Combat Choreographer Michael Cosenza mentioned in 'Art of the Duel'

Mike Cosenza has been working with The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre for years staging realistic looking fights and scuffles. Recently, he spoke with Inquirer columnist Howard Shapiro about the art of the duel:

"'We want to create a system for actors where they can succeed in doing the same thing over and over again,' says Michael Cosenza, fight director for Twelfth Night, in which he must stage a funny fight between two characters who should not be involved in any potentially lethal pairing."

  

Read More Here!

Congratulations to our Sonneteers!

Two amazing sonnets have been chosen as the winner of our contest! We have posted them below for all to enjoy!

Doubts and Wishes
By Bud Koenemund (The Mad Sonneteer)
For Kymberly Hollander, Il mio respiro

Oh, Cupid; why must you make me captive
To those hot twins of passion: love and hate?
Shall my heart burn e'en as my mind misgives?
Will my wit to madness be subjugate?
Archer, aim thy arrows some other way,
Lest I be shipwrecked on rocks of regret;
Left alone to drown beneath waves of pain.
Thou seest I dread thy infection, yet,
If music be the food of love, I pray
Thee, direct a symphony for the ears.
Bestow thy gift on my heart that it may
Kindle a new flame to wither all fear.
Grant thou a hand to hold, and lips to kiss;
A soul with whom to share eternal bliss.

For Robert By Anat Eshel

How could I express my love for thee, dear?
I could bake a cake, serenade a song,
Buy thee a German film, and kiss your ear.
Or! I could write thee a love sonnet- long.
T’would start with these romantic lines on scroll:
“Our love can survive the worst of shipwrecks
Whilst we dance to’the music of our twin souls.
You’re my world, when in the world we're just specs.”
Oh! But alas, it t’will never occur!
For I am but a terrible writer.
Writing this sonnet may have been an err,
But rest assured, my love for you is bright'r.
Is my writing comparable to'the Bard’s?
Tis not, but I love you with all my hearts.

Learn About Original Pronounciation

We found this excellent video from Open University about The Globe's efforts to create an authentic experience.

Take a look!

Sonnets, Shakespeare Style

We are bringing in the new year with prizes - for our most lyrical patrons.

Remember those free season tickets and the Kill Shakespeare swag we gave away last year? Secretly jealous of the handsome gentleman who won them? Well, here’s chance number two! Once again, we’re giving away:

Two (2) free tickets to our 15th Anniversary Season featuring Twelfth Night and Titus Andronicus
A t-shirt from the Colin McCreery and Anthony Del Col graphic novel Kill Shakespeare
To win, write a Shakespearean sonnet for your sweetheart with these guidelines:

Step 1) Write a Shakespearean Sonnet. (Not sure how? No problem. Read the guidelines here or check out this video on YouTube.)

Step 2) Address it to your sweetheart, and make sure it includes the words Shipwreck, Twins and Music.

Step 3) Submit it to our Facebook by Valentine’s Day. While you’re at it, send it to your sweetheart. They’ll be impressed.

This contest ends February 14th at 11:59 pm. The Philadelphia Shakespeare staff will read over the submissions, pick their favorite, and contact you for your FREE tickets and t-shirt. The winner will be announced Friday, February 17, 2012.  Make sure to wear your new shirt to the shows!

Congratulations to the Best Shakespeare Mo!

Movember has come to a close. The month-long fundraising initiative boasted 854,120 registered participants and raised $108,681,136 for men's health!

The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre charged our audience to submit their best Shakespeare Mo and we have a winner!

Congratulations to Kevin Denison Kohler Jr. for winning our Movember contest! 

Did you participate in and enjoy this contest? Please email your questions and comments to rebecca@phillyshakespeare.org and check back soon for more information.

Show Us Your Mo!

The Theatre is joining forces with The Movember Foundation to support the awareness for prostate cancer and men’s health.

We are giving away:

• Two (2) free tickets to our 15th Anniversary Season featuring
  Twelfth Night and Titus Andronicus 
• A t-shirt from the Colin McCreery and Anthony Del Col graphic
  novel Kill Shakespeare.

To win, simply show us your best Shakespeare inspired moustache.

Step 1) Grow your Mo. Visit the Movember website for details.
Step 2) Shape it like Shakespeare's. Note: there are several styles.

Step 3) Upload your photo to our Facebook Wall; tag yourself and anyone else who is in the photo. Feel free to write a 1-2 sentence caption.

The contest ends December 10, 2011 at 11:59 pm. The Philadelphia Shakespeare staff will then choose their favorite photo and contact you for your FREE tickets and t-shirt. The winner will be announced December 15, 2011.

Good luck and have fun!

Excellent Interpretations

Shakespeare scholar Natalia Razak takes a look at the Folio in, "a 4-part series exploring the reasons why actors use the earliest rather than the latest editions of Shakespeare’s plays."

Modern editions of Shakespeare are full of nifty things – definitions of arcane words, translations of outdated phrases, notations by editors, introductions and essays by very smart people. If you’re in the classroom or curled up in your bed reading Shakespeare (which we all do, right?), then by all means pick up the Arden edition and enjoy. But if you want to perform Shakespeare, then you have no need of definitions and notations (that’s what dictionaries and the internet are for). You need a roadmap for making interpretive choices; you have to delve into the text and find not just understanding and comprehension but the human experience as well. You have to make it yours. This is by no means an easy feat, even if the plays in question hadn’t been written 400 years ago. Thankfully, Shakespeare gave us a map: the verse.


 READ MORE HERE!