What I Won't Do When Directing Shakespeare
Think of it as the Shakespeare version of the Evil Overlord List. Here are a few of my favorite exerpts (there are 359 rules, and some of you may not want to bother):
5. I will not make actors in battle scenes wear knitted chainmail of a color that makes them resemble not so much a medieval warrior as Winnie-the-Pooh.
36. Keanu Reeves will not be allowed near the production.
Nate: Actually this one confuses me. I liked him in Much Ado About Nothing, really!
50. The "to be" speech should not end with the line "from henceforth shall all my thoughts be bloody."
Nate: Apparently Derek isn't the only one with the dirty mind.
296. I will never tell my actors that they don't need to understand the text, they just need to say it.
Nate: Very important. This one isn't even humorous, it's really good advice.
303. I will not present Macbeth with Klingon characterization (no matter how many Trekkies are in the cast).
Nate: You can't appreciate Shakespeare until you've read him in the original Klingon.
321. Any actors should be forbidden from calling anyone "Dude". This also applies to minor characters.
Nate: Aw, dude, that's harsh!
326. I will not costume Henry V in Star Trek uniforms.
Nate: Why Henry V, particularly? (PNQ!)
__________________
mudshark: Nate's just being...Nate.
Zeke: It comes
nateurally to him.
mudshark: I don't expect Nate to make sense, really -- it's just a bad idea.
Sa'ar Chasm on the 5M.net forum: Sit back, relax, and revel in the insanity.
Adam Savage: I reject your reality and substitute my own!
Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
Crow T. Robot: Oh, stop pretending there's a plot. Don't cheapen yourself further.