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Monday, June 7, 2010

LINCOLN & SHAKESPEARE
with
ADAM GOPNIK
and
JEFFERSON MAYS, JOHN DOUGLAS THOMPSON & SEAN MCNALL

at
The Kaye Playhouse
East 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues

The grand and simple language of Abraham Lincoln is steeped in the rhythms and figures of Shakespeare. Beyond their rhetorical echoes and linguistic similarities, Lincoln and Shakespeare shared an abiding concern with the nature of ambition, as well as a view of civil war as the great human catastrophe. In this fascinating and moving evening, essayist and author Adam Gopnik (Angels and Ages: A Short Book About Darwin, Lincoln and Modern Life) examined the works and words of these two great writers. With readings from Macbeth, Henry IV, Henry VIII, and Hamlet as well as a selection of Lincoln's writing.

The evening featured Tony and Drama Desk Award winner Jefferson Mays (Measure for Measure, I Am My Own Wife), Obie and Lortel Award winner John Douglas Thompson (Othello, Emperor Jones) and Obie winner Sean McNall (Hamlet, Twelfth Night).

Tuesday, April 13, 2010


BOOK PARTY FOR JAMES SHAPIRO
on the release of his new book

Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare?

at

The Players Club
16 Gramercy Park South

At this intimate evening with prize-winning author James Shapiro, we celebrated the publication of his latest book, Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? In the lovely setting of The Players Club, Professor Shapiro spoke about his lively and controversial new book, took questions and signed copies.

Monday, March 22, 2010

SONGS FOR OPHELIA
Moderated by Tony Award-winning opera and theater director
BARTLETT SHER (South Pacific, Barber of Seville, Joe Turner's Come and Gone,
Tales of Hoffman)

With LAUREN AMBROSE, FREDDY ARSENAULT, JULIE BOULIANNE, BLAIR BROWN, LARRY BRYGGMAN, SANTINO FONTANA, JENNIFER IKEDA, LEAH PARTRIDGE, CHRISTOPHER EVAN WELCH and more.

A collaboration with
The Metropolitan Opera

at
Peter Norton Symphony Space
95th and Broadway

Timed to coincide with the Met's production of the opera Hamlet, The Shakespeare Society presented an evening of music, drama and commentary devoted to one of Shakespeare's most tragic and least understood heroines. Soprano Leah Partridge performed selections from Ambroise Thomas's opera Hamlet. Reading selections from Shakespeare's play were Tony Award-winner Blair Brown (The Clean House, Copenhagen, Arcadia), Drama Desk Award-winner Lauren Ambrose (Exit the King, Hamlet, Awake and Sing), Larry Bryggman (Proof, Top Secret), Christopher Evan Welch (Festen, Romeo and Juliet), Jennifer Ikeda (Hamlet, Top Girls), Santino Fontana (Hamlet, Sunday in the Park with George, Billy Elliot), and others. The evening also included soprano Julie Boulianne singing Berlioz's haunting "La Mort d'Ophelie." Commentary was provided by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher and scholar Elaine Showalter, author of "Representing Ophelia" and A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx.

Monday, January 11, 2010

SHAKESPEARE WORKS: MACBETH

With choreographer-director Martha Clarke, Elizabeth Marvel and Bill Camp

Made possible with the generous support of


The Tony Randall Theatrical Fund, The JKW Foundation, 
and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs



at the Park Avenue Armory

643 Park Avenue (between 66th and 67th Streets)

Shakespeare Works is series of week-long residencies aimed at supporting the performance and production of Shakespeare in New York City and creating connections between the theatrical and academic communities. The week culminates with a stimulating evening of conversation and readings with the cast, director and advisors, moderated by Shakespeare Society’s Artistic Director Michael Sexton.



Director: Martha Clarke


Academic Advisor: Ruth Carpenter, Head Teacher, Shakespeare Society

Artistic Advisor: Michael Sexton, Artistic Director, Shakespeare Society


Actors:
 Bill Camp, Jennifer Ikeda, Elizabeth Marvel, Cristin Miliotti, Mark Nelson, Michael Potts & Gareth Saxe

Sunday, December 13, 2009
SHAKESPEARE IN PROGRESS: QUEEN MARGARET
A Tiger's Heart Wrapped in a Woman's Hide
A collaboration with the NYU's Graduate Acting Program



at the Skirball Center for the Arts
566 LaGuardia Place (Washington Square South)

Appearing in four separate plays, speaking more than 800 lines, Margaret of Anjou is the largest woman’s part in the canon and clearly fascinated the young Shakespeare. Known primarily as the fierce warrior of her famous “molehill” speech, she is much more than that: young lover, adulterous wife, canny backroom operator, leader of an army, and finally, bereaved mother. In this open rehearsal, Artistic Director Michael Sexton explored the many sides of the role with Kate Forbes (Othello, All’s Well That Ends Well), legendary voice teacher and actress Kristin Linklater, Steven Skybell (Age of Iron, Troilus and Cressida) and a group of recent graduates of NYU's Graduate Acting Program, including Gretchen Hall, Chris Bolan, Cary Donaldson and Lee Aaron Rosen. Featuring selections from King Henry VI, parts 1, 2 & 3, and Richard III.

