The Show Must Go Online

Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare Unlimited

Folger Shakespeare Library

Arts

4.7 • 837 Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2020

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In March, theaters were beginning to cancel ongoing and upcoming productions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Glasgow-based actor Robert Myles had just lost a gig that would have taken him through April. He’d been chatting with his wife about what to do, and one night, he tweeted: "In response to #Covid_19, I'm going to set up an online #Shakespeare play-reading group via Zoom or similar. Once a week, evenings UK-time so US people can join during the day as well. We have to do what we can to stay connected and creative over this time. Anyone interested?" His tweet blew up, and that play-reading group became The Show Must Go Online. The hugely successful series, available for free on YouTube, is working through all of Shakespeare’s plays in the order in which they are believed to have been written. The Show Must Go Online creatively uses the everyday facts of life in a pandemic—living rooms, laptops, and, of course, Zoom—to bring actors from around the world together in innovative performances of Shakespeare’s plays. We talked with Myles about The Show Must Go Online’s incredible success, the process of creating virtual theater, and the community his project has created. He is interviewed by Barbara Bogaev. New Show Must Go Online productions happen every Wednesday at 7 pm BST/2 pm EDT. To find out more, contribute, and watch all of their past performances, visit robmyles.co.uk/theshowmustgoonline/. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Published October 27, 2020. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This podcast episode, ““Kindly to Judge Our Play,” was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. Ben Lauer is the web producer. We had technical help from Andrew Feliciano and Paul Luke at Voice Trax West in Studio City, California.

Transcript

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0:00.0	We're in COVID time. The theaters are closed. So what do you think about watching a little Shakespeare
0:07.4	tonight? From the Folger Shakespeare Library, this is Shakespeare Unlimited. I'm Michael Whitmore, the Folger's Director. I know there are
0:23.9	thousands of us out here who are hungry for a little Shakespeare. It doesn't have to be in the park.
0:30.4	It doesn't have to be the RSC or Folger Theater. Just something. Just people saying those words out loud, reminding us what normal felt like,
0:41.9	and maybe suggesting it'll be back sometime soon. Robert Miles was one of those people,
0:49.1	but he decided to do something about it. Beginning in March, he has curated, directed, staffed, and executive produced a web series called
1:00.0	The Show Must Go Online, that's working through the entire Shakespeare canon in the order that the plays are believed to have been written.
1:10.0	They do it on Zoom, where we all do everything these days.
1:15.7	As you'll hear, starting with one random tweet back in March, this project has exploded,
1:22.4	drawing in actors, designers, and scholars, including me, I'm proud to say, Shakespeare lovers from all around the world.
1:31.4	Robert joined us from his home in Glasgow recently to talk about the project's Genesis,
1:36.8	its growth, and the lessons it's taught everyone involved.
1:41.2	We call this podcast, kindly to judge our play.
1:45.9	Robert Miles is interviewed by Barbara Bogave.
1:49.3	Rob, I would love to start in the beginning of this.
1:52.5	What was the genesis?
1:54.1	Was it like that eureka moment, or was it a slow burn as coronavirus just took over the world and your life?
2:01.6	I think it was probably closer to a eureka moment than a slow burn, but it was a weird
2:07.3	eureka moment in that I didn't realize I'd had one. My wife and I were having a conversation
2:13.1	one evening. I'd just lost a project that was going to take me through April. And at the same time,
2:19.1	probably four or five of my friends had reported via social media and things like that, that
2:23.7	they'd lost work as well. And so it seemed that those of us that were working in kind of
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