Measure for Measure

I directed this production of Measure for Measure for the Wellesley College Shakespeare Society in Spring 2017. Set in modern day, this play mixed frat boys and fast paced ad-libs to produce a provocative, accessible comedy.

Spoiler alert: I am not a Shakespeare purist. By this, I mean that my favorite parts of rehearsal are: encouraging actors to ad lib, telling actors to please stop thrusting, incorporating modern physicality and language into scenes, reconsidering how the thrusting actually would make a lot of textual sense, etc. However, this does not mean that this play or this adaptation is divorced from the text. Shakespeare is powerful, raw, funny, and I believe that having a play that is adaptive and anachronistic only enhances this. This is done by referencing Marjorie Garber and talking about scansion, but also incorporating elaborate handshakes and selfies into scenes. My favorite Shakespeare productions have consistently been modern, comedic, full of music and dance, unorthodoxly costumed, self aware, and understandable.