small town, with an awesome arts buzz. Now, Featherston hasn’t always been a thriving town. In fact when we moved here, it wasn’t. But the potential was there. In the last few years we have become a … Continue reading Featherston’s First Fridays
Beyond Theatre 