When our family lived in Germany, John and I discovered that a live performance of any Shakespeare play was only a short plane ride across the English Channel. The Royal Shakespeare Company performed in several different venues in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Originally, I wanted to see one just so that I could say that I did it. However, I quickly discovered that the experience was much more than just a "must-do". John and I saw Hamlet for the first time. I anticipated seeing the actors dressed in 16th century garb, but the RNC had decided to take a different approach. They performed the entire play in Godfather/Mafia style. It was an unforgettable performance (obviously, since I can still remember it, and it's been over 10 years). To prepare for the performance (because I figured I wouldn't have any idea what was going on, John and I read the play together on the plane ride over. I was amazed at how quickly we flew through the reading, and I understood it all. Why had I detested Shakespeare so much in high school?
A year later, we headed back to Stratford to see "The Merry Wives of Windsor", again reading the play before the performance. It was absolutely delightful, and this time, the play was set in the style of the 50's.
(I know that I have posted about this whole experience before, but I have no desire at the moment to find that post.)
At the opening ceremonies of Interlochen this year, the Shakespeare company here performed one scene from "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Oh my goodness--even kids were laughing! I knew then that we had to see the full performance as a family.
Today, I checked out three copies of AMND from the library on campus. I wasn't sure how well this would go over, especially with Glo. Both of the girls said they wanted to attend the performance, but at $26/ticket, I wanted to make sure that they got everything they could from the performance. John said he would take them if they read the play beforehand.
We sat down in the afternoon, and after 20 minutes of reading parts, nobody wanted to stop. We loved it! As soon as we were back in the room tonight and getting ready for bed, they begged for just one more scene (and I don't think it was a ruse to stay up later...) It delights me to no end to see the smiles on the girls' faces when the the hijinks of the fairies and the Athenians become obvious in the story. If it hadn't been for early wake-up calls in the morning, we would still be reading even now. We have three days left to finish before the performance on Friday night, and I don't think it will be difficult to do.
It makes me wonder how many other things in life we might like more if they were presented to us in a different way. Why is it that so many of us detest the books that we were forced to read in high school? Reading Shakespeare as a family will no doubt be one of the highlights of the summer and a cherished memory for the girls.
Originally, I wanted to see one just so that I could say that I did it. However, I quickly discovered that the experience was much more than just a "must-do". John and I saw Hamlet for the first time. I anticipated seeing the actors dressed in 16th century garb, but the RNC had decided to take a different approach. They performed the entire play in Godfather/Mafia style. It was an unforgettable performance (obviously, since I can still remember it, and it's been over 10 years). To prepare for the performance (because I figured I wouldn't have any idea what was going on, John and I read the play together on the plane ride over. I was amazed at how quickly we flew through the reading, and I understood it all. Why had I detested Shakespeare so much in high school?
A year later, we headed back to Stratford to see "The Merry Wives of Windsor", again reading the play before the performance. It was absolutely delightful, and this time, the play was set in the style of the 50's.
(I know that I have posted about this whole experience before, but I have no desire at the moment to find that post.)
Today, I checked out three copies of AMND from the library on campus. I wasn't sure how well this would go over, especially with Glo. Both of the girls said they wanted to attend the performance, but at $26/ticket, I wanted to make sure that they got everything they could from the performance. John said he would take them if they read the play beforehand.
We sat down in the afternoon, and after 20 minutes of reading parts, nobody wanted to stop. We loved it! As soon as we were back in the room tonight and getting ready for bed, they begged for just one more scene (and I don't think it was a ruse to stay up later...) It delights me to no end to see the smiles on the girls' faces when the the hijinks of the fairies and the Athenians become obvious in the story. If it hadn't been for early wake-up calls in the morning, we would still be reading even now. We have three days left to finish before the performance on Friday night, and I don't think it will be difficult to do.
It makes me wonder how many other things in life we might like more if they were presented to us in a different way. Why is it that so many of us detest the books that we were forced to read in high school? Reading Shakespeare as a family will no doubt be one of the highlights of the summer and a cherished memory for the girls.
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