Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Envisioning Shakespeare at the Park Avenue Armory
NYTimes.com: "The news that the Royal Shakespeare Company will install a classical theater inside the Park Avenue Armory for a six-week residency in the summer of 2011 inspires both gratitude and chagrin."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
A classical theater playing Shakespeare in the Upper East Side sounds like a great idea. A lot of my friends who saw Shakespeare in the Park, this year said they loved it and I think that it would be nice to bring that revival of Shakespeare back into New York by a theater that could create a lot of buzz such as this one. With approximately a year to plan in hard economic times, it seems like a lofty goal but it sounds like it could be huge especially since the theater is one of few in the Upper East Side near a lot of other attractions and it can also accommodate a wide range of production, small or large.
This sounds like a terrific idea. The author's claims that no classical rep theater exists in New York are completely correct, and it is almost shameful. This just proves how much big business of theater has taken over the city. Despite this being a great idea to bring classical theater to New York, the timing is less than ideal. Finding the money for such a theater will be difficult, if not impossible. Only the true theater lover would donate to such a cause. Its location in the Upper East Side is also advantageous- as many people that live up there may be convinced to donate. One problem this article does not address is what would happen to the other uses of the space, such as the antique show that the author visits. If you take the space for one thing, revenue is lost in others. Just something to think about- this is till an incredible idea.
I am completely in support of more performance spaces on the east side. And the author is completely right about New York's shame in not having a dedicated Shakespeare playouse--why not put it in a space that the city knows functions well (and more importantly makes a whole lot of money) and will accomodate a variety of shows? The installation doesn't seem to be causing anyone much panic, and the inventiveness of transforming spaces is usually a very enticing hook for theatre-goers, so there's very little in my mind that people could nay-say.
As the forefront of theatre on the east coast, New York should really take the reigns and create their own space for one of the greats. Where would theatre be if not for Shakespeare, really?
I think it would be great to have a permanent residence for a company to create new productions of Shakespeare's plays. I think it has the potential to bring a new appreciation for Shakespeare's work back to New York, and people would perhaps have the chance to see some of his plays that aren't performed quite as often as others. And the Park Avenue Armory seems like it has the right atmosphere for an audience to experience any production of a Shakespeare play, so staying there permanently would be a good idea. Overall, I think that the creation of a constant Shakespeare company could be a great addition to New York's usual array of theatrical works.
This sounds like a great idea. I love Shakespeare and this seems like a great place to hold a festival. No reparatory theatre exists in this area but that needs to change and it sounds like it is on its way to. I also agree that with the economic advantage of living on the upper east side would be great for donations.
Post a Comment