Shakespeare on a Shoestring

Episode 202: Shakespeare on a Shoestring What does Shakespeare on a shoestring mean? It means no set, no elaborate costumes, all sound done onstage and life. Just like Shakespeare would have done in his day. If you’re looking for a doorway to Shakespeare, if you’re looking for a show to tour or take to a festival when you don’t have any tech at your disposal, then the shoestring philosophy will be right up your alley. Tune in to learn more! Show Notes * Shakespeare on a Shoestring: Cymbeline   Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I’m Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 202 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode202. Woot! Woot! I am thrilled to have this conversation that I can present to you and we are going to share a great concept. Well, I’m not going to share it. Our guest is going to share it. It’s all about Shakespeare on a Shoestring. Michael Calderone is who I’m talking to, and we have actually just published his play – Shakespeare on a Shoestring – Cymbeline! – here at Theatrefolk. So, we have the concept which turned into a play which turned into a published play, but we’re focusing on the concept – the concept about how we can do Shakespeare on a Shoestring and how you can do Shakespeare on a Shoestring. I am always, always, always up for a way to make Shakespeare accessible to students and to open that door to his work. So, let’s get to it! I’m going to see you on the other side! LINDSAY: Hello everybody! I am here with Mike Calderone! Hello, Mike! MICHAEL: Hi there! LINDSAY: So, I like to start off by asking for you to share where you are in the world right now. MICHAEL: I am at the campus of Hopkins School in New Haven, Connecticut. LINDSAY: Awesome. And what do you do at Hopkins School? What do you do? MICHAEL: I am one of two drama teachers here. I direct. I teach acting classes, drama classes, and public speaking. LINDSAY: Very awesome. Let’s talk about theatre experience first. When did you start really connecting to theatre? MICHAEL: I did not start connecting to theatre until freshman year of college. I was looking to go to a restaurant school for college, but didn’t have the money to do it, so I went to the local community college, found theatre, and from there I went to Rutgers University and became a Theatre Bachelor of Arts student. LINDSAY: Aha! So, it was sort of happenstance that you fell into it. MICHAEL: It really was. LINDSAY: Why did you stay with it? MICHAEL: Well, it was the love of the theatre. I guess I was always performing. I didn’t do anything in high school at all and I think that’s one of the most ironic things about this – about my career. It’s that I never did it in high school. It was in college that I found it and fell in love with it. Shortly thereafter, when I got into Rutgers, that’s when I fell in with the class that was the Shoestring P...