The experiment continues … #Shakespeare Republic – the global edition
In what is now a tradition on the eve before the premiere of a new season, Shakespeare Republic Creator/Director, Sally McLean, reflects on the past four months and how she came to be directing a “surprise” edition of her critically acclaimed web series during a global pandemic while in lockdown. The pandemic that has the globe in it’s clutches right now has given us all a new sense of weird. When it first began, responses ranged from blithe dismissal to low-level anxiety. We distracted ourselves with baking (sourdough apparently a favourite), learning the limitations of Zoom, divesting supermarket shelves of toilet paper and reassuring ourselves that restrictions would only be…
Shakespeare Republic: #LoveTheBard – S2E1 Behind-The-Scenes featuring Stephen Costan #Shakespeare #WebSeries
Step behind the scenes of Episode One, Season Two to see how we put together the episode and get a taste of the fun and games of making an independent web series. Here we show you how to build a feast in an Elizabethan-style hall with a despot and his two security guards – on a very limited budget! Huge thanks to Lord Somers Camp, where this was filmed for their amazing support and for making it possible for us to film in their wonderful venue. Featuring Stephen Costan (Cast) with Sally McLean, Shaun Herbertson, Bashir Towdiee, Billy Smedley, Abramo Peghini, Marg Woodlock-McLean, Phoebe Anne Taylor. Filmed at Lord Somers…
Season Two filming complete and more festival official selections for Season One!
What a month it has been! Exciting news is that we have finished filming for Season Two!! After our initial 2 day shoot in August, we went on to complete a gruelling 8 day shoot in September, but it was totally worth it! We have some amazing images from the shoot that we are so excited to share with you later this year and have a long list of people to thank for making the filming possible. First thank you goes to our amazing location sponsors – The Courthouse Hotel, North Melbourne, Lord Somers Camp, Somers, St Catherines School, Toorak and Toorak College, Mt Eliza. We cannot thank these generous…
Shakespeare Republic #LoveTheBard Week Two Wrap Up! #webseries #awards
CROWDFUNDING, MORE OFFICIAL SELECTIONS & … MORE AWARDS!! It’s been a busy, busy week here at the Republic office, with our crowdfunding campaign in full swing over at Indiegogo, as well as being deep in rehearsals and pre-production for the main block of filming coming up in just over 10 days!! So let’s get right to it … INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN UPDATE We are currently at 24% funded over at Indiegogo, which is fantastic! We are so grateful to all our backers who have come to the party with this latest funding push – your support is hugely appreciated and we couldn’t do it without your help! Thank you to all…
Shakespeare Republic #LoveTheBard Week One Wrap Up! #Shakespeare
SHAKESPEARE REPUBLIC: #LOVETHEBARD BEGINS FILMING! What a week it has been! We filmed our first two episodes for 2016 at the fabulous Courthouse Hotel, North Melbourne, rehearsals continue for the main filming block in September and we launched our first rewards-based crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo! It’s all go as a result in the Republic office right now! We are very excited to have begun filming for Season Two – Shakespeare Republic: #LoveTheBard – with new and returning cast and a new concept for the work. We can’t go into much detail here, as we’ve created a special behind-the-scenes update perk on our crowdfunding campaign (which you can read about below), so it wouldn’t…
CELEBRATING THE BARD: Sally McLean on playing Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18
We have mused on The Bard and now that Season One is airing, we are Celebrating The Bard! This is a series where we asked each of our ensemble members to write down some background on why they wanted to do the piece they did, how they feel it relates to modern life, what challenges and/or choices they faced and why and any other information that would be of interest to you, the audience. Director, Sally McLean, also shares some thoughts on the process from her perspective to give views from both sides of the camera. Each “Celebrating The Bard” piece will be published the Friday after the ensemble member’s episode has aired.…
CELEBRATING THE BARD: Michala Banas on playing Skakespeare’s Phebe
We have mused on The Bard and now that Season One is airing, we are Celebrating The Bard! This is a series where we asked each of our ensemble members to write down some background on why they wanted to do the piece they did, how they feel it relates to modern life, what challenges and/or choices they faced and why and any other information that would be of interest to you, the audience. Director, Sally McLean, also shares some thoughts on the process from her perspective to give views from both sides of the camera. Each “Celebrating The Bard” piece will be published the Friday after the ensemble member’s episode has aired.…
CELEBRATING THE BARD: Ben Steel on playing Juliet
We have mused on The Bard and now that Season One is airing, we are Celebrating The Bard! This is a series where we asked each of our ensemble members to write down some background on why they wanted to do the piece they did, how they feel it relates to modern life, what challenges and/or choices they faced and why and any other information that would be of interest to you, the audience. Director, Sally McLean, also shares some thoughts on the process from her perspective to give views from both sides of the camera. Each “Celebrating The Bard” piece will be published the Friday after the ensemble member’s episode has aired.…
CELEBRATING THE BARD: Billy Smedley on playing Hamlet
We have mused on The Bard and now that Season One is airing, we are Celebrating The Bard! This is a series where we asked each of our ensemble members to write down some background on why they wanted to do the piece they did, how they feel it relates to modern life, what challenges and/or choices they faced and why and any other information that would be of interest to you, the audience. Director, Sally McLean, also shares some thoughts on the process from her perspective to give views from both sides of the camera. Each “Celebrating The Bard” piece will be published the Friday after the ensemble member’s episode has aired.…
Michala Banas on drunk texting and boy trouble … it must be our penultimate shoot day!
