Barton, John, et al. Playing Shakespeare. Silver Spring, MD: Athena, 2009. $79.99.
Barton is the co-founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company and in this resource he taped classes on performing Shakespeare plays. They discuss interpretive points and also give advice on potential ways to act out certain scenes. Some of the topics that are covered are: the traditional “elevated” acting style versus more modern naturalistic readings, the importance of understanding Shakespeare’s versification, the relationship between language and character, the ways in which the structure of soliloquies and speeches help engage an audience, the ambiguity and irony inherent to Shakespearean language, the proper balance between emotion and intellect brought to a performance, and the rehearsal process itself. Students studying the acting of Shakespeare's plays will find this resource highly helpful. It is recommended for the Shakespeare Theater in England class, but also for any of the classes studying the importance of staging Shakespeare's plays as opposed to simply reading them.
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Lewis, Katie, Paul Crapol, and Sam Genovese. Shakespeare Tragedies: Origins and Style. Falls Church, Va.: Cerebellum, 2000. $19.99.
This helpful resource includes the following topics: Shakespeare's life and time -- Shakespeare's use of language -- Elizabethan drama -- What is tragedy? -- Oedipus Rex: the height of Greek tragedy -- Tragedy in the Middle Ages -- Shakespeare and tragedy. It also covers an overview of Shakespeare's unrhymed iambic pentameter and a guide to stage conventions. Students in all classes will find this useful from understanding Shakespeare's language to determining how to stage a scene.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This helpful resource includes the following topics: Shakespeare's life and time -- Shakespeare's use of language -- Elizabethan drama -- What is tragedy? -- Oedipus Rex: the height of Greek tragedy -- Tragedy in the Middle Ages -- Shakespeare and tragedy. It also covers an overview of Shakespeare's unrhymed iambic pentameter and a guide to stage conventions. Students in all classes will find this useful from understanding Shakespeare's language to determining how to stage a scene.
Biography William Shakespeare: Life of Drama. New York: A & E Television Network, 1997. $19.95.
This short 50 minute video takes viewers into the life of Shakespeare's early years and covers things such as his unhappy marriage and the death of his only son. It also includes an introduction to Elizabethan era theater and an overview of some of Shakespeare's plays. Students will find this source useful as a general source for information on Shakespeare for their general classes. Theater classes will also find this source beneficial.
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Curry, Tim, Ian McShane, André Morell, John McEnery, Simon Rouse, Peter Wood, Robert Knights, and Mark Cullingham. William Shakespeare, His Life and Times. Salt Lake City: Bonneville Worldwide Entertainment, 1998. $99.95.
Curry, Tim, Ian McShane, André Morell, John McEnery, Simon Rouse, Peter Wood, Robert Knights, and Mark Cullingham. William Shakespeare, His Life and Times. Salt Lake City: Bonneville Worldwide Entertainment, 1998. $99.95.
This six volume set, each consisting of 60 minutes, contains information on Shakespeare's life in his "dark years" from 1585-1592. This resource looks at his professional life in London and provides an interpretation of what his life might have been like. These videos will be helpful for students to see what scholars believe Shakespeare's life to have been like and provide them with insight to new interpretations of his works.
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