Shakespeare Republic, Season One Director’s Statement

Shakespeare Republic Creator/Director, Sally McLean

Why Shakespeare?

Shakespeare Republic was a passion project for me from the moment I thought of doing it (over a decade ago) and stemmed from my ongoing love affair with all things historical, dramatic and particularly Elizabethan.

From my time spent at drama school in London to my thesis on Elizabethan Theatre (for which I also spent time watching the building of the new Globe Theatre on Southbank, spending time inside it’s walls as history was recreated around me), to my time being mentored by Sir Nigel Hawthorne until his passing in 2001, my work in production with the BBC Music & Arts Department and then my work with the Australian Shakespeare Company over three seasons, I have spent the better part of my adult life discussing, performing and celebrating the Bard.

And the one thing that used to sadden me were people, including my fellow actors, saying that they wouldn’t “do” Shakespeare because he was either “too hard”, “completely foreign” or “just not relevant anymore”. I found this heartbreaking, but understandable. Until I had landed in drama school in London, I too was one of those actors who just thought Shakespeare “wasn’t for me”. I’d played Shakespeare pieces before, but never really got it. After a year with a brilliant Shakespeare teacher, Phil Peacock, and the chance to immerse myself in the world Shakespeare lived in – that all changed. I was a convert.

So, like all good converts, I began to wonder how I could make Shakespeare more accessible. Then along came the medium of the web series and voila! Shakespeare Republic was finally born. Bite-sized chunks of Shakespeare for people to try out and see if they like it. No more than 5 minutes of invested time to see if Shakespeare really is or isn’t for you. All set in familiar, 21st Century settings, to help underline that what he wrote about 400 odd years ago is still happening now – albeit with the aid of computers, smart phones, surveillance technology and other gizmos we have invented in the years between.

An additional delight was my fabulous cast who came to the project with a range of experience playing Shakespeare – from Shakespeare veterans, to never having played him before. Two of our cast make their Shakespeare debut with this series – and I am so grateful they agreed to take this sometimes overwhelming step with me. It was challenging, it was sometimes daunting, it was crazy hours with minimal sleep, but most importantly, it was fun. So much fun.

So much so, that we’re already working on Season Two!

Shakespeare Republic is Shakespeare by the people for the people and I think proves correct one of his most famous sayings: “All the world’s a stage …”

Indeed, especially in this modern age, it is.

Sally McLean
Creator/Director
Shakespeare Republic
April 2015