I'm reading a comic book from Japan Lone Wolf and Cub, a story taking place during the Tokugawa Shogunate. In one chapter a theater specifically devoted to Kabuki during normal working hours in the day was being used at night by Samurai to watch various live sexual-themed performances such as girl stripping and a nude girl lying on the stage masturbating in front of over 50 warriors. In normal working hours, regular people like a housewife and her children and two young adults dating each other visit the same theater to watch puppet shows and other performances on top of the Kabuki stuff its advertised as being specialized for.

I'm curious irl have regular theatres for normal law abiding citizens like a typical family or and elderly childless husband and wife to watch something mainstream like Shakespeare performances during the 16th century ever used for such inappropriate NSFW performances in secret like at night or during closed seasons like the middle of winter after heavy snow have been dropping for a month? In addition did theaters specializing in such explicit adult content exist in the past I ask out of curiosity?

If Cassius hadn’t committed suicide, could they have won? And what would have happened if they had

Hi all,

I’ll be reading/watching Hamlet next quarter with my seniors, and today my mom was showing me photos of a Halloween office party at which said office was decorated like a haunted castle. This gave me the idea to decorate my classroom for the duration of our study of the play.

I was thinking about getting cheap plastic/vinyl sheeting that looks like castle bricks and some flickering LED candles, but I’d love some additional advice/ideas! Maybe a ghost? Not sure of the best way to do that cheaply and effectively.

Thank you all in advance!

Hey could someone have a read over my adapted version of A Midsummer Night's Dream I have made for my year 10 drama class to perform? I want to make sure I have gotten the spirit of the play without it being too too much like the original. It's all in contemporary English with an added chorus (so that the story is shorter) and with a scene between Demetrius and Helena at the end instead of Theseus and Egeus finding all four of them. There were a lot of considerations but would appreciate any feedback :)https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRnWWzjx6pz3_V_LJtYIPmrJjXyqd33EVcm-3vzrD0j6rprFmG5q2iHml4XkNiwAeTij0wdJ6CxCJtH/pub

On November 8, 1623, the First Folio was entered into the Stationer's Register.

Last year, we all celebrated the 400th anniversary of the publication of that great work.

But isn't the First Folio 400 years old this year (i.e., 2024)? And isn't today its 400th birthday?

Is it time to renew the celebrations?

I have a video essay comparing merchant of Venice and another text of my choosing and I was wondering if cabaret is relevant in that sense. I was thinking more the movie than the musical because it’s a lot faster to get through. And I was also wondering what themes they both shared, I know they both have anti-semitism but I was wondering if the role of women and how sally bowles could be compared to Portia or Jessica and the role money has but I’m not sure about that part as. If these two texts have nothing in common please recommend others that could be.

Are there any available? I was sad to miss him in London recently.

From Wikipedia:

The name was selected by Hasegawa as a reference to the Shakespearean play Othello, the Moor of Venice, referring to the conflict between the Moor Othello and Iago, and to the unfolding drama between Othello, who is black, and Desdemona, who is white. The green color of the board is inspired by the image of the general Othello, valiantly leading his battle in a green field. It can also be likened to a jealousy competition (jealousy being the central theme in Shakespeare's play, which popularized the term "green-eyed monster"), since players engulf the pieces of the opponent, thereby turning them to their possession.

Hello. I’m starting to get into reading Shakespeare again. The most accessible edition for me, mostly because it’s the one that’s available at my local bookstore, is the Signet Classics. I’ve also bought A Midsummer Night’s Dream of this edition, and I like it. It has the Middle English phrases at the bottom in bold with the modern translation right beside .. the text is very small, but that’s not a problem for me. This also means the books easily fit into my handbags, which is great for me.

The awkward thing that happened today was when I went to buy Othello. I showed the cover to my mom and she said, “Oh yeah, Othello! He’s a jealous man.” I honestly had NO CLUE that she knew about it 😂 (For reference, she’s from Mexico and barely knows English. I do understand that Shakespeare has been translated many times, but it was definitely very surprising. In 20 years (my age) she had never thought to share that with me 😂

Hi everyone, I'm looking for a film adaptation or staging of Hamlet where Hamlet is played as a bloodthirsty goon who, it's implied, has killed before the play opens and will kill again. He thoroughly enjoys toying with everyone in the castle, who are all terrified of him. Has anyone here heard of something like that? Grateful for any information.

Edit: Or any version where Hamlet is the evilest character in the cast

Edit: in the version I'd be looking for, the script is the same as normal and the production is still called "Hamlet". Only the staging decisions would be changed. And it would be a serious adaptation rather than a spoof

Edit: Critical interpretations/elaborations on Hamlet as the evilest character on the stage would also be appreciated

Edit: Anyone who wants to say "but Hamlet is Hamlet because of his tragic flaw", the only reason we think that is from theatrical tradition. It's not like Shakespeare left a note about it. And regarding Hamlet not sure about killing Claudius, for bloodthirsty Hamlet it would be the same reason that's in the text. Because he wants the guy to suffer as much as possible and that won't happen if he dies feeling refreshed by prayer.