Monday, November 23, 2009

SHAKESPEARE WORKS: TROILUS & CRESSIDA

Made possible with the generous support of

The Tony Randall Theatrical Fund, The JKW Foundation,
and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs



at The Public Theater

425 Lafayette Street

Shakespeare Works is series of week-long residencies aimed at supporting the performance and production of Shakespeare in New York City and creating connections between the theatrical and academic communities. The week culminated with a stimulating evening of conversation and readings with the cast, director and advisors, moderated by Shakespeare Society's Artistic Director Michael Sexton.

Director: Rob Melrose

Text Advisor: Barry Edelstein
Academic Advisor: James Bednarz, Long Island University, author of Shakespeare and the Poets' War

Actors: 
Philip Callen, Carson Elrod, Peter Jay Fernandez, Glenn Fleshler, Roderick Hill, Ezra Knight, Derek Lucci, Christian Rummell, Elisabeth Waterston & Anne Louise Zachry

Monday, November 9, 2009
MARLOWE VS. SHAKESPEARE
Rivalry, Imitation & Influence
with James Shapiro, John Douglas Thompson, Matthew Rauch
& Christopher Evan Welch
Presented in association with Red Bull Theater

A thrilling look at two giants of the Elizabethan stage. Born in the same year as Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe died at the age of 29, having revolutionized English dramatic poetry with a series of dark, exuberant and wildly theatrical plays. The rivalry between these two great poets and Marlowe's influence on Shakespeare's work were the subjects of this evening, which featured readings from the works of both playwrights and commentary by one of the world's greatest Shakespeare scholars.

JAMES SHAPIRO is currently Larry Miller Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, where he has taught since 1985.    He the author of Rival Playwrights: Marlowe, Jonson, Shakespeare (1991), Shakespeare and the Jews (1996), Oberammergau: The Troubling Story of the World’s Most Famous Passion Play (2000), and 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare (2005), which was awarded the Samuel Johnson Prize for the best non-fiction book published in Britain in 2005.   His next book, out in April 2010, is Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare?  He has been awarded fellowships from the NEH, the Guggenheim Foundation, and The New York Public Library Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.  He works regularly with theaters and acting companies in the US and Britain and is a member of the Board of Governors at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

RED BULL THEATER is an Off Broadway theater dedicated to the presentation of vital and imaginative productions of heightened language plays and to the development of new plays written in a similar vein. With a special focus on the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, Red Bull Theater aspires to challenge the intellect and engage the imagination of today’s theatergoers through language-based, company created, resonantly provocative stagings of great classic stories. (www.redbulltheater.com)

Click here to read The New York Times article about John Douglas Thompson which  notes "Mr. Thompson has become a Shakespeare specialist, winning Obie and Lucille Lortel awards this year for his portrayal of Othello with Theater for a New Audience."

Monday, October 5, 2009
HAMLET: BLOOD AND JUDGMENT
With David Scott Kastan, Christian Camargo, Richard Easton & Josh Hamilton.

Hamlet, far from being the delicate flower of the Romantic imagination or the "man who could not make up his mind" of some 20th-century interpreters, is by nature an impetuous, rash and strong-willed prince. Whether Hamlet's rational "judgment" is a match for his passionate "blood" as he navigates the treacherous waters of Denmark's court was the subject of this fascinating evening, featuring David Scott Kastan, General Editor of the Arden Shakespeare, and Christian Camargo, of whose Hamlet The New York Times raved, "a virtually perfect portrayal ... to perform this bounteous, demanding role ... with such intelligence, sensitivity and truth is a major accomplishment." Also joining us was Tony Awars-winner Richard Easton (The Invention of Love, Henry IV) and Josh Hamilton (Coast of Utopia, The Winter's Tale).

Monday, June 8, 2009
DANCES WITH SHAKESPEARE: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
A Collaboration with the New York City Ballet
Made possible with the generous support of the Jerome Robbins Foundation

OBIE Award-winner John Douglas Thompson, Jan Maxwell, Aunjanue Ellis, Carson Elrod, Andre Holland, Jennifer Ikeda, and Benjamin Walker joined forces with company members of the New York City Ballet - including Wendy Whelan in the role of Titania - for an evening of live dance, theater and commentary, featuring selections from Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream, scenes from Shakespeare's play and commentary by director Mark Lamos and City Ballet principal dancer Wendy Whelan.

Sunday, April 26, 2009
SHAKESPEARE BIRTHDAY MARATHON 2009:SHAKESPEARE IN NEW YORK

Click Here for the Day's Final Schedule

Read a Review and See Photos of the Event Here

The Shakespeare Society's FREE celebration of the Bard's birthday returned to Peter Norton Symphony Space with some of NYC's most talented actors, singers, scholars and schoolchildren for five hours of scenes, speeches, songs, film, commentary, and more.

