COMMENTS ON CURRENT SHAKESPEARE'S STAGING   (VERSION 2)

DIGITAL HUMANITIES,  UC BERKELEY

https://digitalhumanities.berkeley.edu/

Shakespeare's Staging

Shakespeare's Staging explores the history of Shakespeare performance through images, videos, essays and bibliographies. The site is designed to be a resource for teachers and students of Shakespeare as well as for performers and directors of the plays. The audio-visual collection includes materials spanning from Shakespeare's original stage all the way through contemporary productions, and focuses on the many ways performance spaces can be used to realize Shakespeare's texts. Of special interest is the showcasing of the construction of the new Globe Theatre in London, as well as photographs and videos of several Berkeley Shakespeare Program productions, all of which are exclusive to the site. Essays discuss performance questions related to individual plays as well as more general topics such as Renaissance theories of audience response and the possible exchange of influence between English and Spanish playwrights. Bibliographies cover a wide range of critical literature in addition to reviews of contemporary performances. The site includes a teaching module demonstrating how the site's audio-visual materials can be used by students in the writing of research papers on Shakespeare's plays.

Department/school English   Project website  http://shakespeare.berkeley.edu/

Project type   Pedagogy, Research  Contact    hmr@berkeley.edu

 

New Kitteridge Shakespeare: Twelfth Night, ed. Gayle Gaskill, Hackett Publishing 2012, p.116.

Relevant Websites

Berkeley, University of California, Shakespeare's Staging  http;//shakesearestagi.berkeley.edu/

With its extensive web links, this comprehensive bibliography of current publications and websites relevant to the study of all Shakespeare's works is the most valuable on-line source of current performance criticism on-line.

 

SIMMONS COLLEGE  (Boston)

 Library: "Shakespeare's Staging "

With photographs, essays, videos, and more, this site offers users multiple ways to engage with Shakespearean staging. Especially interesting for actors!

What is this resource?
From UC Berkley comes a resource dedicated to cataloging the ways people have staged Shakespeare's works throughout the ages. The site is broken into four main categories, each with subcategories. The first of these is Staging the Plays, with resources broken down by play genre (comedy, history, etc.) and further delineated by play title. Each play has an overview, an images page, and a bibliography for further research. The second major category is Staging by Period, which allows users to gain a historical understanding of Shakespearean staging and its evolution. The third category is Topics in Performance, with subcategories including race, gender, and genre. With photographs, essays, videos, and more, this site offers users multiple ways to engage with Shakespearean staging. An invaluable resource for drama students and visual learners alike, this database is a great place to go to see visual interpretations of the text. With an emphasis on staging, this site naturally focuses on setting and casting rather than performance choices.

Why should I trust this?
Developed in 2005 by Hugh Richmond, this site is dedicated to academic study of Shakespearean staging. Richmond was an integral part of the Berkeley Shakespeare Program for over 30 years, and this site represents a culmination of his work and research. The project was funded by the Shakespeare Program of the University of California at Berkeley, and partially sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the California Council for the Humanities. Each page on the site has a bibliography indicating the origin of the presented information, allowing students to assess the information’s validity for themselves.

How can I use this?
If you’ve ever wondered about the transition from page to stage for Shakespeare’s plays, look no further! With this resource, you can find visual representations of productions throughout the ages, helping you engage with the text in a different way.

 

COLLEGE OF MARIN

Shakespeare’s Staging, from UC Berkeley

"Shakespeare’s Staging collects audio-visual materials related to the performance of Shakespeare’s plays from the time of Shakespeare to the present. Students writing about Shakespeare, teachers teaching Shakespeare, scholars researching Shakespeare, and performers staging new productions of Shakespeare’s work can all use the site to enrich their understanding of the performance aspects of these scripts."

 

COMMENTS BY DANI JACKSON      (Undergraduate)         https://dgjackson.weebly.com/blog  9/18/2018

Shakespeare’s Staging — a digital archive developed by Hugh Richmond, containing materials from his time with the Berkeley Shakespeare Program. Overall, I feel that a few more effective rhetorical and design choices could be made, particularly on the home page,  . . .however, the overall organization of material seems to be fairly formulated and navigable.

AUDIENCE. Their intended audience is to appeal to students and teachers, . . . but the home page states that the mission is to enrich an understanding of the performance aspects of Shakespeare’s scripts for anyone who’s interested, , , as provided by a collection of audio-visual materials from Shakespeare’s plays at the time of Shakespeare through present times. . .

CONTENT. The site offers texts categorized by plays, time periods, and topics with a wide variety. Readers will familiarize themselves with the content by reading, viewing images and slideshows, as well as watching videos. The organization of the content is specific to certain aspects of performance, which I think allows the reader to navigate more personally and effectively.

AUTHOR. As listed under ‘About Us,’ the site was developed by Hugh Richmond.  . . . containing his biography, publications, awards, references, articles, and archival collection. This allows us as readers to establish credibility with the author. . . In addition we are provided another page called ‘Site Personnel.’. . .As a reader, I feel that this allows me to trust the developers of this site.

