It’s not everybody’s cup of tea, I’m sure, but that’s not stopping these folks from trying to produce a legit, bound, complete set of Shakespeare’s works, in LOLspeak.

I don’t know if it’ll succeed, and it seems to really push the boundaries of what Kickstarter is for.  More than half the budget is for editing ($100 each for 38 works) and the rest is admittedly for “Kickstarter’s percentage, as well as the rewards.”  So if you contribute, a significant portion of the proceeds will go to nothing more than supporting the project being on KS in the first place.  I don’t think that’s really what it’s meant for.

So check out this article on a new “glimpse into digital humanities”, the Mobile Shakespeare Scripts project:

Their project, “Mobile Shakespeare Scripts” (or “MyShx”), offers actors
and directors a mobile app for customizing scripts to include
commentary, production history, or other digital enhancements. MyShx
will initially be produced for iPads, and it will be used for the first
time in the production of one of American Shakespeare Theater’s
2012-2013 shows.

Interesting.

In March of this year, when the iPad 2 came out, I wrote about how you could use an iPad to revolutionize digital Shakespeare.

But even more closely, go check out this discussion on Shakespeare in the public domain, from June 2011.  In particular note Ed’s comment (#3) about creating his own textbooks for the kids, with ample room to do all their own note taking right in the margins and such, and the conversation that follows. I suggest that this is custom made for a software solution, and Alexi offers up the suggestion to make it so that directors could use it to cut their own scripts.

Of course, they’re well-funded PhDs, and we’re just a bunch of enthusiasts hanging out on a blog.  What do we know.

Emma Watson, who’ll forever be known as Hermione to Harry Potter, wants to do some Shakespeare. She cites a desire to tackle Juliet, or Ophelia.  A little bold, wouldn’t you say?  Wouldn’t it be cool to start her out in A Winter’s Tale?   “Starring Hermione as … Paulina.” (You thought maybe I was going to say Perdita? ;))  In fairness, I take her quote to mean something more like “It would be a dream to tackle Juliet or Ophelia” and not “Yeah, I think that if I were to do Shakespeare, I’d have to be Juliet or Ophelia.” I’d think for a young woman that’s a young man diving right in with Hamlet.

This story reminds me of a really random bit of trivia.  Harry Dean Stanton stars in Stephen King’s The Green Mile  which also features a character named Dean Stanton.  Dean Stanton is played by Barry Pepper.  Harry Dean Stanton plays a character named Toot-toot.

Regardless of your position on the Authorship question, sometimes it’s fun to learn new things.  I had no idea that there were at least 10 candidates for authorship.  Oxford’s on there, of course. Bacon and Marlowe, Mary Sidney and Emilia Bassano.  But I heard some new names as well – Roger Manners?  Who’s that? 

It’d be funny to research 9 of these 10 to the point where you could defend them in a debate, and then just attack the bejesus out of the Oxfordians from all directions until they cry.