The 2009 marathon was a celebration of Shakespeare in New York, and many of the city's theaters, theater training programs, academic departments, and city schools participated, including Classic Stage Company's Young Company, Theater for a New Audience, The Public Theater's Shakespeare Lab, The Hunts Point Children's Shakespeare Ensemble, The Pearl Theater, The Epic Theater Ensemble, NYU's Graduate Acting Program and many of the Shakespeare Society's partner schools.

The event featured appearances by Rebecca Brooksher, Christian Camargo, Michael Cerveris, David Costabile, Veanne Cox, Michael Cumpsty, Barry Edelstein, Stephen DeRosa, Ned Eisenberg, Kate Forbes, Andrea Frierson, Jason Butler Harner, Jeffrey Horowitz, Jennifer Ikeda, John Christopher Jones, Ezra Knight, Patricia Lennox, Hamish Linklater, Roberta Maxwell, Sean McNall, Nyambi Nyambi, Denis O'Hare, Martha Plimpton, Matthew Rauch, Steven Rattazzi, Laila Robins, Juliet Rylance, Isaiah Sheffer, Elizabeth Shepherd, Michael Stuhlbarg, John Douglas Thompson, Tony Torn, Elisabeth Waterston, and students from the Bronx Charter School for the Arts, Chelsea High School, LaGuardia High School, Franklin K. Lane High School, Middle School 48 and the St. Ignatius School.

Sunday, April 19, 2009
Small Venue Event - Shakespeare Works: The Merchant of Venice
Made possible with the generous support of the Tony Randall Theatrical Fund and the JKW Foundation.

Now in its second year, Shakespeare Works is an ongoing series of residencies for actors and directors. This Small Venue Event was a stimulating evening of readings and conversation with the cast, director and advisors for The Merchant of Venice, moderated by Artistic Director Michael Sexton. Participants: Director Rebecca Taichman; Academic Advisors Ruth Carpenter and James Shapiro; Voice-Text Advisor Shane Ann Younts; and actors Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Cumpsty, Hannah Cabell, Amanda Fulks, Michael Milligan, Joseph Paulik and Jesse Pennington.

Monday, March 2, 2009
Simon Russell Beale and Sam Mendes

Simon Russell Beale and Sam Mendes, the star and director of the Bridge Project's production of The Winter's Tale, and Gail Paster, the Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, took the stage for an evening of conversation and performance devoted to this late-career masterpiece. Joining Mr. Beale for performances of selected passages were fellow cast members Rebecca Hall and Josh Hamilton.

Monday, December 15, 2008
Shakespeare in Progress: As You Like It

A collaboration with the Tisch School of the Arts, NYU Graduate Acting Program
After a two-week residency at New York University, the Shakespeare Society presented an open rehearsal of one of Shakespeare’s most delightful and insightful comedies. Artistic Director Michael Sexton took to the stage with some of New York’s finest actors for a celebration of the sheer joy of performing Shakespeare’s glorious language. Featuring Michael Cumpsty, David Costabile, Kate Forbes, and graduates of the Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program at NYU.

Monday, November 3rd, 2008
David Scott Kastan: Politics, Prince Hal & the Making of a Leader

On the eve of the 2008 elections, one of America’s most celebrated Shakespeareans took a look at Shakespeare’s most successful political leader, Henry V. Featuring our signature combination of performance and commentary, we will trace the progress of this remarkable figure, role-playing his way from prodigal son to the leader of a nation. Professor David Scott Kastan (General Editor of the Arden Shakespeare and George M. Bodman Professor of English at Yale University), joined by Christian Camargo, Richard Easton, Jeremy Strong, and Elisabeth Waterston, presented a hugely entertaining, illuminating, and topical evening.

Monday, September 15, 2008
Robert Pinsky / Lyrics by W. Shakespeare

From Thomas Arne and Vaughan Williams to Duke Ellington and Stephen Sondheim, composers have long been drawn to Shakespeare’s songs and poems for inspiration. One of the greatest living American poets as well as a passionate advocate for poetry, former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky will guide the audience through some of Shakespeare’s finest lyrics, set by some of the world’s greatest composers. Joining him onstage will be a host of singers and actors.

Pinsky Captivates the Shakespeare Society, PlayShakespeare.com

Monday, June 2, 2008
Lynn Redgrave in Rachel & Juliet

From the creator of Shakespeare for my Father and Nightingale comes a new solo work in progress. In a thrilling evening of theater, Redgrave shared with us this tribute to her mother, the actress Rachel Kempson, and her lifelong love of the role of Juliet. Interweaving remembrance, anecdote, and passages from Shakespeare, Redgrave created a companion piece to her unforgettable Shakespeare for my Father, in which, as New York magazine wrote, “the actress brings Shakespeare and contemporary audiences closer together than most of them have ever been.”