Please Note: to our knowledge, Michala hasn’t actually drunk texted – not around us anyway! But as far as her character is concerned … well, you’ll just have to see the episode to see what we mean!! On one of the coldest nights in August in Melbourne, the Shakespeare Republic team embarked on our latest filming adventure – Michala Banas’ episode tackling the Bard! Filming in my and Billy Smedley’s lounge room in Melbourne, Michala gamely jumped in the deep end with both feet and brimming with some rather brilliant ideas. My strongest memory from Monday’s shoot will be the laughter. I do love all my Republic peeps, but especially when we’re…
Ben Steel in shirt and tie with a webcam … Day 4 is complete!
Before I write anything else, I’d like to say: Happy Birthday Juliet! Juliet’s birthday is one of the few exact birth dates Shakespeare gave us in the text of his works. According to his play Romeo & Juliet, she was born on “Lammas Eve at night” (August 1), so her birthday in Shakespeare’s play is July 31st … which is today! Day four of filming was actually our first night shoot of the season, filming the wonderful Ben Steel as he wrangled a laptop and webcam for his episode of Shakespeare Republic. Of course, I had the bright idea of trying to catch the dying light through the windows in the opening…
VIDEO: Behind The Scenes: How To Clear A Set In 15 Mins, or That’s A Wrap For Ep 3!
Today we bring you a fun short clip from our most recent shoot at The Courthouse Hotel, North Melbourne, featuring Director, Sally McLean, Director of Photography, James Dene, Sound Recordist, Tim McCormick and Ensemble member, Billy Smedley – showing how team work can clear a set in 15 minutes – shown in under 1 minute, due to the wonder of time lapse photography. Enjoy! Camera: Sally McLean Music: Kevin MacLeod Featuring: Billy Smedley, Sally McLean, James Dene & Tim McCormick With thanks to: The Courthouse Hotel, North Melbourne (http://www.courthouseonerrol.com.au)
Updates: Billy Smedley in a Red Room, wearing a suit with a silver tea service … 50 Shades of Shakespeare, anyone?*
*DISCLAIMER: Sorry guys, the scene Billy shot yesterday has nothing to do with that other Red Room stuff … we just thought it was funny that he was in a suit in a Red Room with expensive silverware – completely by accident … but we’re not entirely convinced that Shakespeare is ready for that other kind of treatment … yet 😉 It was with great anticipation that we headed off yesterday morning to the north side of town to shoot our third episode for Shakespeare Republic, this time featuring Republic member, Billy Smedley in a suit, a red room and my rather leaky silver service (nothing that some gaffer tape couldn’t fix…
Updates: Rowena Hutson, five crew and a rubber duck … it must be our second day of filming!
As a rather chilly and very blustery Queen’s birthday Monday dawned, it found myself and several members of our extended Republic making our way down to the Mornington Peninsula for the second day of shooting. In a very beautiful bathroom, kindly provided by long time friend, Samantha Brown (we were around 5 years old when we first met. Who knew back then that one day I’d be filming Shakespeare in her bathroom!?), our crew gathered around to film Shakespeare Republic ensemble member Rowena Hutson – and a rubber duck. As you can see, a bath was involved, so that does somewhat explain the rubber duck – but you’ll have to wait until the episode…
