When I caught this headline about someone who “loves the work he does, even the extreme Shakespeare stuff,” it was a definite, “Ok, bookmark that and come back to it later.” What exactly is extreme Shakespeare? Titus Andronicus?
I don’t know if Brandon E. Burton created the term, but he’s using it to refer to their method of prep and rehearsal:
The actors are given a playbook, have only four days to rehearse, and often only know the last line their fellow actors will be saying. The playwright acts as the director, and if you read his instructions carefully you know how to play your part. That’s the way Shakespeare did it and that’s why its called ‘extreme.’
Makes sense to me, and I’d love to see notes from the actors on what it means to them. Much like the Original Pronunciation (OP) approach, there’s something extra added to productions that go out of their way to bring more of Shakespeare’s time and place to the performance.
Has anyone ever done this? I know I’ve got plenty of actors and directors in the crowd. What do you think about the playbook approach where you only know your own lines and interactions? I’ve been led to believe that there are movies that sometimes do this, often to prevent leaking story twists too soon. For Shakespeare I’m sure it was more about efficiency, cost, and other practical factors.
So Extreme Shakespeare is just … Shakespeare the way Shakespeare wanted it?
And am I the only one that gets a kick out of that last line? “That’s the way Shakespeare did it, that’s why it’s called extreme.” What? Doing the play the way it was originally done is extreme now? Reminds me of an old The Onion classic, about the unconventional director who set Shakespeare in the time and place Shakespeare intended. EXTREME!!!