Monday, May 5, 2008
Small Venue Event - Shakespeare Works: The Winter's Tale
Made possible by a grant from the Tony Randall Theatrical Fund

directed by Sam Gold
With actors Jacob Fishel, Philip Goodwin, Austin Lysy, Erika Newhouse, Henry Stram, and Nick Westrate
Academic Adviser: Ruth Carpenter (Shakespeare Society)
Voice-Text Adviser: Elizabeth Smith (Bard, Juilliard, Yale)
Theatrical Adviser: Ron Daniels (RSC, A.R.T., TFANA)
at New York Theater Workshop

Monday, April 7, 2008
Small Venue Event - Shakespeare Works: Henry V
Made possible by a grant from the Tony Randall Theatrical Fund

directed by Davis McCallum
with actors Andre Holland, Hannah Cabell, Mike Crane, William Jackson Harper, and Andrew Weems
Theatrical Adviser: Broadway Director Doug Hughes (Doubt, Inherit the Wind), Jesse Berger (Red Bull Theater)
Voice-Text Adviser: Deborah Hecht (NYU)
Academic Adviser: Richard McCoy (Queens College/The Graduate Center, CUNY)
at The Mint Theater

February 11, 2008
Marjorie Garber – Unequal Friends: Antonio, Falstaff, and Orsino

Harvard professor and author of the award-winning Shakespeare After All Marjorie Garber was joined on stage by Byron Jennings (Is He Dead?), Kate Forbes (Merchant of Venice), Logan Marshall-Green (King Lear), and Shakespeare Society favorite David Costabile. This evening of performance and commentary explored the striking pattern of deep and often troubled friendships between older and younger men in Shakespeare's work. Using the Sonnets as a starting point and touchstone, Professor Garber explored three parallel relationships: Falstaff and Hal, Antonio and Bassanio, and Orsino and the disguised Viola. With readings from the Sonnets, Henry IV, pts. 1 & 2, The Merchant of Venice, and Twelfth Night.“Like most Shakespeareans at work today, I’m deeply indebted to Marjorie Garber; she is a brilliant cultural critic and a dazzling interpreter of Shakespeare’s works.” –James Shapiro, Columbia University.

December 10, 2007
Shakespeare in Progress: Richard II at The Skirball Center at NYU

We brought the rehearsal room onstage for a look at Shakespeare’s most poetic and reckless monarch with Tony Award winner Stephen Spinella and Obie Award winner Steven Skybell as King Richard and the usurping Bolingbroke. Artistic Director Michael Sexton lead the audience through the challenges and rewards of performing some the Bard’s most beautiful language. Also featured were Tisch Alumni Andre Holland, Bhavesh Patel, Stephen Plunkett, and NYU Speech intructor Deborah Hecht. As part of our effort to give the city’s younger actors the chance to work with and learn from their more experienced Shakespearean colleagues, The Shakespeare Society collaborated with NYU’s renowned Graduate Acting Program and invited recent graduates to participate in this unique event.

November 12, 19, 26, & December 3, 2007
Monday Night Macbeth

at Classic Stage Company | Sponsored by The Shakespeare Society
The latest in Classic Stage Company’s Open Rehearsal series features great actors and directors taking a stab at Shakespeare’s dark tragedy of blood. On November 26, The Shakespeare Society’s Executive and Artistic Director Michael Sexton directed David Strathairn as Macbeth and Academy Award winner Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth.

November 5, 2007
An Evening with Trevor Nunn

A tribute to and live conversation with this great Shakespearean. With special guest performers, readings, film clips, and more. Appearing along with Trevor Nunn were Sinead Cusack, Rufus Sewell, Playwright Richard Nelson, Director David Jones, and via video Patrick Stewart. Mr. Nunn was presented with The Shakespeare Society Medal for his contribution to the appreciation of the works of William Shakespeare.

September 17, 2007
Shakespeare Goes to the Opera

In collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera, The Shakespeare Society presented an unforgettable evening of scenes and song. Michael Cerveris (Lovemusik, Sweeney Todd), Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls; Caroline, or Change), Linda Emond (Homebody/Kabul, Life x 3), and Sean McNall (Hamlet) read from Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Macbeth, as singers Adrzej Dobber, Olivia Gorra, Raúl Melo, and Courtney Mills performed selections from the Shakespeare-inspired operas of Verdi and Gounod. Adrian Noble – former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and director of this season's production of Verdi's Macbeth at the Met – provided commentary.

READ THE MUSIC REVIEW IN THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR SHAKESPEARE GOES TO THE OPERA

April 9, 2007
Shakespeare Birthday Marathon:
Comedy, Music, Romance

A celebration of the Bard’s 443rd Birthday where actors, singers, and musicians performed scenes, speeches, and songs from Shakespeare’s greatest Comedies and Romances in a non-stop, energy-filled festival. Performers included Peter Ackerman, Cherise Boothe, Philip Bosco, Alyssa Bresnahan, John Cariani, Ruth Carpenter, Michael Cerveris, Kathleen Chalfant, David Costabile, Aisha deHaas, Darius deHaas, Autumn Dornfeld, John Egan, Jennifer Ikeda, Oscar Isaac, John Christopher Jones, Richard Kind, Tom Kozurnplik, Norm Lewis, Kathryn Meisle, Debra Messing, James Naughton, Kristine Nielsen, David Oyelowo, Gerald Pinciss, Jeremy Shamos, Gary Simpson, Daniel Stewart, David Turner, Mark Verdino, Tom Wopat, Lee Wilkof, and students from The Society's Adopt-a-School program.

