Shakespeare in Modern English in Southern Chile

Performed by Students of the Teaching English Programme at Universidad Austral de Chile for School Students from Valdivia and other Cities of the South of Chile

 

Abstract:

This is not a conference, nor an article, neither a presentation. “It is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” No. No worries. This is not a tale told by an idiot. I hope so... Though, it is full of sound and fury, and it signifies a lot. A lot for the people involved in it. But more than a tale, it is a story. This is the story of several groups of students (companies we rather call us), and a teacher/instructor/director, who have been doing what it takes with what they’ve got – extremely poor theatre. Even according to Grotowski’s budget – to perform Shakespeare in the most faithful way they can; in a small city in the South of Chile; in front of an audience of school students who do not speak, and barely understand, English – and least Modern English –, and who have probably never been to a live theatre performance. 

This story accounts for the, at least, 10 Shakespeare’s plays that have been performed by the students of the Teaching English Programme at Universidad Austral de Chile, in the last 13 years. It tells about our efforts, experiments, successes and failures in delivering our interpretations of Shakespearean theatre to a motley and hungry audience for live theatre.