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Am I the only one around here who likes reading the plays before seeing them?
I go to an outdoor Shakespeare festival every year and between the cruddy sound system and being rather far back from the stage, I don't understand the full meaning of every line if I go into the play cold. I get the general gist of what's going on, but I don't catch every little thing.
I like reading first so I can take my time and understand things, and then I go see the play live a day or two later and get to relax and appreciate the experience fully.
Plus, reading the plays first let me be properly outraged when the directors decide to change things around. That way I know what a line was supposed to mean instead of being baffled... You'd be surprised by how many puns are ruined by changing the setting of a play, yet many directors do so anyway. And don't get me started on the train wreck of this year's director made of Antony and Cleopatra... He left half of the play out!
I like this idea... a MUCH better approach than, say, No Fear Shakespeare.
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