Theatre History II Entry 10

There have been many new editions and adaptations of Shakespeare’s texts. The first was called the Quarto. It was printed in 1608. In this one the writing was very different than the script you would see today. The stage directions do not exist, there are none written in.

Then another updated edition was published. It is called the Folio. The Folio was printed in 1623. It includes minimal stage directions and explanation. Modern editions include stage directions and explanations as to who exits and who is talking to whom. I knew that there were different editions, but I never knew the difference between them and how great it was. For example: In A Midsummer Night’s Dream the original Quarto said “exeunt”, the Folio expanded by saying “Manet Lysander and Hermia”. Meaning that these characters should remain on stage.

Jowett, John. Shakespeare and Text. 1st ed. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.

Theatre History II Entry 9

As we have discussed in class, costuming in Shakespeare's time was the actors' responsibility. However, there are some questions that the book “Costumes and Scripts in the Elizabethan Theatres” by Jean MacIntyre brings up that we have not discussed. How many costumes did each actor have? Did they change costumes during a show? Part of the reason it is so hard to answer these questions is because little was said about costumes during the time. It seems strange that so little is said about costumes that the Elizabethan actors spent so much money on. Little is said on how costumes were used on the physical stage. What is said about it usually emphasizes the symbolism in costumes, not how that was used. According to MacIntyre Shakespeare’s plays call for costume changes, but we are unsure if they happened during that time. The costumes are part of spectacle and they show the audience who each character is.

MacIntyre, Jean. Costumes and Scripts in the Elizabethan Theatres. 1st ed. Edmonton, Canada: The University of Alberta Press, 1992. 1-11. Print

Theatre History II Entry 8



Jim Dine designed for A Midsummer Night's Dream. He had some very interesting ideas for the costuming of the show. He did the designs in 1966. There are lots of colors and inventive ideas in his designs. The picture here has light bulbs connected to Titania's bottom half. The designs had many mixed reviews from the audience and critics alike. It was different than anything people expect from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Jim dine is better known as a New Tork painter. His crazy designs were mixed with the adventurous stage directions of John Hancock. The general theme of the production was rainbow and dynamic. Everything was big and "dazzling". Dine completed his sketches in two weeks. Some of the designs show similarities with Dine's paintings.



One of Jim Dine's Paintings



"Titania. Costume design for the play A Midsummer Night's Dream." Selected Works from Stage Pictures: Drawing for Performance. Web. 6 Mar 2011. http://moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3ATA%3AE%3AStagePictures&page_number=12&template_id=1&sort_order=1.

"Jim Dine Complete Graphics." Catalogue of Fine Art Books. Web. 6 Mar 2011. <http://www.joshuahellerrarebooks.com/catalogues/32/index.html>.

Theatre History II Entry 7

As I was reading through scholarly articles I found an interesting connection between Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Tinkerbell in Peter Pan. The article said that Puck’s speech at the end of the show requesting the audience’s applause is similar to Peter Pan’s request to save Tinkerbell with applause.

Puck’s speech goes as follows:

And, as I am an honest Puck,

If we have unearned luck

Now to scape the serpent’s tongue,

We will make amends ere long;

Else the Puck a liar call.

So, good night unto you all.

Give me your hands, if we be friends,

And Robin shall restore amends.

The article says that the audience may clap to save Tinkerbell because they were clapping with the young. Or maybe because it was a memory of their youth. In any case the article was pointing out the connection of fairies to applause in theatre.

The link to the article is:
http://muse.jhu.edu.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/journals/theatre_journal/v057/57.1davis.pdf

Davis, Tracy. "“Do You Believe in Fairies?”: The Hiss of Dramatic License." Theatre Journal 57.1 (2005): 57-81. Web. 6 Mar 2011. <http://muse.jhu.edu.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/journals/theatre_journal/v057/57.1davis.pdf>.

"Tinkerbell." Tinkerbell Gets a Voice for New Film. Web. 6 Mar 2011. <http://disney.families.com/blog/tinkerbell-gets-a-voice-for-new-film>.

Theatre History II Entry 6

The Cast of the Opera

According Oxford Reference Online “A Midsummer Night’s Dream: a comedy by Shakespeare, written probably about 1595 or 1596, printed in quarto in 1600 and 1619. It has no single major source, but Shakespeare drew, among other authors, on Chaucer, Golding's translation of Ovid, and Apuleius' Golden Ass”. As I said in a previous entry he also drew on personal experiences for his writings.

Later an Opera was written by Benjamin Britten to a libretto by him and Peter Pears. It was written in three acts in 1959. The opera came together very quickly. It was conceived in August of 1959 and performed in June of 1960. It was very successful and performed in many locations over the years.

"Midsummer Night's Dream, A"  The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. Ed. Margaret Drabble and Jenny Stringer. Oxford university Press, 2007. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Central Washington University.  7 March 2011  http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t54.e4096

Arnold Whittall "Midsummer Night's Dream, A"  The Grove Book of Opera. Ed. Stanley Sadie and Laura Macy. Oxford University Press, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Central Washington University.  7 March 2011  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t261.e173>

Theatre History II Entry 5

Richard Burbage was one of the most famous English Renaissance actors. He was a friend and ally of Shakespeare. Burbage was the first actor to play many large roles such as: Hamlet, Richard III, Lear, and many more.  He was born in London in 1567 to a theatrical family. His father built the first theatre building in London. Burbage grew up acting from a young age. We know little about Burbage’s acting style, however the records that survive show that he wore current time clothing when performing. He continues to be known as the most famous Hamlet.

"Richard Burbage." The Top 100 Best Articles. Freelance Design , 2009. Web. 6 Mar 2011. <http://the100.ru/en/actors/richard-burbage.html>.

Theatre History II Entry 4

According to Peter Ackroy in Shakespeare: The Biography Shakespeare used events in his life to help him write his plays. “The May games of his youth return in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is not some saga of “merry England”, but the very fabric of life in a conservative and ritualized society immediately before the permanent changes induced by the reformation of religion.” (Ackroy 43) Shakespeare used real life names and places in his plays. He used the names of friends as characters and locations. He words and phrases from his childhood in his writing. I had never really thought about Shakespeare using events, phrases, and people from his childhood in his writings. It was fascinating to read about.

He also reused phrases and scenes from his own plays in other plays. This is called self-plagiarism. A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest have strong resemblances between each other. His mind made connections, that’s just how his imagination flowed. In the process of copying himself he also revised himself. So he continued to improve his writing over time. (Ackroy 238)

Ackroy, Peter. Shakespeare: The Biography. 1st ed. New York, NY: Imprint of Double Day, 2005. Print.

"“All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” ." “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” . Web. 6 Mar 2011. <http://www.marialiberati.com/2011/02/02/all-the-worlds-a-stage-shakespeare-sicilan-cannoli/>.