Last September, the critically-acclaimed Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) announced its three-year project, “Play On! 36 Playwrights Translate Shakespeare.” In it, 36 playwrights are paired with 36 dramaturges to translate 39 Shakespearian works into contemporary English by Dec. 31, 2018.
Since OSF announced the new initiative, it has been met with a plethora of negative feedback. Several theatre and Shakespeare supporters accuse “Play On!” of attempting to transform Shakespeare’s words in a way that will diminish their themes and messages. One Facebook user call the new initiative a “travesty,” while one Twitter user describes what OSF is doing as “burning” the original works. I believe, however, these protesters are misunderstanding the point of the project, and I am an avid supporter of this desire to reimagine Shakespeare for the modern age.
The mission of “Play On!” (according to their website) is to “inspire audience members to return to Shakespeare’s original texts, ideally with much greater understanding and enjoyment.” The translated pieces will serve as educational tools to encourage people from all backgrounds and ages to become interested in Shakespeare’s writings; they are not meant to be replacements for the classic works, but are instead meant to be complements. “Play On!” is simply creating an educational aid for students, actors and the general population to comprehend the bard’s sometimes inaccessible works.
It’s important to note that “Play On!” sets two major rules for selected playwrights, both of which are vital in honoring the author’s intent. The first rule requires that playwrights “do no harm” to the original texts by pledging not to cut/edit scenes or add personal politics. Playwrights cannot “put new words” into Shakespeare’s mouth, so to speak.
The second is that playwrights must “put the same kind of pressure on the language as Shakespeare put on his,” meaning they must consider the meter, rhyme, rhetoric, rhythm, metaphor, character action, setting, time period, references and themes of the original plays. The style and formatting must remain consistent with the original works, a unique feature in comparison to other Shakespeare translations, which disregard style altogether.
Each play will include a workshop with a director and actors to provide insight on what is working in the translation and what is not before the final draft is submitted; feedback from these industry professionals and Shakespearian experts is incredibly important, as it allows for several sets of eyes to analyze the accuracy of the adaptations. The workshops are also designed to weed out personal biases from the playwright.
As with all translations, OSF’s interpretations of the work are up for debate, and may not be met by critical consensus. The pure intent of the translations – to find a new audience for Shakespeare by igniting interest and understanding from the general public, however, is worth the time, energy and money being invested.
Some people do not understand Shakespearean language and do not want to take the time to study it rigorously; I find it exciting that OSF is attempting to develop an appreciation for Shakespeare among generally uninterested parties. Once they understand the basic idea of the story, readers will hopefully want to study and see the play in its original format. OSF is dedicated to producing all of Shakespeare’s plays between 2015 and 2026 in their original forms, providing readers with numerous opportunities to engage with the works after reading the translations.
OSF is one of the most well-known and well-attended theatre festivals in the world. With Shakespeare memorialized in its name, I think one of OSF’s obligations is to bring innovation and new ideas to Shakespearian drama. “Play On!” does just this. A project glowing with diversity, employing dozens of playwrights/dramaturges, providing new educational tools and bringing in a new generation of audience members while respecting classic works? I’d support that any day.
Contact Bella Wilcox at belwilc@stanford.edu.