Twenty+ years ago, a young student from Holland made her way to a dinky suburb near Corpus Christi, Texas. While there, the Dutch girl befriended the misfit of the theatre department. Evidently, it never occurred to the teens that two decades later, their children would be collaborating on a creative project. And guess what? It was Global Hamlet that reconnected these two old friends. Get Thee to a Nunnery: Shakespeare in the Netherlands.
As has always been the case, many projects consistently brew in my mind. But, for those plans to be successful, requires participation from others. Surprisingly, to me at least, my buddies are always willing to participate in these harebrained schemes. For example, what would you do if a long-lost friend contacted you out of nowhere? Then, she briefly explained some worldwide video project involving Shakespeare and youth. And finally, she begged you to help her find some young people? Luckily, I have some fantastic people in my life. As a result, we found ourselves, on the windiest day ever, filming Shakespeare in the Netherlands.
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THOUGH THIS BE MADNESS
Before arriving in Holland, Global Hamlet hit a dry spell. After our tour of Australia, we traveled to New Zealand. During that visit, we suffered poisoning from synthetic cannabinoids. Similar to Hamlet, I endured a mental crack. Comparably, I also experienced extreme paranoia. Furthermore, the affliction involved the loss of limb control. Definitely, it was not something I wish on anyone. But, how did the cannabis-derived material enter my system, you may ask? In brief, it is possible to be poisoned by traces of synthetic cannabinoid production. Even if, and particularly true, when that production occurred in your Airbnb rental.
Nevertheless, I recovered in time to attend the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival in Wellington. The gathering forms part of the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand‘s youth programming. Although we weren’t able to come together under the auspices of Global Hamlet, I hope they can participate in the second phase of this global Shakespeare project.
Afterward, we sprang to Japan, then Hong Kong, followed by the UAE, and Albania. In due time, look for the interview with Jane Rony from Drama-ties in Paris, France. During that conversation, we discussed the benefits of using Shakespeare for EFL, English as a foreign language, students.
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GET THEE TO A NUNNERY
There’s a scene in Hamlet which is always awkward. To explain, Hamlet visits Ophelia, and they have a highly emotional altercation. Moreover, their uproar is coupled with misogynist remarks, including subtle references to their relationship. Generally, their fight does not make the best scene for young performers.
Therefore, I created a scene which allows the students to be silly, as well as free. To elaborate, I blended the narration, including the Shakespeare verse. Thus, a situation results where the players separate themselves from the scene. Yet, at the same time, they remain engaged with the subject. Under these circumstances, we achieved a melodramatic romp, including a fair amount of giggling.
As always, performing Shakespeare is a jovial affair. And playing with Shakespeare in the Netherlands is a treat!
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GLOBAL HAMLET EPISODE 10: UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS
Unquestionably, the ease of which young people in the Netherlands approach multiple languages is remarkable. While the two tweens in this episode were relaxed and confident performers, neither had much experience with Shakespeare. However, that limitation didn’t stop them from translating the archaic language into Dutch. In fact, it took them only half an hour to do so.
The experience in the Netherlands calls to mind the freedom found in the German translation of Shakespeare in Episode 5. In my opinion, there’s a lesson for native English speakers here. Specifically, we need to lighten up our focus on the words written by the famous Bard. Reason being, during research for our upcoming Timon of Athens production, I learned something profound. In particular, the study indicates the Shakespeare god may not even have written all of the plays attributed to him.
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WHERE TO NEXT?
Shakespeare in Russia? It is true. Episode 12 puts us in St. Petersburg. At least, for a couple of hours.
JUNE 2019 SHAKESPEARE IN THE NETHERLANDS
Enjoy our Gallery of photographs below, from Get Thee to a Nunnery: Shakespeare in the Netherlands.
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SHAKESPEARE FOR ALL
Working with Shakespeare in education frightens many. Because Shakespeare experts, including professionals, surround us. Escaping them is difficult. This can be intimidating. Thus, feelings of dread usually accompany the act of presenting, but moreover be introduced to, The Bard.
For this reason, ImprovEd Shakespeare is here to help. Founder and Director, Andee Kinzy, offers the layman’s approach to Shakespeare.
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SHAKESPEARE FOR TEACHERS AND DIRECTORS
If you’re an English teacher, a theatre director, or a well-trained Shakespeare advocate, here you will find inspiration, as well as techniques, for making our favorite bard fun for Kids. Accordingly, we present old, new and improved ideas for introducing Shakespeare to youth for the non-Shakespeare-academic. Among them, we include theatre games, improvisation, tips, tricks, plus activities for using Shakespeare in education.
SHAKESPEARE FOR KIDS
Since 2011, ImprovEd Shakespeare has been exploring The Bard with youth through theatrical performance. Our signature scripts are a mix of modern narration plus original Shakespeare verse. With a focus on the story, including an abbreviated script length, our productions entertain all ages. Moreover, our catalog goes beyond the oft-used Midsummer Night’s Dream, or Romeo and Juliet. And still, young people find much to their delight among many of Shakespeare’s works. Consider subscribing to our YouTube channel for family-friendly Shakespeare videos.
PERFORMANCES
Each fall and spring, ImprovEd Shakespeare develops a new production for live performance. In honor of the traditional Renaissance traveling troupe, during a period of a few weeks, we present Kid-friendly plays at various venues around town. Our Players, between 3rd-11th grade, gear themselves with playful, as well as engaging interpretations of works by the Bard of Avon. Suitable for all ages, each performance runs for about an hour.
Furthermore, these shows are always FREE. However, we gladly accept Donations! Additionally, visit ImprovEd Shakespeare, Shakespeare for Kids by Kids on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. And don’t forget to click on our BLOG for the stories behind these videos.
