It’s Shakespeare, sort of
‘To read or not to read, that is the question.” Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , welcomes The Ugly Shakespeare Company next Monday, March 7, performing the play, The Dream. The Dream is the Ugly Shakespeare Company’s (USC) take on that classic Shakespearian fantasy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Horowhenua’s three colleges have been invited by the library to attend the performance.
It is perfect for an introduction to Shakespeare for new audiences. It has all the original humour of this piece plus the USC’s own interpretation in 50 easy minutes. Shakespeare’s plays are no longer a compulsory requirement, but they are still widely studied and performed. Shakespeare wrote about timeless themes such as life and death, youth versus age, love and hate, fate and free will, to name but a few. With the constantly changing world we live in today, these themes are perhaps more relevant than they have ever been.
It’s impossible to discuss Shakespeare’s impact on modern culture without talking about how he changed the English language. Not only did Shakespeare teach us about ourselves and humanity, but he also invented around 1700 words which we still use in everyday English today. He often changed nouns into verbs, verbs into adjectives, connecting words together and coming up with wholly original ones too. There are countless phrases like this, including “love is blind” from
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
and “the green-eyed monster” from Othello.
If there’s one thing I took away from school, it’s that plays are meant to be seen, not read. And that’s doubly true for the works of William Shakespeare, which can seem impossibly archaic on the page but are lively and hilarious when brought to life by actors. Far from stuffy and academic, Shakespeare’s plays were written as bawdy, rousing entertainment for the masses.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with it’s magic, romcom and slapstick, is one of Shakespeare’s most performed works.
With it’s complex plots, it’s love and hatred between characters, it is just as
appealing as any typical Netflix comedy, romance movies that some of us tend to binge-watch.
“The course of true love never did run smooth” – this statement, made by Lysander at the beginning of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most well-known lines from the play. Basically, it represents the trials and tribulations of love; the obstacles young love has to overcome, the complications of established love, and the victory of true love in the end.
And thus, I leave you with these words from Romeo and Juliet “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow / That I shall say good night till it be morrow.”
Saturday 10am-12.30pm Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom Heritage Room has the Research librarian available all day every Friday.
Friday March 24:
Friday Concert, Performance, Main Space, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 12-1pm Cribbage Group, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 1-3.30pm
SeniorNet, Get help with your tablets, phones and laptops Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 10am-12pm
Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 2-4pm
Saturday March 25:
Hold that pose Vintage Cameras From The Studio To The Streets, FREE public talk by MAVtech, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 1-2.30pm
Sunday March 26:
Wha¯ nau Fun Time, The Youth Space, Te Takeretanga o Kurahau-po¯ , 1-4pm
Sunday Concert Series, Performance by Tandrom Gypsy, Te Takeretanga o Kurahau-po¯ , 2pm
Hold that pose Vintage Cameras From The Studio To The Streets, FREE public talk by MAVtech, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 2-3.30pm
Monday March 27:
Storytime, Children's Library, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 10-10.30am
Meet Street, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 10am
H.U.G Horowhenua Ukulele Group, Main Space, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 11am-12pm
Knitting Classes, Shannon Library, 1-3pm
Ugly Shakespeare Company presents – The Dream, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 6.30-7.30pm
Tuesday March 28:
Tea & Tales, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 10.30am Sewing Workshop, Shannon Library, 10.30am-12pm Justice of the Peace, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 11.30am-1.30pm
Really Alive Poets, Main Space, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 12-1pm
Wednesday March 29:
Crochet & Coffee Club, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 10.30am
Sewing workshop, Shannon Library, 10.30am-12pm Better Digital Futures – Digital Introductory Pathway, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 1-3pm
Quiz Night, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 7-9pm, $5 Thursday March 30: Summer Concert and Food Truck Series, Performance from Sparkles, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 5.30-8pm