What Others Are Saying
“There is flattery in friendship.” – William Shakespeare, Henry V (Act III, Sc 7)
MEDIA QUOTES:
We have been delighted and humbled by the fabulous feedback from different quarters about the series and list some of those comments here for posterity and to acknowledge those who took the time to let us know how they felt about the work.
“… polished, beautifully made series from director/producer Sally McLean … a fine use of the platform and, more importantly, a very fine adaptation of the Bard … Shakespeare Republic is put together with grace and wit. An assortment of actors do terrific work making the (non-dumbed down) dialogue accessible, prying it open with great care and skill.” – Luke Buckmaster, The Guardian (UK & Australia)
“… taking the world by storm, done in an inventive, captivating way … the entire series is astonishingly smart.”– Stareable.com (USA)
“Lastly, Shakespeare Republic (2015) is a superb collection of Shakespearean texts delivered by Australian actors in contemporary situations.” – Short, Narrative & Serialized (Book) by Joël Bassaget & Meredith Burkholder (Germany)
“… incredibly clever and highly addictive …”– Made In Melbourne Film Festival (Australia)
“If you haven’t seen the #AllTheWebsAStage series I can’t recommend it highly enough. Smart, poignant and brilliantly crafted in lockdown by Sally McLean and a fantastic cast and crew. Brilliant short films of Shax (sic) speeches exquisitely shot in black and white – little slices of cinema that capture the mood of 2020 perfectly … they really are like Shakespearean Pringles: once I press play, I just can’t stop!” – Benjamin Broadribb, Editor, ‘Action is eloquence’: (Re)thinking Shakespeare
“Each episode is a perfect gem, beautifully presented and so very relevant to our current times. Each actor unfolds their story, using Shakespeare’s original words, with such skill and talent. Kudos to Director, Sally McLean, and her entire team & ensemble. From heart-breaking to hilarious and so powerful. Highly recommended viewing.” – IMDB
“McLean’s combined expertise is on full display in Shakespeare Republic, which features both a critical eye and ear to Shakespeare’s text, and high production values for a series of this kind … While McLean never explicitly defines what she means by the title “Shakespeare Republic,” her commitment to casting diversity suggests an underlying philosophy that Shakespeare is (or should be) for everyone … Shakespeare Republic disrupts and refracts traditional approaches to Shakespeare’s plays, presenting original narratives at the intersection of Shakespeare’s words and our world in an accessible way… the vignettes are themselves a metaphorical gauntlet thrown down to the viewer, daring them to imagine what a full production in this world might look like … Shakespeare Republic uses the twenty-first century’s cultural questions of race, gender, and identity as lenses for understanding Shakespeare’s plays and I expect will continue to provoke discussion and debate about what Shakespeare has to offer the 21st century.” – Tony Tambasco, Borrowers And Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare And Appropriation (USA)
“… such a great concept, amazing actors and awe inspiring production quality … establishes the standard of how bright the future will be for professionally produced web series.” – Clinton H Wallace, Cote d’Zur WebFest (Cannes, France)
“… an innovative and exciting ride a fantastic way to take a dip in the Shakespearean swimming pool.”– Radio Girl Productions (UK)
“… magnificent interpretations of some of Shakespeare’s most well known monologues and soliloques filmed gorgeously in contemporary settings.” – Paul LaNave, Theatre People (USA)
“… beautifully produced soliloquies from Shakespeare’s most famous characters, interpreted by a wide range of talented actors.”– Shakespeare Twentyscore (Australia)
“This is a wonderful series, that is perfect to just dip in and out of whenever you feel the need to watch some Shakespeare. It is funny, emotional, and thought-provoking, providing a unique take on words that many would write off as irrelevant or old-fashioned.” – Sally Miller, Books By The Window (UK)
“… a sophisticated twenty-first century series with its own particularly Australian flavour.”– Sylvia Morris, The Shakespeare Blog, Stratford-upon-Avon (UK)
“Critics just adore Shakespeare Republic: #LoveTheBard, calling it an incredibly clever and highly addictive, beautifully made, sophisticated twenty-first-century series – and we couldn’t say better. The director Sally McLean (who by the way was not a Shakespeare fan when she was a kid) managed to put screen adaptations of Shakespeare back on the map and to show that even 400 years later he is still a damn good poet and narrator.” – The Realist WebFest (Russia)
“Shakespeare Republic has started posting episodes. I am really looking forward to watching these. And I don’t mean I am looking forward to finding the one with Nadine Garner in it. I am just looking forward to watching all of them. I don’t even like Shakespeare. It’s as if they are cleverly using star power to sneak edijukashun on the masses or something.” – Gliding Through the Still Air: A Dr. Blake Blog
“Shakespeare Republic is indeed beautifully made. Hats off to Ms. Sally McLean for her idea and creativity in this. I was so surprised that it was Sally McLean herself who was performing as “Beatrice”. She is just extremely talented and impressive. I am also totally impressed with the the other actors and actresses. I love them so much! … Billy Smedley as “King Henry V” was my favorite … I just found this series so dynamic and creative that I would wish for everyone else to also watch it.” – Web Series Festival (USA)
“Shakespeare Things To Do This Week #7 Watch Neighbours actor Alan Fletcher as Macbeth in this Shakespeare Republic video.”– Shakespeare Magazine (UK)
“This short, directed by Sally McLean, gives an old speech a thoroughly fresh and modern take.”– RJ Evans, Kuriositas.com (UK)
AUDIENCE QUOTES
“Watch this series. It’s a master class.” – Laura Dowling Shea, SAG-AFTRA award-winning actress & producer (USA)
“Loving what’s going on with gender diversity in recent eps of Shakespeare Republic Check it out!”– Dr Kathleen Neal, Centre for Medieval & Renaissance Studies, Monash University Faculty of Arts (Australia)
“This should be in EVERY classroom!”– KIN Collective (Australia)
“By far one of the best interpretations of the sonnet I have seen in a long time.” – David Hovan, COO Brightlight Pictures (Canada)
“Loved it! Dynamic performance and thank you Shakespeare Republic for revitalising Shakespeare into contemporary society!” – Maree Shefford (Australia)
“Brava, Sally McLean!!! Bravo, ShakesRepublic!!! These pieces made me remember why I enjoyed studying the Bard!!! Well done!” – Jeanne (USA)
“Not only real, but current and alive. Old W.S. would appreciate the social media use. Gr8 way to experience W.S. More of this please.” – Kurt Ovard (USA)
“Its a shame this wasn’t around when when i had to study shakespeare in school” – Dannie Plant
“I have to say the complete team of Shakespeare Republic made a great job. I learned to have a different look on Shakespeare in the last weeks!” – Berit (Germany)
“Brava!!! Wonderful job!!! I was one of those kids who actually liked studying Shakespeare. So nice to revisit him in such a clever way!!” – Jeanne K. (UK)
“Well played. It was spoken truly, and trippingly on the tongue. Thank you, that was fun!” – Sam Wills (Australia)
“Another great episode! It is sad that this season ended. Fingers crossed for another one!” – The Michala Banas Fan Page (Germany)
“Thanks, again, for sharing your creativity!!! Looking forward to next season!!! From one of your loyal fans!!!” – ScienceGal66 (USA)