SHAKESPEARE

Synopsis

Educational videotape. What do fairies look like? How can magic be staged meaningfully in modern theatre? The programme presents scenes from several filmed versions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream that show challenging, innovative approaches to the portrayal of Shakespeare’s fairies, including Peter Brook’s famous 1970 "white box" production. Directors Jonathan Miller, Ian Talbot, and Adrian Noble of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre offer their views, along with opinions and expectations from audience members. Presented by Penelope Rixon.

Series

Staging Dreams: Casting and Interpreting Shakespeare

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video

Technical information

Colour / Sound

Year of release

1998

Duration

33 mins

Credits

Contributor

Adrian Noble; Ian Talbot; Jonathan Miller; Penelope Rixon

Additional Details

Production type

Documentary/Educational/News

Plays

Midsummer Night’s Dream, A

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); magic; Fairies

Notes

Notes

Only available in the USA and Canada.

Clips and transcript are available on the Open University Digital Archive. The OUDA clip shows brief clips from Brook’s production and Brook speaks on magic.

General

The programme appears to be the same as A KIND OF MAGIC in the Conjuring Shakespeare series broadcast BBC2 10 September 1987.

Production Company

Name

BBC Open University Productions

Distributor (Sale)

Name

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

Email

custserv.@films.com

Web

http://ffh.films.com/ External site opens in new window

Fax

+1 609 671 0266

Address

132 West 31st Street, 17th Floor
New York
NY 10001
USA

Notes

Films for the Humanities & Sciences is part of the US-based Films Media Group and specialises in selling programmes aimed at the HE and FE education and training market. The collection has thousands of titles and a range of separate subject catalogues is available in pdf format at http://ffh.films.com/landing.aspx?show=Catalogs/catalog_FFH.htm. Sale on video/DVD or online viewing via the Films on Demand service.