I recently found out that Joan Shakespeare is my 13th Great Grandmother, which in turn makes William Shakespeare my 13th Great Uncle. I'm 23 years old and I've been an aspiring writer for some time now, so this really blew me away!

What would you do if you found out that you were related to your favorite writer?

https://preview.redd.it/f3xuszv3yjzd1.png?width=952&format=png&auto=webp&s=87f5d924d69a00acd1817946002e057f5007797c

I’m trying to find a comedic monologue in verse for a male that features a heavy dose of sarcasm.

Marc Antony’s “friends, Romans, countrymen” springs to mind when I think of sarcasm or heavy insinuation when he calls Brutus an “honorable man” again and again, but that doesn’t exactly fit what I’m looking for.

Hoping one of you guys (who almost definitely know Shakespeare better than I do) have an idea for something that might fit. Thanks!

I am in a group that gets together to do table reads of Shakespeare just for fun. I know very little about most of his works, and typically I am going in blind without knowing much about the play. That is the case for this evening's table read of The Tempest.

We typically pick characters when we all show up for the evening. I'd still like to go into the reading blind to the content of the play (so no spoilers please), but can anyone recommend any characters that would be the most fun to read in a table reading?

Thank you for the help!

Edit: Thank you! I read Caliban and Stephano, and had a great time!

Hello! Does anyone know where I can watch the play? Thank you!

Next year, I'm looking at going for directing credits for my level 2 at highschool but I'm having a lot of trouble with casting.

I originally planned on doing a scene from Twelfth Night with my younger sister and her friend as they'll be juniors next year. They would have the opportunity to go to a regional comp and compete against all other highschools in the region.

The issue is they are really not taking this seriously. I understand that they're excited but they're not the ones losing credits if this doesn't work out.

My only other option is using other students from my senior class but I'm not in contact with any of them and it's a huge gamble as to whether or not I'd get a decent group. And if I use the juniors, I have to start during the Summer holidays.

There is a lot of pressure to make a good decision as it makes up a huge portion of my credits for the year and I don't want to be stuck with a bad group or left behind. What should I do?

Benvolio X Tybalt is cool. 😎

So me and my friend were very bored (they were running act 2 of Romeo and Juliet which me and him both have completely off) and tried to rank all the characters by parts size but we couldn't agree. Tell me if you agree with my ranking

Leads: Romeo, Juliet, Nurse, Frair Lawrence

Supporting: Lord/lady cap, benvolio, Mercutio, tybalt, Paris

tertiary: prince, Lord/Lady Montague, everyone else (people like page or Balthazar)

So, my brother's birthday is coming up. He's a playwright, actor and die-hard Shakespeare fan. For his birthday I have made him a leather bracelet with a steel plate to be engraved, and I was hoping to engrave the plate with a Shakespeare quote that refers to, or is related to brotherhood or a family bond. I have done some research, but most of the quotes that I've found are too contextual to the specific play/story to make sense.

Any suggestions would be massively appreciated, thanks guys.

I’m looking for unique Romeo and Juliet adaptations, specifically ones that aren’t just movie adaptations of the stage play, but ones that transform the work in some way. The only examples I can think of are Gnomeo and Juliet and West Side Story.

Hello, What could be a different interesting ending of the play for kids for example?

What system of structure does this sonnet use?. How does the poem play with or contradict this structure? Also, what does the sonnet represent, and is this representation a form of substitution (Vertreten) or re-presentation (Darstellen)?

I'm sorry if this sound obnoxious or some sort, but i'm still wondering how Shakespearean works can be connected to structualism, representation and deconstruction based on the questions above, Thank you.

Hi everyone I am making a graphic novel adaptation of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. It's been very fun so far, but I have stumbled upon a bit of a problem; copyright. I have no idea where I can find the text I can use for the graphic novel. There is so many copies to be found of the play and they're all just slightly different. As far as I understand, the plays of Shakespeare are public domain, but not all written versions are. Does anyone have any idea which one I can use so I would not get into trouble? Thanks!

Ps: not sure if this post falls under rule 3, but please do take it down if it does

I want to audition to a theater school and i have to act one of shakespear’s monologues and i chose Miranda’s “I do not know one of my sex..” from the tempest. how should it be played? im conflicted if i should play it in a semi comedic way where she’s awkward (because she has never seen anyone besides her father) or should it be more serious and touchy? what would impress the judges more?

The events of the Fifth of November, 1605, have commonly been said to have led to the composition of Macbeth. The most recent Arden edition says this:

Much has been made of of Macbeth as a "Gunpowder play," adducing the Porter's scene and Macduff's Wife's dialogue with her son about the traitors who swear and lie and must be hanged. (17)

And the key word "equivocation" in the play is connected to the Gunpowder Plotters (and, specifically, to Henry Garnet's 1598 Treatise of Equivocation).

But I'm wondering just how indebted Macbeth is to Guy Fawkes. Would we not have had the play if not for that threat to the English government? Would we have had a different play? Would we have had an even better play?

If anyone happens to be in Minneapolis between now and the 17th, I highly recommend going to seePatrick Page's one man show All the Devils are Here: How Shakespere Invented the Villian Page's is brilliant and the show is entertaining and compelling,and explores how Shakespeare's writing evolved and how human that is, through the lens of the worst people in literature.