February 12, 2007
History Girls: Constance, Elizabeth, and Margaret

Three great women of the American theater took on three epic roles from Shakespeare's history plays. Kathleen Chalfant (Wit, Angels In America), Kate Mulgrew, and Marian Seldes (Three Tall Women, Dinner at Eight, A Delicate Balance) gave vivid life to three of the most spirited women in history: Constance (King John), Elizabeth (Richard III) and Margaret (Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III). Shakespeare clearly had a taste for passionate, furious, eloquent women, and these extraordinary actresses served up a feast of language. The ladies were joined on stage by Brian Murray, Joe Plummer, and Christopher Evan Welch. Commentary was provided by Dympna Callaghan (Professor, Syracuse University and editor of The Feminist Companion to Shakespeare), who returned after appearing in the previous season's very popular program Boys Will Be Girls.

December 11, 2006
Shakespeare in Progress: Antony & Cleopatra

A look at the rehearsal process and how it can deepen our understanding of Shakespeare's vision. Artistic Director Michael Sexton led an open rehearsal with four-time Obie Award winner Elizabeth Marvel (NYTW’s Hedda Gabler, Seascape), Bill Camp (Broadway’s Heartbreak House, Macbeth), Andre Holland (The Blue Door), Jennifer Ikeda (As You Like It, Shakespeare on Broadway), Francois Battiste, and Lucas Near-Verbrugghe. This event was at The Public Theater and gave our members an inside look at how Shakespearean actors face the challenges of acting in one of the Bard's greatest achievements.

November 6, 2006
Filming Shakespeare with Kenneth Branagh

With his latest film (As You Like It) soon to be released, we thought it a great moment to savor the work of this remarkable Shakespearean. From the raw brutality of his early Henry V to the delightful frippery of Love’s Labour’s Lost, from his epic Hamlet to the intimate and closely observed Much Ado About Nothing, Branagh’s virtuosic acting and passionate directing was on splendid display. Commentary was provided by Russell Jackson, Editor, Cambridge Guide to Shakespeare on Film, and text consultant on Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespearean films. The evening featured a special videotaped appearance by Kenneth Branagh, accepting The Shakespeare Society Medal

September 25, 2006
Shakespeare on Broadway

Broadway stars Marin Mazzie (Kiss Me, Kate, Passion), Jason Danieley (The Full Monty, Candide), Richard Kind (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Producers, TV's Mad About You), Brian D'arcy James (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), and Tom Wopat (Glenngarry Glenn Ross, Annie Get Your Gun, TV's The Dukes of Hazzard) broke into song in celebration of the American musical theater's adaptation of Shakespeare. Tony Award winning director Jack O'Brien (Hairspray, Henry IV, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Invention of Love, The Full Monty), provided commentary as scenes and speeches from The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet are paired with the incomparable songs of Rogers and Hart (The Boys from Syracuse), Cole Porter (Kiss Me, Kate), and Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim (West Side Story).

June 5, 2006
A Question of Genius

What makes a genius? Three contemporary thinkers joined by a cast of actors including Tony Award winner Richard Easton, Linda Emond, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Steven Skybell addressed the size, scope, and enduring mystery of Shakespeare's accomplishment. Adam Gopnik (The New Yorker, Paris to the Moon) explored Shakespeare's use of multiple tones and voices. Ron Rosenbaum (New York Observer, The Shakespeare Wars) explored whether Shakespeare was a "natural genius" who never blotted a line or a conscientious artist who revised his work in important ways. Director Mark Lamos (Seascape, As You Like It), looked at the music and renewal of the late romances. Featuring scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, King Lear, and The Winter's Tale.

April 23, 2006
Shakespeare Birthday Marathon

The Shakespeare Society presented the first ever Shakespeare Birthday Marathon. This free community event commemorated Shakespeare's 442nd birthday with stage and screen actors reading the Bard's plays and poetry – as well as music and song from the city's finest singers and musicians – in a five-hour celebration. The first event of its kind, the Marathon was a gift to the City of New York. Attended by more than 1100 people, the event featured actors, singers, musicians, commentators, and hosts: Marsha Stephanie Blake, Philip Bosco, Avery Brooks, Alyson Cambridge, Kathleen Chalfant, Michael Cumpsty, Keith David, Autumn Dornfeld, Oskar Eustis, Peter Jay Fernandez, Christopher Fitzgerald, Kate Forbes, Alexandra Foucard, Marjorie Garber, Eric Michael Gillette, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeremiah, John Christopher Jones, Ezra Knight, Robert Sean Leonard, Kristin Linklater, Mark Linn-Baker, Florencia Lozano, Elizabeth Marvel, Denis O'Hare, Sarah Paden, Estelle Parsons, Dimitri Pittas, Joe Plummer, Jean Randich, Matthew Rauch, John Rothman, Amy Ryan, Marian Seldes, Isaiah Sheffer, Robert Stanton, Scott Thornton, David Townsend, Maria Tucci, Fritz Weaver, and Matthew Willis.

Major support for this production was provided by Sotheby's.

