"Romeo, why are you Romeo?"
(Taken from illustration by Kelly Blair, New York Times, 10-7-2015, page 27) Are you against modernizing Shakespeare's plays? Please sign our petition to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to end its revision of Shakespeare's 39 plays.
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OUTREACH LETTER and ANALYSIS FROM THE AMERICAN AESTHETIC
Thirty-nine Shakespeare plays have undergone wholesale revision by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
As reported in the New York Times, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has commissioned “new contemporary translations of Shakespeare’s plays.” The renowned performing arts organization has received substantial funding ($3.7 million) from the Hitz Foundation to revise (“create . . . translations of”) Shakespeare's plays for 21st-century audiences: classical references to be “contextualized”; ambiguous meanings “sometimes clarified,” archaic words replaced, often with words having different definitions—thus “bringing fresh voices and perspectives.” (Please see analysis of Play on!’s Macbeth, Measure for Measure, and Timon of Athens below my signature.)
It is notable that, to date, there have been no productions of Play on!’s revised or “translated” plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Nevertheless, Play on! intends to push on nationally as well as internationally with its alternative, modernized Shakespeare canon of 39 plays. Link to Play on! page: https://www.osfashland.org/prologue/prologue-spring-2017/prologue-spring-17-play-on.aspx
Please help us protect Shakespeare’s poetic voice and the integrity of his plays by signing our petition (only name and email required) and forwarding our petition’s link to friends, educators, students, literary associations, Shakespeare groups, theater companies, and literary magazines. Here is a direct link to our petition:
https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/oregon-shakespeare-festival?source=c.em&r_by=15631265
Below our “brief analysis of Play on!’s translations” is a copy of a petition with 51 signatures (as of 8-14-2018) that The American Aesthetic has just sent to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, requesting that it cease its national and anticipated international effort to disseminate its revisions Shakespeare’s works. We need many more signatures to succeed.
Sincerely,
Thomas Fredric Jones, Editor
The American Aesthetic
http://www.TheAmericanAesthetic.org/
Brief Analysis of Play On!’s “Translations”
All examples below are taken from three examples of Play on!’s “translations.” Link to these three sample plays: https://www.osfashland.org/prologue/prologue-spring-2017/prologue-spring-17-play-on.aspx (scroll to bottom of page).
Example 1 (Macbeth)
“Till he faced the slave,”
(Play on! changed to)
“Until he faced that swine,”
Substituting the word “swine” for the word “slave” in example 1 is a bit of leap (if not a striking exaggeration).
Example 2 (Macbeth)
Or how about this example from two lines down in the same scene:
“Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’chops,”
(Play on! changed to)
“Just ripped him open from entrails to entrance,”
The “translated” version in example 2 is unnecessarily hyped up, overly graphic, and clumsily written to boot. And, incidentally, isn’t the substitution of the word “entrance” for the word “chops” unfortunate? While a child might guess that “chops” means a person’s mouth, even a highly educated adult might not readily grasp that “entrance” is meant to refer to a person’s mouth.
Example 3 (Measure for Measure)
“Of government the properties to unfold”
(Play on! changed to)
“On properties of governance to hold forth”
Unfortunately, “unfold” and “hold forth” have completely different meanings.
Example 4 (Timon of Athens)
“If thou didst put this sour cold habit on
To castigate thy pride, ’twere well; but thou
Dost it enforcedly. Thou’dst courtier be again,
Wert thou not beggar.”
(Play on! changed to)
“If you put on this sour, cold act to subdue
Your pride—good. But you do it because you must.
If you weren’t a pauper you’d be a prince again.”
“Castigate” and “subdue” have completely different meanings.
“Courtier” and “prince” have completely different meanings.
“Beggar” and “pauper” have completely different meanings.
Conclusion: In essence, Play on!, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Hitz Foundation have seen fit to trifle with Shakespeare’s poetic voice on a massive (39-play, line-by-line) scale. The essence of Shakespeare’s genius has been manhandled. The “sound, cadence, and possibly even musicality”* of his words have been subverted to benefit a thoroughly misguided cause.
