Taking Elitism out of Shakespeare

Sensible guidance for theatre professionals:

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Shakespeare belongs to everyone. Yet today, the average person sees The Bard as something too intellectual.

Think about it–when the average person is brought to a Shakespeare play, they expect to be bored. So, it’s up to us as actors and directors to keep the show alive and provide entertainment.

Back in Shakespeare’s day, the average theatre-goer was rowdy, drunk, and more akin to a Rocky Horror screening than a sophisticated play, which many assume these plays are. So how did we end up with purists, wanting to treat every word with the highest regard?

This is no shade against purists–Shakespeare wrote some of the most gorgeous writing that’s ever existed, and it’s important to treat his words with respect to a degree. But it’s also worth noting that Shakespeare included a lot of lewd jokes, puns, and straight-up vulgarity. In Act One, Scene Three of Twelfth Night, Sir Toby is commenting on Sir Andrew’s hair, saying, “I hope to see a huswife take thee between her legs and spin it off.” What else could that be a reference to?

It’s important as a Shakespeare performer to remember that there are audience members who were dragged to see a Shakespeare play. Maybe they aren’t a theatre person, or maybe they just think Shakespeare is boring. It’s your job as a theatre professional involved in a Bard play to keep his words alive and fresh.

Admittedly, I have only performed in two Shakespeare plays, but of course in theatre school we studied him endlessly. Neither of the two productions I was in (A Midsummer Night’s Dream and All’s Well That Ends Well) set it in Shakespeare’s time, but rather were modernized, with many cuts made to dialogue to keep the narrative moving. Don’t you love doing shows with no rights to pay?

For both shows, I received audience feedback that we “actually made Shakespeare fun.” And I think that’s so important–we always want to keep theatre alive (especially in this post-pandemic world), and we want to introduce Shakespeare to people who wouldn’t usually watch one of his plays. So why not make it accessible and easy to understand?

A lot of Shakespeare purists don’t agree with me. In the Globe’s current production of Titus Andronicus, there was criticism over changing the word “Moor” to “Black,” among other changes. However, with antiquated language, it can be hard for unfamiliar audience members to not get the full impact of the character’s actions. In this play specifically, we are able to understand the character of Aaron on a deeper level through this change, as well as understanding why he is full of rage and does the awful things that he does.

When I did Dream, we went a much different direction from the sparkly, traditional approach to the show, and instead set it in modern-day Rhode Island. We were lucky enough to have a director with a Master’s in Shakespeare Studies, and she made the decision to have us in plain street clothes, as that’s how Shakespeare’s actors created costumes back during his day. The Mechanicals were decked out in construction gear and had Rhode Island accents, carrying Dunkin’ coffee cups and complaining about potholes (gotta love Rhode Island). Nothing like hearing Snout say “You could neva bring in a wawl here- what say you Bawttom?” As Quince, it was very hard to keep a straight face during that scene.

But that’s what’s beautiful about Shakespeare–his stories are universal, and if you do it right, they are incredibly fun and relatable. When I played Helen in All’s Well, I was able to relate to her deeply as someone who was once young and with an unrequited love. Since we were doing an 80’s aesthetic, I got to bring some angsty young Molly Ringwald energy to her. It goes to show how adaptable Shakespeare is. You can set them in any time or place.

So why not do that? If it keeps the attention of the audience and makes them interested in Shakespeare rather than adverse to it, you’ll get more and more people keeping his words alive. And isn’t that what theatre’s all about?

Give Shakespeare back to the common man. Let’s recite some Bard and have some fun.

The author Rachel Meghan on the set of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Rhode Island).

Rachel Meghan is an actor and writer based in New England. She has worked with La Jolla Playhouse, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, and Trinity Repertory Theatre, as well as having a BA in Theatre from CUNY Hunter College.