February 13, 2006
Boys Will Be Girls: Cross-dressing in Shakespeare

Boys Will Be Girls was an irreverent examination of cross-dressing and sexual role-playing in Shakespeare featuring Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife), Academy Award nominee David Strathairn (Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck), Michael Cumpsty (The Constant Wife), and Hamish Linklater. Commentary was by Dympna Callaghan, Syracuse University professor and author of Shakespeare Without Women.

December 5, 2005
Small Venue Event: Good Men and True
The Common (Non) Sense of Dogberry, Costard and the Shepard's Son

Artistic Director Michael Sexton, joined by noted comic actors Bill Buell and David Costabile, lead a lively and informal discussion on three characters Shakespeare clearly and uniquely loved. He examined the curious and malappropriate ways they serve as social correctives, bringing a sense of common decency to the lives of their betters. With an odd dignity and an even odder vocabulary, these men prevent disaster and preserve life: "what your wisdoms could not discover, these shallow fools have brought to light."

November 14, 2005
Shakespeare on Film: Othello

Three great actors perform one of Shakespeare's most challenging roles. Jesse McKinley of the New York Times lead a discussion with Tony-winning actor-writer-director Ruben Santiago-Hudson and The New Yorker's Hilton Als as we view scenes from Orson Welles's haunting and recently restored masterpiece, Laurence OIivier's famously outrageous Moor, and Laurence Fishburne's emotional and understated power. With a few surprises were thrown in for good measure.

October 17, 2005
A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare
Special Event for Members

Book party and discussion with Professor James Shapiro, Columbia University, celebrated his eagerly awaited book A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare:1599.

September 26, 2005
Antony & Cleopatra

Who are Antony and Cleopatra? Is he the resolute soldier or the moody lover? Is she the steadfast champion of Egypt or the jealous mistress? Does love change or reveal our true selves? And why are the sexiest speeches in this play preludes to suicide? Joining us were award-winning actors Elizabeth Marvel as Cleopatra, Byron Jennings as Antony, Kristine Nielsen, Andy Weems, Sean McNall and Peter Jay Fernandez. Commentary was by Columbia University professor, author, and Shakespearean expert Kristin Linklater.

June 6, 2005
How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare

The Shakespeare Society was pleased to present two charismatic, dynamic and exciting personalities - Stephen Greenblatt and Robert Brustein - in a discussion on Shakespeare’s world and theater. References were drawn from Professor Greenblatt’s New York Times best-seller, Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. Actors F. Murray Abraham and Joe Plummer read selections from Venus and Adonis, the Sonnets, The Merchant of Venice, and other works.

April 18, 2005
Shakespeare's Fathers and Daughters

Marjorie Garber, Harvard professor and prominent author of the recently published and critically acclaimed Shakespeare After All provided commentary on the relationship between fathers and daughters in Shakespeare's plays. We were joined by actors Cherise Boothe, Richard Easton, Michael Emerson, and Maryann Plunkett.

April 4, 11, 25 & May 2, 2005
Monday Night Hamlet
Co-produced by The Shakespeare Society and Classic Stage Company.

A series of open rehearsals in which a distinguished company of seasoned actors and directors worked their way through selected scenes from Shakespeare's masterpiece. Participants included actors Michael Cumpsty, Hamish Linklater, James Urbaniak, and Michael Stuhlbarg, and directors Brian Kulick, Karen Coonrod, and Shakespeare Society Artistic Director Michael Sexton.

February 7, 2005
A Film Retrospective: Ian McKellen

Celebrating the illustrious and outstanding Shakespearean film career of Sir Ian McKellen with selections from Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard II, Richard III and Sir Ian's solo Shakespeare film. Commentary by actor Roger Rees and critic John Simon.

November 15, 2004
Hamlet's Appeal

The State of Denmark v. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, in a Shakespearean moot court with prominent New York lawyers, scholars, and Judges. Participants included noted jurists Robert D. Sack, Colleen McMahon, Jed S. Rakoff, attorneys Mary Jo White, Daniel Kornstein, K. Ann McDonald, Norman Greene, and NYU law professor Stephen Gillers.

October 18, 2004
Forgery

A play reading about a Shakespeare forgery. Written by William Kinsolving, Directed by Roger Rees. A bonus event for Shakespeare Society members at the New York Society for Ethical Culture.

September 20, 2004
The Macbeths' Murderous Marriage

Michael Kahn, Artistic Director of The Shakespeare Theater, Washington, DC, presented selected highlights from his production of Macbeth, with members of the cast, including Kelly McGillis as Lady Macbeth and Patrick Page as Macbeth. Mr. Kahn discussed the process of creating a performance, giving the audience insights into the actor-director collaboration. The event culminated with the presentation of The Shakespeare Society Medal to Mr. Kahn for his outstanding achievement in the world of William Shakespeare.
(Pictured to the right: Kelly McGillis)

June 3, 2004
Christopher Plummer in 'Shakespeare with Music'A unique evening created for The Shakespeare Society by Christopher Plummer and Michael Lankester in which Mr. Plummer performed excerpts from Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry V, and The Tempest accompanied by live music by Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Walton, and Lankester.