DESIGN. The home page places a large emphasis on the categories of staging, specifically by play, time period, and topic. They display them on a red ribbon in a large, yellow font. I think this was an effective design choice because it helps the viewer see their options and find their topic of choice more efficiently'. . . .  Although there was a lack of contrast and space, photos were a nice visual that helped break up the redundancy of the information on the home page. . . .This website in particular would feel much more approachable if it incorporated more space between elements, larger contrasts, and more concise information. . . .This site’s color scheme was consistent, which was effective, but overall needed more contrast to cater to the reader’s eye. . . .

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COMMENTS ON FIRST VERSION OF SHAKESPEARE STAGING (UCB 2005)

This earlier version was archived at the request of University of California Berkeley using Archive-It and captured on 0:49:49 May 10, 2015,inhe Bancroft Collections collection. All elements in this version are included in Version 2, and so still elated to the followng comments. An abbreviation of this earlier site may be recovered at https://web.archive.org/web/20131209175438/http://shakespearestaging.ber...

 

 "Shakespeare on the Internet" by Hardy M. Cook:

The first site in the Visual/Performance Resources categories I will cite is the

University of California at Berkley’s Shakespeare’s Staging (UofCA). The Shakespeare Program in the English Department of the University of California has for thirty‐five years been concerned with Shakespeare in performance and the rebuilding of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. This site provides “a survey of current information and opinion about such staging by registering the best available explorations of the original nature of Shakespearean performance during his lifetime, and of its development through four centuries thereafter”. It is organized into Performance Bibliographies and Performance Galleries and is under continuous revision and expansion. 

 

SCOUT REPORT: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSION-MADISON
  Feb. 20, 2009 -- Vol. 15, No. 7 A Publication of Internet Scout  Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison U. of Wisconsin - Madison Libraries.

      Shakespeare's Staging   http://shakespeare.berkeley.edu/

The University of California at Berkeley's English Department has undertaken the enormous task of presenting "a survey of current information, opinions and visuals about...the original nature of Shakespearean performance during his lifetime, and of its development through four centuries thereafter." Visitors can click on "Performance Galleries" at the top of the homepage to be taken to ten albums of over 900 images.  Some of the topics of the albums that you can link to are "Productions from the Sixteenth through the Twentieth Century", "Productions in Britain 1960-1998", and "Unusual Representations of Shakespeare Performances".  The albums contain items such as playbills, photos and drawings of performances, and photos of the rebuilt Globe Theatre. On the far left side of the homepage, visitors can click on "Videos" to view a documentary series about Elizabethan life, as well as excerpts of performances staged by the Shakespeare Program of UC Berkeley at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.  The videos can be viewed by "Latest", "Most Viewed", "Highest Rated", and "Featured". Visitors interested in other websites that explore Shakespeare performance will want to click on "Relevant Websites" on the far left side of the homepage, to access a link that has 27 Shakespeare performance related websites. [KMG]
 

TeachersFirst.com The web resource by teachers, for teachers:
Understanding and Working with Gifted Students:

Shakespeare's Staging Grade 11 to 12 - Regents University of California- 9590

This great site gives serious Shakespeare students something to dig their teeth into. Of particular interest is a full-length, documentary video titled "Shakespeare and the Spanish Connection." The documentary links Spanish and Elizabethan theatres in style of performance, architecture, and background. From the homepage, you can look at galleries (basically online picture albums) of Shakespearean productions from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Clicking on the "Videos" tab will enable you watch short excerpts of plays performed in various venues including open-air theatres. Due to the academic nature of the presentations, this is probably best used with upperclassmen or gifted students who have some familiarity with the Elizabethan Renaissance and Shakespeare. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox.
      In the Classroom: The ideas presented on this site offer imaginative teachers great scope. Using the short videos and/or the albums as jumping off points, students can create their own videos of their own productions. Share the videos on YouTube or another tool such as SchoolTube.  One of the central topics can be the ease or difficulty in staging some of the scenes. Since there are several of the videos where actors describe the experiences playing certain characters as well as short documentaries showing authentic Elizabethan music, dance, etc., students can incorporate their own ideas in making their own scenes more genuine.
      TeachersFirst.com • The web resource by teachers, for teachers. Copyright © 1998, 2008 by The Source for Learning, Inc.

 

"Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet" comments:

"The latest edition of Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet has tried to bring together here sites which will give insight into the mounting of authentic Elizabethan productions. These sites could all fall under the general rubric of 'staging.'

