A very warm welcome to the project blog!
Over the next few days and weeks, I'll do my best to keep you updated on the progress of the site, news and all the latest developments. I have always believed that poetry deserves to be read aloud and part of this project is to give voice to something that belongs to the air, not simply the page of a book.
So, today heralds a bright start and exciting new addition to Shakespeare online - the beginning of Project 154, a free educational resource for students, professionals, and Shakespeare aficionados alike.
The site is dedicated to Shakespeare's sonnets, and bringing a unique element to this worthwhile educational project are the 154 contributing artists from around the globe, who represent a wealth of theatrical experience, Shakespeare know-how, professionalism, and depth.
The site features the work of some distinguished countrymen of mine alongside contributing artists of distinction from around the world - a veritable feast of talent and diverse range of accents.
I have already received the first contribution and will endeavour to upload as many of the sonnets on the 23rd April, Project 154's official launch date and not only the Bard's birthday but St George's day too. My day will be dedicated to the Bard, my evening to St George, as I seek out a decent pub in Los Angeles, or at least one that serves a decent pint of English ale.
With good luck it will also have a wi-fi connection so that I can sit down, relax, and simply listen.
I am tingling with anticipation at the very thought.
You may have noticed that one of our pages is dedicated to Shakespeare's most famous sonnet, 18. The page will feature 18 versions of the sonnet recorded by artists in their native tongue (not English).
In the telling of a sonnet, the actor must balance the sharing of a story with the internal debate and psychological journey of the poem.
Structurally, the Shakespearean sonnet follows an abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme and might be viewed as three movements, or three quatrains rounded with the couplet. On line nine comes the all important "volta," a turning point or shift in the story of the poem. Most actors know this instinctively, viscerally, but it's always worthwhile considering technically.
How the actor brings it all together in the reading...how he shares with the audience and yet preserves that sense of internal debate inherent in these poems...well, that is the alchemy of the actor's craft and one that we will see, or rather hear, starting on 23rd April, 2012.
Over the next few days and weeks, I'll do my best to keep you updated on the progress of the site, news and all the latest developments. I have always believed that poetry deserves to be read aloud and part of this project is to give voice to something that belongs to the air, not simply the page of a book.
So, today heralds a bright start and exciting new addition to Shakespeare online - the beginning of Project 154, a free educational resource for students, professionals, and Shakespeare aficionados alike.
The site is dedicated to Shakespeare's sonnets, and bringing a unique element to this worthwhile educational project are the 154 contributing artists from around the globe, who represent a wealth of theatrical experience, Shakespeare know-how, professionalism, and depth.
The site features the work of some distinguished countrymen of mine alongside contributing artists of distinction from around the world - a veritable feast of talent and diverse range of accents.
I have already received the first contribution and will endeavour to upload as many of the sonnets on the 23rd April, Project 154's official launch date and not only the Bard's birthday but St George's day too. My day will be dedicated to the Bard, my evening to St George, as I seek out a decent pub in Los Angeles, or at least one that serves a decent pint of English ale.
With good luck it will also have a wi-fi connection so that I can sit down, relax, and simply listen.
I am tingling with anticipation at the very thought.
You may have noticed that one of our pages is dedicated to Shakespeare's most famous sonnet, 18. The page will feature 18 versions of the sonnet recorded by artists in their native tongue (not English).
In the telling of a sonnet, the actor must balance the sharing of a story with the internal debate and psychological journey of the poem.
Structurally, the Shakespearean sonnet follows an abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme and might be viewed as three movements, or three quatrains rounded with the couplet. On line nine comes the all important "volta," a turning point or shift in the story of the poem. Most actors know this instinctively, viscerally, but it's always worthwhile considering technically.
How the actor brings it all together in the reading...how he shares with the audience and yet preserves that sense of internal debate inherent in these poems...well, that is the alchemy of the actor's craft and one that we will see, or rather hear, starting on 23rd April, 2012.