Things to Remember When You are Producing Shakespeare

Things to Remember When you are Producing Shakespeare


The words are beautiful, but don't forget to act.

Try to retain and highlight all the sexual puns.

Having a dramaturge is a really good idea.

Being a Shakespearean scholar doesn't necessarily make you a good actor. That being said, a good actor takes the time to study and understand the text.

Good diction is a requirement. Doing Shakespeare is an elocutionary workout.

Not everyone in your audience was an English or Theatre Major. This language is tough to keep up with so don't make it harder for your audience with too many distracting things.

It isn't our jobs to tell the audience what is good for them. It is our jobs to tell a great story.

Not all jokes stand the test of time. If there is a period reference, you gotta decide if you are going to stage it in a way the current audience understands or edit it out. And inside jokes never stand the test of time.

Physical/slapstick humor is really funny. So are goofy hats.

Never cut or mess up the famous lines.

Don't bother with half-a$$ed special effects. Do it well or don't do it at all. You don't get points for effort.


When producing Shakespeare, experiment, explore, fail, succeed, make friends, laugh, drink, eat, cry, dance, drink, be silly, party, drink, and never, never, never take yourself too seriously

Don't take yourself so seriously that you don't enjoy the process. If you aren't having a good time, neither will your audience. Good energy translates universally.

Shakespeare's works do not belong to any one company, any one producer, or one actor/director. His plays have and forever will belong to audiences who come out year after year. It is just our job to keep him alive.

Only cast nice people that work hard. Yeah, you can put a show up with a bunch of egotistical divas and parts of it may be good. But the difference between that and a cast full of people that genuinely LIKE each other...no, LOVE each other...is tremendous. You support each other. People aren't afraid to ask questions. Actors try new things and take risks. There is enough drama with these plays and no need to add more offstage.


Create an environment where everyone feels safe. Trust is key. This stuff is hard and can be daunting. There are big words. And swords. And sometimes snakes. If someone is afraid they are going to be mocked because they aren't sure how to pronounce a word or afraid they will be laughed at for not knowing a thee from a thou, then that person will be too afraid to commit to their roles or their scene partners. And, especially in the case of stage fighting, that can has disastrous consequences.