April 19, 2004
Shakespeare's 440th Birthday CelebrationWe toasted the Bard's 440th birthday in a festive gathering, featuring readings by Shakespeare Society members and actors Philip Bosco, Bill Buell, Joe Plummer, Laila Robins, Steven Skybell, and Maria Tucci.
This event was held at The Explorers Club.

February 2, 2004
A Director's Perspective: A Midsummer Night's DreamAcclaimed director Mark Lamos and actors discussed and performed scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

December 15, 2003
A Shakespearean Tribute to Sir Peter HallHosted by composer, conductor, and opera and theater director Michael Lankester, with personal reminiscences and readings by special guests John Guare, Patrick Stewart, Vanessa Redgrave, Rosemary Harris, Jeffrey Horowitz, Rebecca Hall and Tony Walton. The evening culminated with the presentation of The Shakespeare Society medal to
Sir Peter in honor of his distinguished contributions to the world of William Shakespeare.

November 10, 2003
Laurence Olivier's Shakespeare : A Film RetrospectiveDistinguished stage and film actor Roger Rees and film and drama critic John Simon returned to our stage to give commentary on a series of film clips of some of Olivier's finest Shakespearean roles. Film clips included Olivier's leading roles in Henry V, Richard III, Othello, Hamlet, and King Lear.

October 20, 2003
Shakespeare's KitchenA Book Party for Shakespeare's Kitchen by Francine Segan with white wine and hors d'oeuvres.

September 29, 2003
Book-in-Hand: The TempestTony Award-winning actor Richard Easton was Prospero and Michi Barall was Miranda. The reading featured specially composed music by Andrew Sherman and a quartet of Philharmonic musicians. Directed by Erica Schmidt.

June 2, 2003
Shakespeare's Clowns and FoolsShakespearean actor and veteran clown David Costabile took us through the evolution of Shakespeare's clowns and fools with a talented band of comic actors. Clowns and fools discussed ranged from the beloved figures Trinculo, Launce, and Feste to Lear's Fool and the Gravedigger.

November 18, 2002
The Lunatic, The Lover, and The PoetBrian Bedford, one of today's most distinguished classical actors, returned to our stage with memorable moments from Shakespeare's greatest works. Using a bare stage and stool, the Tony Award winner presented a wide range of characters in his acclaimed solo performance.

October 28, 2002
Book-in-Hand: The Merchant of VeniceAcademy Award winning actor F. Murray Abraham was Shylock and Vivienne Benesch was Portia in a two-hour staged play reading. No sets, no costumes, just Shakespeare's language and a company of some of New York's finest actors. Directed by Brian Kulick.

September 23, 2002
A Director's Perspective: Antony and CleopatraIn launching our new series A Director's Perspective, acclaimed director Mark Lamos took us through the process of bringing Antony and Cleopatra to life on stage. Selected scenes were read by award-winning actress Kate Burton, actors Steven Skybell, Vivienne Benesch, and Boris McGiver.

May 20, 2002
Comedy Tonight! The Taming of the ShrewMel Shapiro, Tony Award-winning director, and Brian Kulick, creative director of The Shakespeare Society, took us through the key scenes of Taming of the Shrew, discussing the nature of comedy and the eternal battle of the sexes. Film clips featuring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and John Cleese were shown.

April 22, 2002
Book-in-Hand: King LearPhilip Bosco (Lear), Richard Easton (Gloucester), Laila Robins (Regan), Blair Brown (Goneril), Jessica Hecht (Cordelia), Boris McGiver (Edmund), Michael Cumpsty (Edgar), Philip Goodwin (Kent), Mark Linn-Baker (Fool), and other prominent actors, directed by Brian Kulick.

March 11, 2002
Shakespeare's WomenProfessor Harold Bloom, best-selling author of Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human and America's leading literary critic, spent the evening with Cleopatra, Gertrude, Cressida, Hermione, Isabella, and Lady Macbeth. He was joined on stage by actors Rosemary Harris, Maria Tucci, Vivienne Benesch, Boris McGiver, and Sam Tsoutsouvas.

January 28, 2002
Book-in-Hand: Much Ado About NothingA two-hour staged reading featuring Christine Baranski (Beatrice), Michael Cumpsty (Benedick), Herb Foster (Leonato), Miriam Laube (Hero), Jessie Pennington (Claudio), Robert Sella (Don John), Boris McGiver (Borachio), Philip Goodwin (Don Pedro), Bill Buell (Dogberry). Directed by Brian Kulick.

November 5, 2001
Shakespeare: Stage vs. ScreenA lively debate among film and theater directors, actors, and critics on what is gained and lost when Shakespeare makes the transition from stage to screen. Film clips ranging from Orson Welles' classic Chimes at Midnight to the most recent Hamlet starring Ethan Hawke.Moderator: Ron Rosenbaum of The New York Observer. Panelists: John Simon, theater critic, New York Magazine; Michael Almereyda, film director, Hamlet; Michael Kahn, artistic director, The Shakespeare Theater, Washington, DC, and director of Juilliard’s Drama Division, and actor Liev Schreiber.

