Well, That Turned Violent Quickly

While getting ready to send my oldest off to middle school this morning, the following conversation took place:

Daughter : "Daddy, I was talking to one of my friends about Shakespeare at school yesterday..."

Me : "Oh?  What about?"

Daughter : "She said she read a book and she doesn't think Shakespeare wrote Sh..."

Me : "You punch her!  You punch her right in the face!"

Daughter : <starts laughing hysterically>

Me : "I am completely and totally serious, you say 'This is from my Dad!' and then BOOM, right in the nose.  And then when her hands go up to protect her bloodied and broken face?  BOOM! You give her the ol' upper cut to the solar plexus."

DISCLAIMER : Do not punch Oxfordians in the face. They've already got enough personal problems without having to worry about their health insurance premiums increasing.

I did go on to offer at least the basics of the authorship issue (which we've certainly covered in my house before), suggested that she almost certainly read a book about Oxford (to which my daughter bless her geeklet heart said, "I thought it was Francis Bacon?"), and that she could explain to her friend should the conversation come up again that there have been about 77 contenders for the Shakespeare throne, and if it's all the same with her, we'll stick with the guy whose name is on the front of the book.

Actors’ Shakespeare Project Launches 10th Season with Romeo and Juliet

Actors’ Shakespeare Project Launches 10th Season

Romeo & Juliet  by William Shakespeare at Dorchester's Historic  Strand Theatre

October 2 – November 3, 2013 

Actors’ Shakespeare Project (ASP) will open its 10^th Anniversary Season with a new production of Shakespeare’s universal and timeless love story Romeo & Juliet October 2 – November 3, 2013 (press performance October 5 at 8pm) at The Strand Theatre, 543 Columbia Road in Dorchester.  Co-directed by ASP Resident Acting Company member Bobbie Steinbach and ASP Artistic Director Allyn Burrows, Romeo & Juliet will focus on fate of the two young lovers as it rests on the dramatic intersection of intransigence, revenge, and the clash of generations.

Continuing its partnership with the City of Boston and The Strand Theatre, ASP will be using the main orchestra for audience seating and adding 80 seats on the stage to immerse those audience members in the flow, poetry and action of this piece.  According to Burrows, "The audience will also represent those who witness tragic events like these on an ongoing basis . . . the never-ending cycle". 

The Romeo & Juliet cast features Julie Ann Earls (Juliet), Jason Bowen* (Romeo), Ken Baltin (Capulet), Paige Clark (Benvolio), Miranda Craigwell (Lady Capulet), Paula Langton* (Nurse), Antonio Ocampo-Guzman (Friar Lawrence), Omar Robinson (Tybalt), Ben Rosenblatt (Paris/Prince) and Maurice Emmanuel Parent*(Mercutio/Apothecary). *ASP company member

The creative team includes Bobbie Steinbach (Co-director), Allyn Burrows (Co-director), Janie E. Howland (Scenic Designer), Jen Rock (Lighting Designer) Kathleen Doyle (Costume & Mask Designer), Susan Dibble (Choreographer), Arshan Gailus (Sound Designer), Trevor Olds (Violence Designer), Annie Thompson (Vocal Coach), Cassie M. Seinuk (Stage Manager), and Erin Baglole (Assistant Stage Manager). 

Performances are Wednesday October 2 at 7:30pm, Thursdays & Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 3pm & 8pm (no matinee October 5) and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $15 (student rush) - $50 and available at http://www.actorsshakespeareproject.org.  Student matinees are at 10am on select days. Please visit www.actorsshakespeareproject.org/group-sales for discounted prices and calendar.  Post peformance talkbacks are held following all student and Sunday matinees. 

Direct link to OvationTix https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/926734 or call 866-811-4111. 

Anniversary Giveaway! Receive A Free Copy Of My Book, "Hear My Soul Speak : Wedding Quotations from Shakespeare"

My wedding anniversary is coming up on Monday (September 30).  Happy Lucky 13th Anniversary to my beautiful and ever patient and supportive wife Kerry!  Love you!

My book, Hear My Soul Speak : Wedding Quotations from Shakespeare , was not available when I got married.  I wanted Shakespeare in my wedding, but I was just so tired of Sonnet 116 that I did my own thing, whispering Sonnet 17 into my new wife's ear during our first dance.  Why 17?  I liked the bit about the eyes.  I love my wife's eyes.

I wondered how many people recite Sonnet 116 entirely because that's the only romantic/ wedding/ marriage Shakespeare quote they've ever heard?  Thus was our idea born.  I collected every quote I could get my hands on that might be useful in a wedding.  There's a section on readings, on giving toasts and speeches, even for the guests on what  you might like to write in the guest book.  A little something for everyone.  Most importantly, I think, is that I sat down and explained all of them.  There are plenty of quote dictionaries you can grab that do little more than search the complete text for the word "love" and spit back the quote at you, but how useful is that?  I wanted a book for people who wanted to quote Shakespeare because they love Shakespeare and want to get closer to the subject.

In celebration of my own wedding anniversary I'm offering free copies (Kindle edition, MOBI format) of the book to my readers!  If you like the book, please please please consider coming back to Amazon and writing a review?  Those make all the difference in the world and are tremendously appreciated by authors like me.

How Do I Get It?

Honestly I'd rather have your Amazon review than a retweet so I'm not going to make this complicated.  Between now and end of day on Monday, Sept 30, 2013 (eastern standard time for those that plan on coming in under the wire) just email me.  Simple.  Email me, remind me that you're emailing me because you want the book, and when I get the whole list together I'll send them out early next week.

You would be doing me a tremendous favor if you helped get the word out by sharing this post on Facebook, Twitter, or the social network of your choice.  Tell your family and friends.  Surely you know somebody that knows somebody that's getting married in the near future.  We want some Shakespeare in that wedding.

I wrote, in the introduction, "I believe very much that life is better with Shakespeare in it," and I truly truly mean that. If you read the book, like the book, and maybe even use the book, please drop me a note and let me know. The idea that there's more Shakespeare in people's lives because of something I created gives me endless joy.