*Note: Sound, cadence, and musicality have been integral to The American Aesthetic’s evaluation of the hundreds of poetry submissions it has received over the years—to wit:
The American Aesthetic is a quarterly journal searching for poetry that conveys in its very composition—as well as in the sound, cadence, and possibly even musicality of its words—an expression of honesty and purpose that somehow rings true.
___________________________________________________________________________
Copy of our Shakespeare Petition to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Dear Oregon Shakespeare Festival,
We are pleased to present you with this petition affirming this statement:
"This is a petition to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to end its "Translation Project", which is dedicated to the wholesale revision of Shakespeare's plays to accommodate modern audiences."
Sincerely,
Thomas Fredric Jones, Editor, The American Aesthetic
Below is a text copy of our petition to date (from PDF) which lists 61+ individuals (as of 9-7-2018) who have added their names to this petition, as well as a few additional comments written by the petition signers themselves. (note: comments are positioned above respective signatures).
Heidi
Sep 5, 2018
Briana Gonzalez
San Antonio, TX 78259
Sep 3, 2018
Tyson Elenko
Kelowna,
Sep 1, 2018
Diarmuid O Maolalai
Aug 30, 2018
deb Saltman
Aug 30, 2018
Zachary Cohn
Aug 29, 2018
From Tumblr
Hannah DePuydt
Aug 29, 2018
Alanna Newman
Beaverton, OR 97005
Aug 22, 2018
Tyler Clark
Aug 22, 2018
Censorship is so much fun. Next let.s burn books! Seriously, I wonder at the desire to surpress new works of
art. That.s what any translation is, after all, whether of Shakespeare or Chekhov. The original remains
untouched and undamaged. I love Shakespeare's original. I love new art. Why can't we have both?
Dave Hitz
Aug 21, 2018
Joyce Schmid
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Aug 14, 2018
Aaron Skye Weber
Lambertville, NJ 08530
Aug 11, 2018
louis gallo
radford, VA 24141
Aug 11, 2018
Donald Fisher
MA, Fa 01013
Aug 7, 2018
The plays are no longer Shakespeare if you rewrite them. The poetry of his language is eternal.
Gayton Gomez
New York, NY 10025-8626
Aug 5, 2018
Nick Passabet
New Orleans, LA 70125
Aug 4, 2018
As a teacher of British Literature, I am appalled at the "translation" idea. Thank you.
L. Ward Abel
Senoia, GA 30276
Aug 4, 2018
Geoffrey heptonstall
CAMBRIDGE,
Jul 30, 2018
john m bellinger
e syracuse, NY 13057
Jul 30, 2018
Michael Maul
Bradenton, FL 34210
Jul 29, 2018
The language in which Shakespeare wrote his plays is beautiful and needs to be preserved!
Anne Mikusinski
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Jul 29, 2018
Shakespeare's plays do not need this sort of "translation." Indeed, to turn one of his great lines, by doing so, audiences would be reduced to the mere scraps of the great feast of his language. Fie! Fie!
KFFrank
Jul 28, 2018
Marina Reisz Newberry
Los Angeles, CA 90028-5894
Jul 27, 2018
I can't even believe a petition like this is necessary, but I am more than willing to sign my name to it. And I never sign petitions. This, however, is a worthy cause. Changing the lines of Shakespeare is akin to what happened a few years back, when an elderly woman destroyed a religious fresco in Borja, Spain, with her awful "restoration," only this would be intentional. Please don't do it!
John Camacho
Boone, NC 28607
Jul 26, 2018
Lael Lopez
Arima,
Jul 24, 2018
Every work of visual art, music, and writing lives by the actual form and language it uses. To change that is to annul the work and the historical background that fostered it. To modernize that is to murder the artist and the times (s)he lived in.
Jill Evans
St. Louis,, MO 63105
Jul 24, 2018
Rewriting Shakespeare is like rewriting the Bible! There is no one on this earth that could do justice to a rewrite of the genius of Shakespeare's prose.
