PLAYING SHAKESPEARE: THE TWO TRADITIONS (TV)
Summary
The first in this miniseries of "master classes" hosted by John Barton and featuring members of the Royal Shakespeare Company, exploring the techniques and styles used by actors in performing the works of the Bard. In this installment, Barton opens the session by discussing the vast number of books and articles written about Shakespeare and explains that the series will focus on how actors are to play his works, quoting "Hamlet" in saying that the lines should be said "trippingly on the tongue." A few of the actors present, including Ben Kingsley, recite some more of Hamlet's "speak the speech" monologue, and they discuss how there are few set rules for performing Shakespeare and actors must become "detectives," relying on their "instinct and guesswork" to find the proper deliveries and characterizations. Barton emphasizes the importance of listening, both of the audience listening to the actors and the actors listening to one another. The actors then perform part of Act V, Scene VI from "Coriolanus," followed by a scene from "Saved" by Edward Bell to contrast. Barton brings up the presence of modern-day acting influences, including the teachings of Constantin Stanislavski, which stress the importance of getting to know one's character intimately and understand their motivations. The actors discuss the need to play a range of emotions within a scene rather than one central feeling, considering the thoughts of the audience and the other actors at the same time.
Barton then talks about the development of the craft of acting since Shakespeare's time, pointing out that terms like "characterization" and "motivation" were unheard of in his time, though Ian McKellen counters that the principles were there, if not the specific names. McKellen then recites the opening line of "The Merchant of Venice," and Barton challenges him to try it in different tones and emotions, considering the background of the scene and the character's true feelings. The group then discusses how the concept of direction was also different in Elizabethan times, with the author himself usually instructing the actors. The rushed nature of the productions and the use of noisy, distraction-heavy outdoor theatres also probably created a "cruder" theatrical environment than today's. Actors in Shakespeare's day had neither the "luxury of time" nor, often, the entire scripts of the plays to work from; despite this, Barton states that his plays transformed the style of theatre overall, bringing an new element of "naturalize speak" to the stage. The actors perform scenes from "Tamburlaine" by Christopher Marlowe, "The Spanish Tragedy" by Thomas Kyd, and "The Anatomy of Wyt" by John Lyly to compare their dialogue styles, admitting that the language of the time can get "monotonous" unless the actor "gets in tune" with the style and rhythm. They discuss the balance between the antiquated, heightened language and a naturalized speech style, citing the importance of "trusting" the language.
McKellen points out that the word "audience" comes from "audio," adding that many actors prefer smaller theatres because the language can be heard more clearly and that audiences in Shakespeare's day were largely illiterate, meaning that the verbal delivery of words was all the more effective. They go back to the opening of "Merchant" and touch upon Shakespeare's coining of original phrases, attempting the scene in a relaxed, straightforward delivery, adding "inverted commas" into their cadence. They decide that the "why" behind the character's speech determines their word choice, and Kingsley discusses how a "realistic" style would have seemed in Shakespeare's time to be "against nature." They try a "hammed up" version of the scene, admitting that the language can seem funny and outlandish, and talk about how naturalism has changed over the centuries, due in part to historical events. The actors then tackle Act III, Scene III from "Othello" and contrast it with "Merchant," attempting a conversational style. Barton mentions that he deliberately avoids the word "poetic" in describing Shakespeare's works, as it is so non-specific, and concludes that both the classic language and a believable delivery are essential components, but one must start with one's own instincts. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: WNYC-TV (New York, NY) / Public TV (AAPB)
- DATE: July 29, 1984
- RUNNING TIME: 0:49:08
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:19477
- GENRE: Theatre
- SUBJECT HEADING: International Collection - United Kingdom; Documentary; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616; Miniseries
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Melvyn Bragg … Executive Producer
- Nick Evans … Executive Producer
- Andrew Snell … Producer
- John Barton … Writer, Host
- John Carlaw … Director
- Guy Woolfenden … Music by
- Mike Gwilym … Performer
- Sheila Hancock … Performer
- Lisa Harrow … Performer
- Alan Howard … Performer
- Ben Kingsley … Performer
- Ian McKellen … Performer
- David Suchet … Performer
- Edward Bell
- Thomas Kyd
- John Lyly
- Christopher Marlowe
- William Shakespeare
- Constantin Stanislavski