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Welcome to Shakespeare Publications, the site
dedicated to
the
promotion and publication of new Shakespeare plays.
New Shakespeare plays?
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You read that
correctly.
So what are
new Shakespeare plays?
They are plays composed from the writings of Shakespeare, using lines from his
plays and poems as the dialogue for new characters in
dramas with new stories and plots.
Why new Shakespeare
plays, when there are at least 38 by the man himself?
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Why write a "new" Shakespeare play?
There are many worlds within the universe
of Shakespeare's poetry and dialogue. Why can't that poetry and dialogue
be refashioned (borrowed, "re-appropriated," or "sampled") for
other dramatic uses? |
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 The
durable reign of Shakespeare suggests that the power of his
drama lies in the language: the wit, fluency, acuity, and force
of his verse and prose. The works—at least as they are
performed in our time—are distinguished and admired most for
their language rather than for their plots, characters, or
dramatic intensity. Indeed, though the plots, characters, and
drama are virtually unmatched in the theater, it is the “poetry”
(both verse and prose) that elevates them.
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 So
what about a play with dialogue that is all drawn from
Shakespeare? A wholly new plot? A cast with
names different than those used by Shakespeare? Different
characterizations than his? Lines lifted from Shakespeare
and reshaped and pieced together into new dialogue might
serve, even elevate, a new story and characters in a drama that
can stand on its own.
If this is so, why not
provide another occasion for people who prefer attending plays
rather than reading them to encounter that language on the
stage? People who produce Shakespeare might have an
addition to the repertoire, a Shakespeare novelty, if the poetry
can vitalize a new
story and cast
of characters.
A wholesale appropriation of Shakespeare might give those who
enjoy producing his work and attending his plays for the wit and
force, intimacy and reach, lyricism and grandeur of the dramatic
poetry a unique opportunity to engage with it and be entertained by
it.
What are these new Shakespeare plays?
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One of them is
The Obscure Bird by A. K. Ludwig. Learn more about
The Obscure Bird
and read
excerpts.
Another new Shakespeare play by A. K. Ludwig is What's the
Matter? Learn more about
What's the Matter?
and read
excerpts.
Buy the
paperback edition or
e-book edition of The Obscure
Bird.
Buy the
paperback edition or
e-book edition of What's the Matter?
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Theatrical producers can request a free copy of an abridged version of
What's the Matter?
in standard script format by emailing to
info (at) shakespeare-publications.com..
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