James G. Piatt
Jul 24, 2018
Paula Hemmelgarn
New Bremen, OH 45869
Jul 24, 2018
[email protected]
New York, NY 10029
Jul 18, 2018
Richard Carl Evans
Jul 14, 2018
maria de santis
Wilmington, MA 01887
Jul 13, 2018
People 10.000 miles away are horrified about this.
Salli Shepherd
Reservoir,
Jul 12, 2018
The moment I read that line I reacted bristling even before I read your request to sign. Should the alteration of one line cause such heartfelt opposition , imagine what the messing around with entire theatrical texts would result in! Shakespeare knew what he was saying and writing and each word is deliberately selected. It is a
sacriliege to change a single word of Shakespeare's as it is to touch the text of any contemporary poet today. Should the English language change with time, I would still like my words to stay as I meant them to look on paper. Saloni Kaul
Saloni Kaul
Toronto,
Jul 9, 2018
I'd attended OSF for a number of years (before kids) and hope to return. I would like to see the plays remain as written.
Michael Seese
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
Jul 5, 2018
Can't believe anyone would think it's okay to water down Shakespeare's amazing works. How sad.
Kaitlyn Vaughn
Florence, AL 35633
Jun 27, 2018
Jonathan Burgess
Greer, SC 29651
Jun 24, 2018
Steven P Bucher
Marshall, VA 20115-3241
Jun 20, 2018
Cynthia Williams
Jun 18, 2018
Thomas Griffin
Jun 18, 2018
Harry Youtt
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Jun 18, 2018
Edward Ahern
Fairfield, CT 06825
Jun 11, 2018
Matt
Newberg, OR 97132
Jun 11, 2018
Hilary Harper
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
Jun 10, 2018
Claire Scott
Oakland, CA 94611
Jun 8, 2018
You can see what modernization has caused to mother earth. Pollution everywhere. Please do not pollute the authenticity and originality of Shakespeare.
Sandip Saha
Kolkata, India, Fa 700052
Jun 8, 2018
It is the failure of a literate society to be literate. Thirty years of teaching Shakespeare without the need to reduce him to texting.
George Moore
Lyons, CO 80540
May 30, 2018
Paul Rondema
May 24, 2018
The works of our best bard must remain intact. If not, the rhythm, force and sense of his language will lose its richness, it's layered meanings, its life!
John Holbrook
Missoula, MT 59801
May 22, 2018
Robert Beveridge
Akron, OH 44303
May 10, 2018
Ben Hall
May 7, 2018
Michele
Amherst, MA 01002
May 5, 2018
Maxfield Lydum
Eugene, OR 97401
Sep 19, 2017
Shakespeare already brings fresh voices and perspectives. That's why his work has stood the test of time. I urge you to end the Translation Project which inadvertently suggest that after all the Bard is of an age and not
for all time.
Douglas Bond
Olalla, WA 98359
May 25, 2017
Cedric C M Bond
Oklahoma City, OK 73107
May 25, 2017
gen agustsson
redondo beach, CA 90277
May 3, 2017
"Translate"?? How would one then know why Shakespeare is worth reading or going to see?
Ed Hack
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
Jan 17, 2017
Please, no more Shakespeare in space suits, or Nazi uniforms, or cowboy clothes ! Please!
