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The Globe Theatre - photo by Tohma
Creative Commons image by Tohma. Photo of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

Table of Contents:

      1. Introduction
      2. Romeo and Juliet
      3. Midsummer Night's Dream

  

  

   

   

 


Introduction

Original Practices
In an interview with Prof. Ko, Members of the Atlanta Shakespeare Company speak about performing Shakespeare under (modified) original conditions at the Shakespeare Tavern. More segments from this interview will be attached to individual videos for Romeo and Juliet, and later, Much Ado about Nothing classes.

Verse in Action in the Theatre
A demonstration of the rules of verse scansion using Benvolio's speech (3.1) in Romeo and Juliet

The Seven Ages of Shakespeare's Life
For more information about Shakespeare's life, try this site (a section of the excellent Internet Shakespeare Editions site, affiliated with the University of Victoria.)


Romeo and Juliet

General

Romeo + Juliet (1996), dir. Baz Lurhmann

Romeo and Juliet (1968), dir. Franco Zeffirelli

Preview documentary of  Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet
An amusing look at a promotional, preview documentary for Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet that includes interviews with actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting.

Week 1, Class 1: Love in a Hopeless Place

Opening Sequence in French musical adaptation, Romeo et Juliette: La Haine et L'Amour (2001)

Capulet Ball and Shared Sonnet in Korean musical adaptation (login required - instructions for accessing A/S/I/Aweb)
A Korean, musical-drama version (or chang-geuk) of the first meeting between Romeo and Juliet, from the National Changgeuk Company of Korea's 2010 production.

The equivalent to the Capulet Ball in this version is a harvest festival with shamanistic elements that celebrates the harvest and various manifestations of fecundity, including the erotic energy associated with romance. The village dancers are participating (with audience members brought onstage) in a folk dance associated with the harvest moon (ganggangsulae) when Juliet and Romeo meet. The sung dialogue helps to bring out what might appear as the operatic element in some of Romeo's rhapsodic flights.

Capulet Ball and Shared Sonnet in Zeffirelli's film

Week 1, Class 2: Holy Saint Francis!

Balcony Scene in Rehearsal
A complete rehearsal performance of the "balcony scene" with Elisabeth and Jacob Athyal.

Balcony Scene in Zeffirelli film (12 min version) | Balcony Scene in Zeffirelli film (4 min version)

Duel in Zeffirelli film

Mercutio's Death Speech in Luhrmann film

Week 2, Class 1: Love and Death

Aubade in Rehearsal - Extended, with Diego Arciniegas's directions (9 min)

Aubade in Rehearsal - Rehearsal Hall version (22 min) 

The Friar: Interview with Matt Nitchie, Atlanta Shakespeare Company 


A Midsummer Night's Dream

General

A Midsummer Night's Dream (via A/S/I/Aweb) (login required - instructions for accessing A/S/I/Aweb)
A Korean adaptation by the Yohangza Theatre Company. Click "Productions" to browse for this production.

You can log on with this account:
username: ShakesMOOC
password: Mooc_Asia2014
(Both are case sensitive.)

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Rice University)
Many full-length videos of university productions are available on YouTube, including this one from Rice University.

Week 2, Class 2: The Green World

Hippolyta and Theseus in Rehearsal - Extended, with Diego Arciniegas's directions
In this clip from Diego Arciniegas's Acting Shakespeare class, Maile and Rowan provide a version of the play's opening as Diego coaches them.

(Act 3, Scene 2) Devilish holy-fray! (Part 1 | Part 2)
As performed by the New York Shakespeare Festival

The Mechanicals in rehearsal
The Cork Shakespearean Company presents A Midsummer Night's Dream. Act 1, Scene 2.

Week 3, Class 1: The Fairies

TV Documentary: A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Peter Brook (1970)
A short clip from a documentary about Peter Brook's legendary and revolutionary production from 1970, Royal Shakespeare Company

Judi Dench as Titania
Compilation of scenes from Peter Hall's 1968 film version

Rehearsal Hall: A Long Sample Rehearsal - A Midsummer Night's Dream
A long clip of Act 3, Scene 2 (the Lovers' Quarrel) in rehearsal with Diego Arciniegas.

Week 3, Class 2: Lovers and Madmen

A high school version of Pyramus and Thisbe
from Atlanta International School

The Beatles do Shakespeare: Pyramus and Thisbe
This is a skit that was performed for The Beatles' very first TV show, "Around The Beatles". John plays Thisbe to Paul's Pyramus. George is Moonshine... and Ringo is "Lion".