September 24, 2001
The Lunatic, The Lover, and The PoetBrian Bedford, Tony Award winner and one of the most distinguished Shakespearean actors of our time, presented a wide range of Shakespeare's characters including Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, as well as Richard II and Hamlet.

June 18, 2001
Shakespeare Goes A-WooingBrian Kulick, The Shakespeare Society's creative director, discussed Shakespeare's portrayal of romantic relationships. He illustrated his commentary with film excerpts from these plays: The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry
V, and The Tempest.

March 12, 2001
Shakespeare's HumorHarold Bloom, America's foremost literary critic, acted Falstaff in several scenes from Henry IV, Parts I & II. Professor Bloom was joined on stage by Christine Baranski, Vivienne Benesch, Philip Bosco, Matthew Cowles, and Steven Skybell in scenes from As You Like It, Measure for Measure, and Twelfth Night.

January 29, 2001
Claire Bloom's ShakespeareRoger Rees discussed with Claire Bloom her many Shakespearean roles and her leading men. Film clips of her great performances were shown. The Shakespeare Society Medal was presented to Ms. Bloom in recognition of her extraordinary contribution to our appreciation of the works of William Shakespeare.

October 30, 2000
The Hamlet Problem: What's Rotten in the State of Denmark?Professor Arnold Weinstein, Brown University, discussed Shakespeare's tragedy.
Brian Murray and Marian Seldes read scenes from the play.


September 18, 2000
A Shakespearean Tribute to The Late Sir John GielgudSheridan Morley, authorized biographer of John Gielgud, was the Master of Ceremonies. Personal reminiscences and readings were given by some of Sir John's Shakespearean colleagues in the theater: Edward Albee, Keith Baxter, Brian Bedford, Philip Bosco, Zoe Caldwell, Hume Cronyn, Ralph Fiennes, Barrie Ingham, Anne Jackson, Tony Randall, Maria Tucci, Eli Wallach and Robert Whitehead.

May 8, 2000
A Midsummer Night's DreamThis program was hosted by Barrie Ingham (Shakespearean scholar & actor) and featured video clips of great performances and readings by: Roy Dotrice, Lisa Harrow, Neal Huff, and Sybil Lines.

March 6, 2000
Sir Derek Jacobi: My Life with ShakespeareRoger Rees discussed with Sir Derek his outstanding career as a Shakespearean actor and director. The program concluded with the presentation of The Shakespeare Society Medal to Sir Derek in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to our appreciation of the works of William Shakespeare.

January 17, 2000
Shakespeare's Great SoliloquiesPerformance and discussion of Shakespeare's great soliloquies by actors Barrie Ingham, Dana Ivey, Tony Randall, Roger Rees, and Robin Weigert.

November 15, 1999
Othello: Sexuality, Jealousy and EvilCommentary by Professor Arnold Weinstein, Brown University and performance by
John Neville.

October 4, 1999
The Tragedy of King LearCommentary by Ruth Carpenter, Shakespearean scholar, and Dr. John Ross, psychoanalyst with videos of great performances. Roger Rees, special guest.
May 24, 1999
A Director's Perspective: Romeo and JulietBrian Kulick, then artistic associate of the Public Theater and recent director of the acclaimed production of Shakespeare's Pericles, discussed the theme of the play as love and violence, and their interaction. He illustrated his discussion of Romeo and Juliet with video excerpts from three very different productions: 1936 directed by George Cukor; 1968 directed by Franco Zeffirelli; and 1996 directed by Baz Luhrmann.

March 8, 1999
The MacbethsProfessor Irene Dash and Professor Gerald Pinciss, Hunter College, presented a lively character analysis pitting Macbeth against Lady Macbeth in an attempt to determine the play's true villain. Comparative excerpts featuring legendary Macbeth performances were featured.

January 11, 1999
The Merchant of VeniceProfessor James Shapiro of Columbia University, author of the acclaimed book Shakespeare and the Jews, hosted an evening of commentary and performance. Comparative performances on video by Sir Laurence Olivier, Patrick Stewart and David Suchet in the role of Shylock were used along with live performances.

November 9, 1998
Shakespeare's VillainsDavid Scott Kastan, professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, explored the nature of evil in Richard III and Othello. Special guest appearances were made by Tony Randall as Iago and Steven Skybell as King Richard III.

September 14, 1998
Hamlets on Film: Barrymore to BranaghProfessor Peter Saccio discussed the many ways great actors interpret Hamlet, utilizing comparative film clips from throughout the 20th century.

June 29, 1998
Women of Will: Ladies who Shake the World of ShakespeareA lively discussion of some of Shakespeare's most memorable heroines - Portia, Cleopatra, and Rosalind. An informal, participatory evening featuring actress Maria Tucci and Shakespearean scholars Robert Macdonald (Smith College), Jill Smith (Columbia University), and Ruth Carpenter (The Brearley School).

June 1, 1998
Love and Courtship in ShakespeareThis program presented enactment and discussion of scenes between Benedick and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, the first courtship of Olivia by the disguised Viola in Twelfth Night, and several speeches from Love's Labour's Lost and The Taming of the Shrew. Commentary by Professor Peter Saccio of Dartmouth, and four Shakespearean actors.