Len
Newton, MA 02462
Nov 29, 2016
Sean Lyon
Brooklyn, NY 11230
Sep 2, 2016
Kayla Miller
Kent, WA 98032
Jun 2, 2016
McAllister David
Huntsville, AL 35816
May 8, 2016
Thomas Fredric Jones, Editor, The American Aesthetic
Amherst, MA 01002
Apr 26, 2016
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miscellany from The Oergon Shakespeare Festival (2015-2017)
1. From OSF Press Room:
Among the goals of the project is to increase understanding and connection to Shakespeare’s plays, as well as engage and inspire theatergoers, theater professionals, students, teachers and scholars. Play on! also will provide translated texts in contemporary modern English as performable companion pieces for Shakespeare’s original texts in the hope they will be published, read and adapted for stage and used as teaching tools. https://www.osfashland.org/press-room/press-releases/play-on.aspx
2. From Facebook:
April 24, 2018. “Boy, do we have some fun news to share with you! Today Classic Stage Company announced a partnership with Oregon Shakespeare Festival to produce a Play on! festival in NYC next summer as part of their season announcement. We will be sharing ALL 39 translations from Play on! as staged readings. It's going to be a huge endeavor, and we hope we'll see you there! More details will be released down the road...” https://www.facebook.com/playonosf/
3. From the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Spring 2017 membership “Prologue” publication:
Play on! has quickly taken off. Since it was announced in 2015, the plays have been read and workshopped with the help of more than 300 actors at 19 theatre companies and educational institutions in 14 cities around the country. “We are almost halfway through the time period of the original grant and we are expecting to double the development activities by the end of fiscal 2017,” Douthit says. “We also are making plans to extend these development efforts internationally.” Link to the article: https://www.osfashland.org/prologue/prologue-spring-2017/prologue-spring-17-play-on.aspx
Update 2018: Actors Shakespeare Project is producing Macbeth in Boston on September 28, 2018. Link: Actors Shakespeare Project: https://www.actorsshakespeareproject.org/
__________________________________________________________________
Informative Footnotes and Sample Audio "Translations" from OSF's Play On!
(A) Opinion piece in The New York Times by James Shapiro, "Modernizing the Bard?" (October 7, 2015, page A27)
"Shakespeare’s use of resonance and ambiguity, defining features of his language, is also lost in translation."
(B) Article in New York Times by Jennifer Schuessler, "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Plans Shakespeare 'Translation' Project" (October 1, 2015, Arts Beat--Theater)
(C) "Why 'Translating' Shakespeare for the 21st Century Is a Bad Idea"by Dennis Abrams ( The Markets)
(D) Oregon Public Broadcasting "Oregon Shakespeare Festival To Modernize The Bard's Plays"
(E) Facebook "Play On: 36 playwrights translate Shakespeare"
(F) Link to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's "Translating Shakespeare: The Play on! Project" page: https://www.osfashland.org/prologue/prologue-spring-2017/prologue-spring-17-play-on.aspx
Thirty-nine Shakespeare plays have undergone wholesale revision by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
As reported in the New York Times, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has commissioned “new contemporary translations of Shakespeare’s plays.” The renowned performing arts organization has received substantial funding ($3.7 million) from the Hitz Foundation to revise (“create . . . translations of”) Shakespeare's plays for 21st-century audiences: classical references to be “contextualized”; ambiguous meanings “sometimes clarified,” archaic words replaced, often with words having different definitions—thus “bringing fresh voices and perspectives.” (Please see analysis of Play on!’s Macbeth, Measure for Measure, and Timon of Athens below my signature.)
It is notable that, to date, there have been no productions of Play on!’s revised or “translated” plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Nevertheless, Play on! intends to push on nationally as well as internationally with its alternative, modernized Shakespeare canon of 39 plays. Link to Play on! page: https://www.osfashland.org/prologue/prologue-spring-2017/prologue-spring-17-play-on.aspx
Please help us protect Shakespeare’s poetic voice and the integrity of his plays by signing our petition (only name and email required) and forwarding our petition’s link to friends, educators, students, literary associations, Shakespeare groups, theater companies, and literary magazines. Here is a direct link to our petition:
https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/oregon-shakespeare-festival?source=c.em&r_by=15631265
Below our “brief analysis of Play on!’s translations” is a copy of a petition with 51 signatures (as of 8-14-2018) that The American Aesthetic has just sent to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, requesting that it cease its national and anticipated international effort to disseminate its revisions Shakespeare’s works. We need many more signatures to succeed.
Sincerely,
Thomas Fredric Jones, Editor
The American Aesthetic
http://www.TheAmericanAesthetic.org/
Brief Analysis of Play On!’s “Translations”
All examples below are taken from three examples of Play on!’s “translations.” Link to these three sample plays: https://www.osfashland.org/prologue/prologue-spring-2017/prologue-spring-17-play-on.aspx (scroll to bottom of page).
