Actors’ Theatre of South Carolina has a new long-term program, “Shakespeare For All,” that will present productions based on adaptations of William Shakespeare’s plays intended to make the plays more accessible to a general audience. A full production of the adaptation of MacBeth will be performed from October 24 to November 2, 2019 in Charleston. Free seminars with humanities scholars discussing Shakespeare and MacBeth are also planned for the Calhoun County Library in St. Matthews and the Charleston County Public Library. SC Humanities supported “Shakespeare for All – MacBeth” with a Mini Grant.
Actor and Shakespeare scholar Clarence Felder has adapted MacBeth to be more accessible to the modern audience, updating the language itself and changing the setting to 1699 in the Lowcountry of South Carolina during the reign of pirates and privateers. The play will be performed from October 24-November 2 in Charleston at the Circular Congregational Church (150 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401). Tickets are available HERE. A professionally-shot DVD of the live performance will be made.
Three public seminars featuring a screening of the DVD and a panel discussion of humanities scholars will take place in Charleston (Saturday, November 2, 4:00 p.m. after the last performance of the play and Sunday, November 17, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Charleston County Public Library) and St. Matthews (Sunday, November 17 at the Calhoun County Library). Featured scholars include Clarence Felder, Alexia Jones Helsley, Dr. Glenn James, Professor Damon Lamar Fordham, and Dr. Peggy Stevenson Ratliff (Calhoun County Library program). The three symposiums are free and open to the public, and the film of the play will also be made available on YouTube.
Actors’ Theatre of South Carolina (ATSC) is a professional non-profit theater and film company, which has produced 107 productions in 23 years, including new works by South Carolinians as well as a focus on classical theatre. They are currently in the second phase of the ten-year “Shakespeare for All” project. The first phase included adaptations and productions of King Lear and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2018. More information can be found on their website: http://www.actorstheatreofsc.org/.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 20-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.
