The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Over the next five years, the complete works of William Shakespeare – including all his plays, sonnets, grocery lists, you name it – will be performed in Dallas, Texas.

This ambitious project is the result of a collaboration between Shakespeare Dallas, the AT&T Performing Arts Center and the Mankoff Family Foundation. Performances will take place at Hamon Hall in the Winspear Opera House over a period of five years.

Hearing a Play

Back in the Bard’s day, plays were not big, splashy productions. People went to hear the story more than anything, so instead of saying, “I’m going to see a play,” people would say, “I’m going to hear a play.” Actors wore their own clothes, except for the men playing female roles (women were not allowed to be actors.)

The experience you get at Hamon Hall harkens back to the manner in which people experienced plays back in the Elizabethan era. The actors are dressed simply and have only a few props.

The Bard’s Work in its Entirety

When they say  complete, they do mean complete; none of this, “trimming it down for modern attention spans,” business. Long plays will be performed from start to finish even when – as in the case of Hamlet – this could easily be 4 1/2 hours!

I recently attended the staged reading of Much Ado About Nothing, and it was delightful. At intermission, several audience members confessed that they were restless at first due to the lack of costumes and staging, but that the story soon sucked them in. (Also, since the press invitation said, “photos encouraged,” I snapped a few with my iPhone during the show, as you can see in this post.)

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Schedule

So, keep your eye out for the Complete Works of William Shakespeare in Dallas. Here is what they’ve got planned for the 2012-2013 season:

• September 23 and 24 Much Ado About Nothing
• October 14 and 15 Othello
• November 25 and 26 The Taming of the Shrew
• January 13 and 14 The Winter’s Tale
• February 17 and 18 Henry VI Part 1
• March 10 and 11 Henry VI Part 2
• April 14 and 15 Henry VI Part 3
• May 19 and 20 Richard III

What:The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Where: Hamon Hall (inside the Winspear Opera House) 2403 Flora Street, Dallas, TX 75201
Price: Tickets are $10 in advance, or you can pay what you can at the door. For more information, check out the AT&T Performing Art Center official website.
Runtime: As long as it takes!

NOTE: While tickets were provided for review purposes, the opinions expressed in this article are wholly my own.