Example 1 (Macbeth)
“Till he faced the slave,”
(Play on! changed to)
“Until he faced that swine,”
Substituting the word “swine” for the word “slave” in example 1 is a bit of leap (if not a striking exaggeration).
Example 2 (Macbeth)
Or how about this example from two lines down in the same scene:
“Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’chops,”
(Play on! changed to)
“Just ripped him open from entrails to entrance,”
The “translated” version in example 2 is unnecessarily hyped up, overly graphic, and clumsily written to boot. And, incidentally, isn’t the substitution of the word “entrance” for the word “chops” unfortunate? While a child might guess that “chops” means a person’s mouth, even a highly educated adult might not readily grasp that “entrance” is meant to refer to a person’s mouth.
Example 3 (Measure for Measure)
“Of government the properties to unfold”
(Play on! changed to)
“On properties of governance to hold forth”
Unfortunately, “unfold” and “hold forth” have completely different meanings.
Example 4 (Timon of Athens)
“If thou didst put this sour cold habit on
To castigate thy pride, ’twere well; but thou
Dost it enforcedly. Thou’dst courtier be again,
Wert thou not beggar.”
(Play on! changed to)
“If you put on this sour, cold act to subdue
Your pride—good. But you do it because you must.
If you weren’t a pauper you’d be a prince again.”
“Castigate” and “subdue” have completely different meanings.
“Courtier” and “prince” have completely different meanings.
“Beggar” and “pauper” have completely different meanings.
Conclusion: In essence, Play on!, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Hitz Foundation have seen fit to trifle with Shakespeare’s poetic voice on a massive (39-play, line-by-line) scale. The essence of Shakespeare’s genius has been manhandled. The “sound, cadence, and possibly even musicality”* of his words have been subverted to benefit a thoroughly misguided cause.
*Note: Sound, cadence, and musicality have been integral to The American Aesthetic’s evaluation of the hundreds of poetry submissions it has received over the years—to wit:
The American Aesthetic is a quarterly journal searching for poetry that conveys in its very composition—as well as in the sound, cadence, and possibly even musicality of its words—an expression of honesty and purpose that somehow rings true.
___________________________________________________________________________
Copy of our Shakespeare Petition to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Dear Oregon Shakespeare Festival,
We are pleased to present you with this petition affirming this statement:
"This is a petition to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to end its "Translation Project", which is dedicated to the wholesale revision of Shakespeare's plays to accommodate modern audiences."
Sincerely,
Thomas Fredric Jones, Editor, The American Aesthetic
Below is a text copy of our petition to date (from PDF) which lists 61+ individuals (as of 9-7-2018) who have added their names to this petition, as well as a few additional comments written by the petition signers themselves. (note: comments are positioned above respective signatures).
Heidi
Sep 5, 2018
Briana Gonzalez
San Antonio, TX 78259
Sep 3, 2018
Tyson Elenko
Kelowna,
Sep 1, 2018
Diarmuid O Maolalai
Aug 30, 2018
deb Saltman
Aug 30, 2018
Zachary Cohn
Aug 29, 2018
From Tumblr
Hannah DePuydt
Aug 29, 2018
Alanna Newman
Beaverton, OR 97005
Aug 22, 2018
Tyler Clark
Aug 22, 2018
Censorship is so much fun. Next let.s burn books! Seriously, I wonder at the desire to surpress new works of
art. That.s what any translation is, after all, whether of Shakespeare or Chekhov. The original remains
untouched and undamaged. I love Shakespeare's original. I love new art. Why can't we have both?
Dave Hitz
Aug 21, 2018
Joyce Schmid
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Aug 14, 2018
Aaron Skye Weber
Lambertville, NJ 08530
Aug 11, 2018
louis gallo
radford, VA 24141
Aug 11, 2018
Donald Fisher
MA, Fa 01013
Aug 7, 2018
The plays are no longer Shakespeare if you rewrite them. The poetry of his language is eternal.
