DC Theater Arts: “New takes” on Shakespeare have been all the rage for decades. In DC, we’ve had productions of Much Ado About Nothing set in a television newsroom, Twelfth Night at a 1960s airport departure gate, and Love’s Labor’s Lost in a gilded mansion in the roaring 20s.
1 comment:
This sounds like an incredible lineup of plays, which I’d be very curious to read or see performed. While the themes of Shakespeare are timeless, and it’s great to see the classic plays conducted in new and interesting concepts, pushing the boundaries of his work and drawing parallels to modern day, it’s also important to highlight societal changes. I love how this initiative is still honoring and celebrating Shakespeare, but embracing change by highlighting new voices and addressing the shortcomings of Shakespeare as a white male lens. When Shakespeare plays are treated as dusty old texts to be studied in the context of elite academia and never be questioned, it not only undermines the actual meaning and beauty of Shakespeare’s work by making it inaccessible, it also neglects to address the issues contained within the work by today’s standards. I love the work Daniels is doing to address this at Folger.
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