The Truth About the “Scottish Curse”

Don’t say Macbeth, or even quote that play, in a theater. Ever. Theater people believe it will bring disaster. In actual fact, Constantine Stanislavski, Orson Welles and Charlton Heston all suffered some catastrophe during or just after a production of “The Scottish Play.” In 1849, more than 30 New Yorkers were…

Read More

Unleash the Beast!

Our resident Dramaturg Dr. Philippa Kelly asks: WILL PASSION BRING OUT THE ASS IN YOU? The moment Bottom gets entangled as the object of Titania’s passion, he’s transformed into an ass (‘Oh Bottom, thou art translated.’) Does passion ‘translate’ people into their beastly selves, blunting their reason at the service of…

Read More

It Aint Easy Being Green

The Tumultuous Transformations of “The Green World”:     A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an example of Shakespeare’s use of forested and wild settings referred to by scholars as the “Green World.” The principal characters converge in this Green World and, free of the constraints of the “Real World” can…

Read More