Gayton Gomez
New York, NY 10025-8626
Aug 5, 2018
Nick Passabet
New Orleans, LA 70125
Aug 4, 2018
As a teacher of British Literature, I am appalled at the "translation" idea. Thank you.
L. Ward Abel
Senoia, GA 30276
Aug 4, 2018
Geoffrey heptonstall
CAMBRIDGE,
Jul 30, 2018
john m bellinger
e syracuse, NY 13057
Jul 30, 2018
Michael Maul
Bradenton, FL 34210
Jul 29, 2018
The language in which Shakespeare wrote his plays is beautiful and needs to be preserved!
Anne Mikusinski
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Jul 29, 2018
Shakespeare's plays do not need this sort of "translation." Indeed, to turn one of his great lines, by doing so, audiences would be reduced to the mere scraps of the great feast of his language. Fie! Fie!
KFFrank
Jul 28, 2018
Marina Reisz Newberry
Los Angeles, CA 90028-5894
Jul 27, 2018
I can't even believe a petition like this is necessary, but I am more than willing to sign my name to it. And I never sign petitions. This, however, is a worthy cause. Changing the lines of Shakespeare is akin to what happened a few years back, when an elderly woman destroyed a religious fresco in Borja, Spain, with her awful "restoration," only this would be intentional. Please don't do it!
John Camacho
Boone, NC 28607
Jul 26, 2018
Lael Lopez
Arima,
Jul 24, 2018
Every work of visual art, music, and writing lives by the actual form and language it uses. To change that is to annul the work and the historical background that fostered it. To modernize that is to murder the artist and the times (s)he lived in.
Jill Evans
St. Louis,, MO 63105
Jul 24, 2018
Rewriting Shakespeare is like rewriting the Bible! There is no one on this earth that could do justice to a rewrite of the genius of Shakespeare's prose.
James G. Piatt
Jul 24, 2018
Paula Hemmelgarn
New Bremen, OH 45869
Jul 24, 2018
[email protected]
New York, NY 10029
Jul 18, 2018
Richard Carl Evans
Jul 14, 2018
maria de santis
Wilmington, MA 01887
Jul 13, 2018
People 10.000 miles away are horrified about this.
Salli Shepherd
Reservoir,
Jul 12, 2018
The moment I read that line I reacted bristling even before I read your request to sign. Should the alteration of one line cause such heartfelt opposition , imagine what the messing around with entire theatrical texts would result in! Shakespeare knew what he was saying and writing and each word is deliberately selected. It is a
sacriliege to change a single word of Shakespeare's as it is to touch the text of any contemporary poet today. Should the English language change with time, I would still like my words to stay as I meant them to look on paper. Saloni Kaul
Saloni Kaul
Toronto,
Jul 9, 2018
I'd attended OSF for a number of years (before kids) and hope to return. I would like to see the plays remain as written.
Michael Seese
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
Jul 5, 2018
Can't believe anyone would think it's okay to water down Shakespeare's amazing works. How sad.
Kaitlyn Vaughn
Florence, AL 35633
Jun 27, 2018
Jonathan Burgess
Greer, SC 29651
Jun 24, 2018
Steven P Bucher
Marshall, VA 20115-3241
Jun 20, 2018
Cynthia Williams
Jun 18, 2018
Thomas Griffin
Jun 18, 2018
Harry Youtt
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Jun 18, 2018
Edward Ahern
Fairfield, CT 06825
Jun 11, 2018
Matt
Newberg, OR 97132
Jun 11, 2018
Hilary Harper
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
Jun 10, 2018
Claire Scott
Oakland, CA 94611
Jun 8, 2018
You can see what modernization has caused to mother earth. Pollution everywhere. Please do not pollute the authenticity and originality of Shakespeare.
Sandip Saha
Kolkata, India, Fa 700052
Jun 8, 2018
It is the failure of a literate society to be literate. Thirty years of teaching Shakespeare without the need to reduce him to texting.
