Quick Reference Library

INTRODUCTION

AN INNOVATIVE FORMAT

Our bibliography and references are organised somewhat differently to reflect a broad audience and broad needs.  It is divided into three parts.

PART A – READING MATERIAL

• SELF-HELP BOOKS – a complete list of self-help books currently available on Shakespeare speaking / performance.  This section will be principally of interest to actors.  At a later stage we include some sort of rating guidance.  Nearly every book has some merit, but, as to be expected, some are more sound than others.  Moreover, some are more suitable to beginners, others for intermediate / advanced.

• ANNOTATIONS – a complete list of sources for the annotations (definitions and comment).  Note that the annotations in some editions are hopelessly inadequate for performance, whilst some more advanced editions suffer from being too academic and literary.  Our annotations are entirely performance driven, and therefore every annotation counts for the interested actor / director.

• ACADEMIC REFERENCES – a complete list of a wide variety of sources we have consulted over the years to help us improve our overall technique and understanding when editing and commenting.  This list is constantly under review and each new edition of the ePlays will incorporate fresh readings and improvements.

• EDITIONS OF SHAKESPEARE – a complete list of all the available editions of Shakespeare that at one time or another we have looked at or consulted.  Though the scholarship is often excellent most of these are geared to the schoolroom or literary market; disappointingly few are geared to actors.  Even when the text is good the annotations focus excessively on academic points of order at the expense of performance information.  The Cambridge School series is a peculiar hybrid in that it often has lame and imprecise definitions but compensates with thoughtful performance commentary lacking in other editions.  The particular editor of a play can make a big difference too.  Anything by Professor John Jowett (Oxford & Arden) is full of brilliance and well-worth studying, but overall his scholarship and insights are only accessible to the most academically-minded actors and directors.  Penguin has the merit of simplicity and accessible introductions but its performance notes are limited.  In short, something that straddles the best performance elements of various editions is required.  It is for this reason Versebuster was born.  (For more on this please see ePlay Introduction.)

PART B – AUDIO & VISUAL

• LECTURES – there are many excellent lectures that can be mined for a better general understanding of Shakespeare and performance ideas.  The advantage of lectures for some will be the medium.  It’s simply more entertaining to watch a 50 minute video by a great professor, director or actor (sometimes they are all three) than plough through a dense tome, however valid, written in dry academic jargon.  These lecture series are not cheap, however (though in our opinion still worth the money).  Ideally they are watched in a group setting with the cost shared.

• YOUTUBE – YouTube is a tremendously useful vehicle for finding Shakespeare gems which come from a wide range of sources.  While some are amateur commentary (in the sense of being presented in a personal capacity rather than through a professional or commercial body) they are no worse for that.  However, with so much on YouTube you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince, making it time-consuming.  When we stumble on good stuff we will incorporate it into our ongoing database.  Please note we don't list things on YouTube that appear to breach copyright by being taken, for instance, from old VHS recordings.  Happily some of these old recordings have been re-released as DVDs and that is where you will find them listed (e.g. Ian McKellen's superb 1980 one-man show-cum-masterclass).  

• FILMS & TV PRODUCTIONS – outside a live performance there are few better and quicker ways to get the general idea of the themes and plots of a Shakespeare play than by watching a film or TV production of the same.  We list by play and rate them for (1) watchability (2) verse-speaking (3) faithfulness to the text.  Some are not faithful but watchable.  Some are faithful but a dirge.  Sometimes they are both faithful and watchable with the verse-speaking terrific to-boot.  With our rating system you don’t need to waste three hours to discover you just watched a dud.

• AUDIO RECORDINGS – the advantages of audio recordings is that there is total focus on the voice and productions tend to take less liberties with the text.  They are ideal workshop and classroom aids, especially when there is more than one recording to compare styles of delivery.  The voice of Paul Robeson will give you goosebumps; and what of the velvet delivery of John Geilgud?  Has Richard Griffiths as Falstaff ever been bettered?  Marvel at the virtuosity of Judi Dench and Edith Evans; and, while admiring the sheer depth of talent of the massed ranks of Shakespearean actors past and present, wince at the over-the-top performances, yawn at the under-energised, strain to the garbled, and groan at those that drone.  A lot can be learned by observing others.

PART C – BEST MATERIAL BY LEVEL

• BEGINNERS – when it comes to Shakespeare keeping it short and simple for beginners is the best.  Too much too soon can be very off-putting for most students.  Nothing of course beats getting a beginner up on their feet and actually speaking some lines, but a brief and gentle grounding in Elizabethan theatre practice and verse ‘know-how’ will inspire and build confidence.  These materials – whether books, articles, videos, films, lectures, etc. ‒ offer that.  They are our top picks for getting newbies into Shakespeare.

• INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED – the same selective principle applies to ensure relevance and quality.