Theatre in the US

by Gwen Herat

Shakespeare entered the public world six times a week in a season but despite the best Victorian effort to discover a unity between his work and life only give each one of us a different image. Not much is known about him and human curiosity cannot fill the vacuum as speculations turned into legends and took years of conspiracy as well as adoration to make him the great poet in the world.

Today, no one can come even within a striking distance of his greatness as he himself said, ‘Do not be afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.’

His exciting works have led us down centuries covering all aspects of plays, dramas and dialogue that are found in books, classrooms, stage, ballet, movies and television. Today after its spread of wings around the world, let us take a look at the theatre, especially in the United States.

Literary scene

There are many people around the world even from the literary scene who still do not associate the US with Shakespeare, leave alone Shakespearian language. Most probably the American English differ, especially in spelling and diction.

Classics are way out and only in the last century that poetry surfaced. They may not even have come across the fully expanded sections of the Bard'd poems and sonnets. This assumption does not apply to the serious American scholars who find the English poet standing tall in the literary circles and revered on his spectacular works. However, US was still fascinated by his drama brought to life in ballet and screen.

The theatre too had caught up with aplomb and we find many Thespians stalking across the US stage. Let us look at their theatre of today. The idea of the festival was initiated in the form of plays by Angus W. Bowmer who founded the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 1935 and today almost every region has at least one Shakespeare Festival.

For example, Berkeley Shakespeare Festival, theatre Monmouth, Shakespeare and Company at Lenox, Massachusetts, the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas, three Rivers Festival in Pittsburgh, Colarado Shakespeare Festival and the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. The plays are done in Summer at the indoor theatres and the quality of production varies between the high professionals and amateurs.

New York

Joseph Papp conceived and nurtured the New York Festival derived from his small but intensive workshop of 1953. He commissioned Stuart Vaughan to direct Julius Caesar and Taming of the Shrew at the East River Amphitheatre.

In 1957 Prepp presented a mobile Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, and As You Like It which Vaughan directed at the Hecksher. There have been many indoor productions at the Public Theatre down town New York and at the New House, Lincoln Centre. Mostly the festival is known for its free outdoor Shakespeare in the Summer at the huge and recently constructed Delacorte production each summer.

In a 33 million pounds series, Joe Pepp resolved to present all the 36 plays of Shakespeare.

They included television and book adaptations of staging, beginning with Midsummer Night's Dream at the down town Public Theatre, New York. It was a dream he never lived to realise. Joe Papp died in 1989. In the Festival he counted among others leading thespians such as Colleen Dewhurst, James Earl Jones, Sam Waterstone, Barbara Baxley and among the directors, Stuart Vaughan, Gerald Freedmann, Michael Khan, Steven Berkeff and Papp himself. Kevin Kline took over after Papp's death.

On a vast indoor stage and known as the American Shakespeare Festival in 1974, the Festival began in 1955 when the Artistic co-director, Denise Carey staged Julius Caesar and The Tempest. During 1958-9 the artistic directors were John Houseman and Jack Landau and later Landau continued alone.

When Michael Kahn took over such plays such as Henry V, Othello. All's Well That Ends Well, Merry Wives of Windsor, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Rihcard III, Love's Labour Lost, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, the Winter's Tale and As You Like It were mounted. However, my favourite play, Hamlet was left out.

Oregon

Oregon too like the rest of the States, launched Shakespeare in 1935 and founded by Prof Angus L. Bowmer, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival began a two-month summer festival. It is virtually an-year-round operation. Probably in continuity, the oldest in America. The festival presently outdoor, modelled after John Cranford's Globe.

There is also a small studio theatre named the Black Swan. Much of Shakespeare plays have been staged with professional and amateur players. By 1973, the festival had presented 164 performances. The original contract was used in constructing the Elizabethan Theatre. Angus Bowmer and designer, Richard Haye have sustained a long association with Ashland and among the directors, Bon Iden Payne who brought to America the methods of William Pool.

As always, here to the influence of B. Iden is evident. It rose from his 50 minute summarised Shakespeare productions as part of the California Pacific International Exposition in 1935.

There was work at San Dieago before the closure in the Second World War. Later, the second constructed Globe in Balboa Park was in regular use for the National Shakespeare Theatre that recalled its 25th anniversary in 1974.

The US is also widely responsible apart from staging drama festivals, for bringing the Bard into ballet, television and movies more than England.