For a thorough-going overview see:
     1. Shakespeare's Staging, from U.C. Berkeley.
     2. Shakespearean Stage History from 1660 onwards
     [by Bradley Berens: participant in UCB Shakespeare Program]

 

BRITISH UNIVERSITIES FILM AND VIDEO COUNCIL
University of Cambridge: Professional English OnlineFrance 24.com     Islam Channel BBC Programmes Manchester University   IR Project Blog    Open University View The Reel     Russia Today  TeachToday

Recommended Website:  Shakespeare Staging
This website, hosted by the Shakespeare Program at the University of California, Berkeley seeks to provide videos, still images, weblinks, current information, and discussion about the staging of Shakeseare's plays over the centuries. The site is subject to continuous revision and expansion, and at the beginning of 2009 contains over 1,000 still images and video extracts of live performances concerning Shakespeare. [Relevance:] Any Drama    http://shakespearestaging.berkeley.edu/

 

Faculty Comments

Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 From: Ron Bedford
Subject: shakespearestaging

Dear Professor Richmond,

Greetings from Australia!  My dear friend and colleague Philippa Kelly has just alerted me - with some excitement - to your shakespearestaging website, urging me to look at it.  Which of course I have, and it is a revelation. It is wonderful to know that there exists such an amazing resource, and so carefully and skillfully assembled. It is a true treasure trove, and will be invaluable to everyone in that vast audience  interested in theatre and in Shakespeare, and I'll do everything I can to alert others here to its astonishing  riches.

Before I looked at the site Philippa also told me she was doing a report on it for 'Hugh'. I asked 'Hugh who?', and was delighted to discover it was that same H.M. Richmond whose The Christian Revolutionary: John Milton I had bought in 1974, which I read with such enthusiasm, and which encouraged me even more to pursue reading, thinking and writing about Milton. Thank you too for that!All good wishes.

Ron Bedford, Professor of English, University of New England  Armidale NSW 2351

 

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To: Director Hugh  Richmond:

I found your site a wonderful surprise! I was particularly delighted to read your article on R&J and Lope de Vega's version. To the best of my knowledge, the first modern public performance of Lope's play in English in this country (anywhere?) was the staged reading we did in spring 1996 at Unison Arts & Learning Center in New Paltz, NY. using the actors' chairs as sets. We called the play “Castles and Mountains”.  We did more the following year with a slightly different cast.  The cover of my Carleton translation is actually a drawing of Monica Antonelli as Julia and Roberto Romani as Roselo (our second).

               Cynthia Rodriguez-Badendyck 16 March 2010

 

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Dear Professor Richmond

I was very glad to see the excellent web site of the Shakespeare Program.  I am currently a professional equity actor in New York City and teach theatre around the country as visiting professor: I am now at Loyola University (while rehearsing Capulet in NYC to open in New Canaan, CT in June). I am the one who played Falstaff in Merry Wives (as currently seen on the web site’s images and video of the play.)  I still tell my students about your work.  Thanks for all the great experiences. Sincerely   Arion Alston [Falstaff on site Home Page and in Gallery 1.5; Theseus in Gallery 1.3]

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Thanks for working on this great resource!. Professor Aaron Meyerowitz, Florida Atlantic University.

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If you are not familiar with Hugh Richmond's Shakespeare's Staging web site, I think you might find it an amazing resource for actors' doing their own dramaturgical research.  Kurt Daw, Professor of Theatre Arts, San Francisco StaTe University.

 

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“This website is one of my favorites on Shakespeare . . . and is an important one.”  Georgianna Ziegler,  Louis B. Thalheimer Head of Reference at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

                                                                    

SHAKESPEARE QUARTOS ARCHIVE

      Lead Institutions: Bodleian Library, of the University of Oxford; Folger Shakespeare Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities, U. of Maryland; British Library; University of Edinburgh Library; Huntington Library: National Library of Scotland; Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham

These sites may be of interest to users of the Shakespeare Quartos Archive.  These sites provide links to additional useful resources in Theatrical production:

• Shakespeare’s Globe
• Shakespeare’s Staging (University of California, Berkeley)

 

CENTRAL MICHIBAN UNIVERSITY

AMONG THE BEST SHAKESPEARE LINKS AND GENERAL STUDY SITES:

Shakespeare's Staging -- UC Berkeley's invaluable database/resources about Shakespeare   productions and theater history.                                                                      

TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY, CORPUS CHRISTI
RESOURCE GUIDE: THEATRE

Internet Resources
SHAKESPEARE'S STAGING http://shakespearestaging.berkeley.edu/ \

 University of California Berkeley’s site for information, resources and bibliographies on the staging of Shakespearian works                                                                      throughout history.           

INDIANA UNIVERSITY - PURDUE UNIVERSITY (Fort Wayne)
Performance Index:  Here is the fine website from Cal-Berkeley, Shakespeare's Staging
 

Name: Denbli:   Good day. I just wanted to say that you created a really great site. Thanks!

 

Saint Joseph's Catholic High School , South Bend, IndiJulius Caesar Acting Company
                                       Great resource: http://shakespearestaging.berkeley.edu/

 

Dr. Jonathan Pstrick, St. Paul's Girls' School, Hammersmith, London

                                   Your site looks fantastic and I shall be directing my own students towards it.

 

Early Student Comments

Marsha: First time here on your site. I’m delighted to find your wonderful website online.
Name: Cathyt: This is a wonderful page for everyone!
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