George Moore
Lyons, CO 80540
May 30, 2018
Paul Rondema
May 24, 2018
The works of our best bard must remain intact. If not, the rhythm, force and sense of his language will lose its richness, it's layered meanings, its life!
John Holbrook
Missoula, MT 59801
May 22, 2018
Robert Beveridge
Akron, OH 44303
May 10, 2018
Ben Hall
May 7, 2018
Michele
Amherst, MA 01002
May 5, 2018
Maxfield Lydum
Eugene, OR 97401
Sep 19, 2017
Shakespeare already brings fresh voices and perspectives. That's why his work has stood the test of time. I urge you to end the Translation Project which inadvertently suggest that after all the Bard is of an age and not
for all time.
Douglas Bond
Olalla, WA 98359
May 25, 2017
Cedric C M Bond
Oklahoma City, OK 73107
May 25, 2017
gen agustsson
redondo beach, CA 90277
May 3, 2017
"Translate"?? How would one then know why Shakespeare is worth reading or going to see?
Ed Hack
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
Jan 17, 2017
Please, no more Shakespeare in space suits, or Nazi uniforms, or cowboy clothes ! Please!
Len
Newton, MA 02462
Nov 29, 2016
Sean Lyon
Brooklyn, NY 11230
Sep 2, 2016
Kayla Miller
Kent, WA 98032
Jun 2, 2016
McAllister David
Huntsville, AL 35816
May 8, 2016
Thomas Fredric Jones, Editor, The American Aesthetic
Amherst, MA 01002
Apr 26, 2016
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miscellany from The Oergon Shakespeare Festival (2015-2017)
1. From OSF Press Room:
Among the goals of the project is to increase understanding and connection to Shakespeare’s plays, as well as engage and inspire theatergoers, theater professionals, students, teachers and scholars. Play on! also will provide translated texts in contemporary modern English as performable companion pieces for Shakespeare’s original texts in the hope they will be published, read and adapted for stage and used as teaching tools. https://www.osfashland.org/press-room/press-releases/play-on.aspx
2. From Facebook:
April 24, 2018. “Boy, do we have some fun news to share with you! Today Classic Stage Company announced a partnership with Oregon Shakespeare Festival to produce a Play on! festival in NYC next summer as part of their season announcement. We will be sharing ALL 39 translations from Play on! as staged readings. It's going to be a huge endeavor, and we hope we'll see you there! More details will be released down the road...” https://www.facebook.com/playonosf/
3. From the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Spring 2017 membership “Prologue” publication:
Play on! has quickly taken off. Since it was announced in 2015, the plays have been read and workshopped with the help of more than 300 actors at 19 theatre companies and educational institutions in 14 cities around the country. “We are almost halfway through the time period of the original grant and we are expecting to double the development activities by the end of fiscal 2017,” Douthit says. “We also are making plans to extend these development efforts internationally.” Link to the article: https://www.osfashland.org/prologue/prologue-spring-2017/prologue-spring-17-play-on.aspx
Update 2018: Actors Shakespeare Project is producing Macbeth in Boston on September 28, 2018. Link: Actors Shakespeare Project: https://www.actorsshakespeareproject.org/
__________________________________________________________________
Informative Footnotes and Sample Audio "Translations" from OSF's Play On!
(A) Opinion piece in The New York Times by James Shapiro, "Modernizing the Bard?" (October 7, 2015, page A27)
"Shakespeare’s use of resonance and ambiguity, defining features of his language, is also lost in translation."
(B) Article in New York Times by Jennifer Schuessler, "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Plans Shakespeare 'Translation' Project" (October 1, 2015, Arts Beat--Theater)
(C) "Why 'Translating' Shakespeare for the 21st Century Is a Bad Idea"by Dennis Abrams ( The Markets)
(D) Oregon Public Broadcasting "Oregon Shakespeare Festival To Modernize The Bard's Plays"
(E) Facebook "Play On: 36 playwrights translate Shakespeare"
(F) Link to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's "Translating Shakespeare: The Play on! Project" page: https://www.osfashland.org/prologue/prologue-spring-2017/prologue-spring-17-play-on.aspx