The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 12.2474  Sunday, 28 October 2001

From:           Stuart Manger <
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Date:           Friday, 26 Oct 2001 22:21:00 +0100
Subject:        Shakespeare in USA and in UK

A few questions:

[a] Do you think that in the normal run of events, there is a tendency
in USA to perform / teach / target a rather different group of
Shakespeare plays than those more commonly performed in UK? Are the
social / box office demands for either pro theatre or amateur or
university or all three different in USA? I ask having no experience of
the US circuit at all, apart from what I read on this illustrious
website.

[b] What effects do you think Les Evenements in NYC et al are likely to
have on the kinds of plays US companies might feel able / ill-advised to
perform? In the latter category, possibly R2 comes to mind with the edgy
abdication scene? One can imagine an H5 being interesting too if
directed in a particular way?

[c] How much Shakespeare PERFORMANCE of complete plays do High Schools
get involved in? It is a fairly standard tradition in UK schools, and I
wondered if it was so at High School level in USA. If so, do they mostly
go for the 'romantic' plays? Or comedies? Or what? I took a 'Romeo and
Juliet' from a UK school to a series of American High Schools in
Massachusetts and the reactions varied from the fairly loudly bored to
pin-dropping silence and ecstasy. Is that about right?

Stuart Manger

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