Mohammed. Rashid 11.2
How would you direct Act 3 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet for a contemporary audience?
The hardest thing to do is make Shakespeare's words and his story relevant to today's viewers. What I mean is that it is hard to get the viewers to connect to the story. You'd think they'd get into a story about the doomed young lovers who are thwarting family and feud to fulfill their love for each other, but unfortunately just overcoming the language and difference in culture, traditions and behaviors from Shakespeare's time to today is difficult. But having modern versions of Romeo and Juliet around makes the play more understandable for example the Baz Lurman's version of the film which was a modern version of Romeo and Juliet is much more appealing to this young audience. They can relate to the guns, the modern clothes, and cars scenes in the movie. By watching this updated version we have viewers who finally see what was going on behind the language and different culture. They can relate what Shakespeare was writing to things that go on in their own culture. This movie makes Romeo and Juliet relevant to a current secondary school student's concerns, problems, and ideas about life.
A theatre building usually has two parts which are the auditorium where the audience sit and watch the play and the stage where the play is preformed. Theatres back then in the Shakespearian time had no roofing which was very bad in winter, the ground pit where the poor people sat would be muddy and wet, the rich and the royals will enjoy a play in at the top of the theatre where they get comfortable seats and good view of the play. But looking at today’s theatre where all the latest technology of lighting and sound effects and obviously the play is preformed in an indoor theatre, every one gets the same seats except the rich people, they would book a special room where its has its own balcony and well furnished, even though centuries past on, the theatres rules are the same, which means the poor people back then who are known as the working class are stamped on by the rich class even in theatres. The theatre was probably the only entertainment that people used to entertain them selves by, now people only visit the theatre once a lifetime and sleep during the plays. Looking at the history of theatres and what has it done for us. The first proper theatre as we know it was the Theatre, built at Shore ditch in 1576. Before this time plays were performed in the courtyard of inns, or sometimes, in the houses of noblemen. A noble had to be careful about which play he allowed to be performed within his home, however anything that was controversial or political was likely to get him in trouble with the crown. After the Theatre, further open air playhouses opened in the London area, including the Rose (1587), and the Hope (1613). The most famous playhouse was the Globe (1599) built by the company in which Shakespeare had a stake. The Globe was only in use until 1613, when a canon fired during a performance of Henry VIII caught the roof on fire and the building burned to the ground. Theatre performances were held in the afternoon, because, of course, there was no artificial lighting. Women attended plays, though often the prosperous woman would wear a mask to disguise her identity, no women performed in the plays. Female roles were generally performed by young boys.
