AHDS Collections

Designing Shakespeare Collection - Audio Interview Clip

- Legacy of Shakespeare

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Designing Shakespeare Collection - Legacy of Shakespeare
Filename	:	DS_NO_au29.mov
Date of Interview	:	16 December 2002
Date digital resource created	:	06 June 2003
Creator1	:	Nick Ormerod
Creator2	:	Christie Carson
Creator role1	:	Theatre Designer - Interviewee
Creator role2	:	Principle Investigator - Interviewer
Description	:	Answer: We do Shakespeare because he is, because they are fantastic plays, they are really great plays and they reward continual examination and work and because they are sort of, deeply human, which is why they are great plays. They are realisable all the time in a human and a live way. And that's what we try and do. To answer the question whether Shakespeare has somehow changed the way theatre is in this country. I think, I think one thing that Shakespeare has done is make the actor central. Unfortunately it has become a bit corrupt now because the actor is only really central in this country if he's a celebrity and a success and a financial, and be pointed at to be very rich, if you like. But theatre in this country is actor-centric. it's not director-centric and it's not designer-centric. The centre is the actor - people go and see the actor in a Shakespeare. Now whether that comes out of having Shakespeare as our, sort of national playwright, I don't know. It is, that is also true I have to say of , in other theatre cultures like Russia. The actors are the centre of the art, having said that the directors are also worshiped. So there is a sort of dual thing in Russia I think. Directors and actors. In Germany it is simply the directors. Now maybe that's because Germany has no playwright of equivalent stature of Shakespeare, I don't know. I can't answer that question. But there may be something in it.
Source	:	DS_16_12_02 (2xmini DV tape)
Format	:	Quicktime Progressive (audio)
Type	:	Resource Audio
Rights	:	This clip may be used for educational purposes only, any commercial use of this material requires permission from the copyright holders. Misuse or misrepresentation may result in legal action. Copyright holder: Christie Carson, COMPH, Royal Holloway University of London.
Length	:	1 minute 31.11 seconds