Some people love Shakespeare's work, others hate it, but I believe that most of those who hate it do so because they are terrified by it. We've all had to study the material in school with varying degrees of success. This is mostly because the words of Shakespeare are all too often impersonalized and deified. In this situation two crucially important facts are often ignored.

1. Shakespeare wrote for the common person not the intellectual elite.

2. Shakespeare was meant to be read with the goal of performance, not the goal of being literature.

The second point above is perhaps the most important. Very few have had the opportunity to explore the text with the intention of breathing life into the character saying the words and searching for the meaning and intention behind them as the words a character is saying rather than just the words on a page. No acting training required, just the desire to play and explore in an informal and non-judgmental environment.

No-one will be forced to read aloud. If the group, as a whole, decides to keep the meeting to discussion, that’s fine too.

Of course, I hope folks will participate in and enjoy the whole journey, but this isn't school. It's also not a job. We all have lives. All I ask as the moderator is that you've read the material already covered thoroughly before you come. The purpose is the discussion, not the performance.

I can't wait to see where the journey leads us!

Adam Stuart Littman

Artistic Director, Sin City Shakespeare