To Be Or Not To Be: Shakespeare Unlocked

The Shakespeare scholars of Ukraine have found themselves on the frontline of a brutal war, and have launched an urgent appeal in conjunction with colleagues around the world. We hear from the scholars whose lives have been swept away by war, and who have bravely volunteered to do everything they can to help. They tell us how the play of Hamlet has been intertwined for centuries with the cause of Ukrainian freedom and independence; and how his famous question has a starkly existential meaning for the future of their country and for every Ukrainian. To donate to the Shakespeare scholars' appeal, all details are here: https://flutetheatre.co.uk/ Huge thanks to Ukrainian band Balaklava Blues for permission to use their song, Shelter Our Sky, which has been released this week to urge the international community to help Ukraine: https://www.balaklavablues.ca/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=kFAHCnNV-vE&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0tMia0WGP0uzRM-SGjfy6p5sufSiGnebdt8etAVRchARAp_NadF2cSndk

In this episode of the podcast, we talk to people who have found meaning and a sense of shared experience in Hamlet’s famous soliloquy at the most difficult times of their lives; including dealing with bereavement, traumatic loss and mental health problems. We also talk to Maggie O Farrell, whose recent award-winning novel speculates that the uncanny power of the play may be rooted in the grief of Shakespeare himself, who wrote the play a few years after the death of his own son. With Lucy Clarke, Laura Clarke, Erica Cantley, Maggie O’Farrell, Christie Carson, Dominic Dromgoole and Emma Smith Laura Clarke's website: https://thebookhabit.co.uk/ Teaching Hamlet As My Father Died, by Erica Cantley: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Teaching-HAMLET-My-Father-Died/dp/1945962313/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hamnet-WINNER-WOMENS-PRIZE-FICTION/dp/1472223829/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1618391427&sr=1-1 The speech readings are by Emma Fielding and Simon Paisley Day. For more information on the podcast and how you can help theatres and actors during the COVID crisis: http://www.fleetingyearfilms.com/podcast.html# or email Andrew@fleetingyearfilms.com

What can psychoanalysis tell us about Hamlet’s great speech? And what does it mean for our own divided, self-sabotaging personalities? Why do we often ask ourselves unanswerable questions? And are there any consolations which the search can bring us? With Dr Jamieson Webster, Professor Peter Brooks and Professor Richard Jacobs. The speech readings are by Emma Fielding and Simon Paisley Day. For more information on the podcast and how you can help theatres and actors during the COVID lockdown crisis: http://www.fleetingyearfilms.com/podcast.html#, or email Andrew@fleetingyearfilms.com

In this episode, we visit the EGO Performance Company, actors with physical disabilities or learning difficulties, who perform and rehearse on Zoom during lockdown. The company has turned to Hamlet's famous soliloquy to explore issues in their own lives and in society; with insights ranging from the powerful and moving to the high-spirited and comical. You can find out more about EGO here: http://www.egoperformance.co.uk/ And they have a donation page here: https://localgiving.org/charity/egoperformance/ For more information on the podcast and how you can help theatres and actors during the COVID lockdown crisis: http://www.fleetingyearfilms.com/podcast.html#, or email Andrew@fleetingyearfilms.com

In this episode, psychoanalyst Jamieson Webster and philosopher Simon Critchley try to unlock the mysteries of Hamlet's tortured consciousness, highlighting the psychological strangeness and neurotic violence of the leading character, and locating Ophelia as the true hero of the play. Speaking candidly and personally, the couple reveal the heavy toll which investigating Hamlet and Ophelia had on their own marriage. The beautiful readings of Ophelia are by Emma Pallant, and the TBNTB speech is by Emma Fielding and Simon Paisley Day. For more information on the podcast and how you can help theatres and actors during the COVID lockdown crisis: http://www.fleetingyearfilms.com/podcast.html#

In this episode, we speak to the “verse doctors”, experts on the hidden rhythms of Hamlet's famous soliloquy, who uncover how Shakespeare laid a trail of subtle clues to direct today’s actors, four centuries after his death. With Giles Taylor, Philip Bird, Sarah Case, Giles Block, Joseph Millson and Tess Dignan. The speech readings are by Emma Fielding and Simon Paisley Day. This is an amended version of an episode previously uploaded. For more information on the podcast and how you can help theatres and actors during the COVID lockdown crisis: http://www.fleetingyearfilms.com/podcast.html#

In this episode, we follow a remarkable Black Lives Matter themed production which took Hamlet into New York's maximum security prisons, women's refuges and homeless shelters, and found new resonance and relevance in drama's most famous speech. With Chukwudi Iwuji, Patricia McGregor, Kristolyn Lloyd and Professor James Shapiro. The speech readings are by Emma Fielding and Simon Paisley Day. For more information on the podcast and how you can help theatres and actors during the COVID crisis: http://www.fleetingyearfilms.com/podcast.html#

In the first episode of To Be Or Not To Be, we ask some of our leading actors who've played Hamlet - how did they approach the most famous lines in all of English drama? And how did they handle the notorious psychological and emotional pressures of the role? With Adrian Lester, Samuel West, Jonathan Slinger, Nicole Cooper, Dominic Dromgoole, Joseph Millson, Michael Benz, Isabella Marshall and Jonathan Broadbent. The speech readings were by Emma Fielding and Simon Paisley Day. Please visit the podcast website for more information on the podcast and how you can help theatres and actors during the COVID crisis: http://www.fleetingyearfilms.com/podcast.html#