It's Still Important to See Shakespeare Performances

Cristina D'Almeida, Guest Editorial

Shakespeare is a bit of a touchy subject in the theatre industry, and that’s for one reason: either you love it or you hate it.

It’s the genre I believe to be the most challenging in terms of language. When you have challenging language, then understanding the plot and topics discussed becomes a challenge as well. It’s like a chain. If you don’t understand it from the start, things will be hard later on, and people will tend to give up on it.

Regardless of all of this, Shakespeare is important because it’s where actual theatre started. William Shakespeare is a name everyone knows, regardless of whether you enjoy his work or not. He is a classic playwright who helped build theatre.

Shakespeare is known for writing mostly comedies and tragedies, as most of you know. The issues and storylines discussed in these plays are unbelievably raw and to the point and are totally intriguing. Many high schools or colleges do at least one Shakespeare play every few years, and I like that.

I think exposing students to plays that are a bit more challenging than they’re used to is important. It’s not easy reading these plays but then think about the people who act in those plays. When acting, you have to understand your character inside and out, and not only that, but you also need to know everything going on around you completely.

So, understanding the script is one thing, but then taking it to that next level in terms of acting in a Shakespeare play is a whole other animal. How about memorizing the lines? That’s one of the hardest things actors have said they had to get through. It is such a heightened language that it’s almost like learning a foreign language. Shakespeare is tough, and that’s what I think I love about it the most.

Many people argue that it’s very mechanical and predictable and doesn’t leave any room for creative decisions and visions when it comes to directing, but I think you can do plenty with it because of the basis it serves, and it gives you these wonderful subjects to do that with. The challenge is understanding. Once you have that, then you have room to play with it.

Hudson Valley Shakespeare

On a quick side note, I find the No Fear Shakespeare books to be extremely helpful and not in any way cheating, as long as you read BOTH texts. If you don’t do that, then there is no point.

Do I think people use it as an easy way out? Yes. It makes it a lot easier for people to read a very basic, dry text. I understand some people are completely content with only reading the translated pages.

Still, you’re not getting the full effect of Shakespeare if you don’t read the original text and language, in my opinion. What I do is read the translated text first, and then I study the original text and slowly translate it, and that’s how I learn what each word and sentence means.

It’s actually very simple, just time-consuming.

You can’t read No Fear Shakespeare like a regular book. It’s like a study session and should take some time. Once you know what everything means, or you have a good grasp on it, then you can probably read through the original script with less of a problem and at a faster pace.

In many people’s eyes, William Shakespeare is considered the top and most impressionable playwright and poet in the English language. I would say that’s about right. To me, it’s not a genre (I consider it its genre) I would want to do over and over again or ONLY do it and nothing else. I treat it more like you have to do it; you SHOULD do it as an experience because it is such a classic area of theatre, and you’ll learn from doing it.

I wouldn’t want to do intense amounts of Shakespeare because it is just that intense. I work mainly behind the scenes and even on the other side of the table, it’s intense. I just feel like you need to have it on your resume so you can say, “Yes, I’ve done it.” It’s a must-have, but I find it fulfilling because I’m open to the language and subject matter. I’m interested in it.

If people walked into a Shakespeare play with more of an open mind, their experience would be so much better. That goes for working on it, being in it, and being an audience member.

People should be alert and try to figure out what certain words, sentences, or scenes are meant in the plays. Try to say to yourself, “I wonder what he means here?” or “Maybe he means this.” His plays involve immense exploration and discovery, and the experience can be satisfying.

It’s a mental thing. I think people have warmed up to it immensely, but as for other people, I think it’s taking that first step and actually experiencing the work and not just going off of other people’s (rather narrow-minded) opinions. It’s hard stuff, but it’s fascinating, and as thespians, we should embrace it.