July 2019
Exploring themes of Power, Ambition, Manipulation, and ultimately Gender, my goal in directing Shakespeare is to always bring forth the root ideas of the Bard’s original text - regardless of the style we play it in. Our play is set in the reconstructive era of a fallen government - like the original is most commonly played - let’s say fifty years in the future. We have a frighteningly persuasive leader at the forefront that the masses seem to jive with and the rest are wary of - in some cases for personal and prideful reasons. This colony of people use the remains of this futuristic resurrection to construct their world through their setting, their costuming, and their props. We’ll see the ghosts of the fallen haunting the living, the masses will blend together, and minor players will overwhelm and confuse us, leaving us wondering who is who and what side they’re on.
Ultimately, we are vehicles portraying how humans create structures that are unendingly flawed because humans are unendingly flawed. As we know “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves…” However - that’s a depressing sentiment for audiences to take away. As actors and artists - I think another responsibility we have alongside reflecting society is relaying hope. I think it’s important in the telling of this story to bring forth the overwhelming feeling that everyone is acting for what they feel is the greater good and I have the stringent (and perhaps naive) belief that if these forces continue acting in opposition of one another as dynamically and passionately as they do - there will be balance. That’s the goal, isn’t it? We don’t really want to win because I don’t think anyone really knows what winning actually is and what it entails. All we’re really after is trying to find a sense of equilibrium in ensuring life will go on.
Ultimately, we are vehicles portraying how humans create structures that are unendingly flawed because humans are unendingly flawed. As we know “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves…” However - that’s a depressing sentiment for audiences to take away. As actors and artists - I think another responsibility we have alongside reflecting society is relaying hope. I think it’s important in the telling of this story to bring forth the overwhelming feeling that everyone is acting for what they feel is the greater good and I have the stringent (and perhaps naive) belief that if these forces continue acting in opposition of one another as dynamically and passionately as they do - there will be balance. That’s the goal, isn’t it? We don’t really want to win because I don’t think anyone really knows what winning actually is and what it entails. All we’re really after is trying to find a sense of equilibrium in ensuring life will go on.