Inspiring Shakespeare
How can you make Shakespeare resonate more with young people? Create an experience that enables people to visualise and feel the rhythm and words of the bard.
Project: Self Initiated
My role: Concept & Art Direction
Image by Can Buyukberber on Behance
The Insight
Young people get the most out of Shakespeare when they explore and act the play. Hearing the sounds of the words and really feeling the rhythm they carry can help actors to understand the words, their meaning and relationship to the story.
Image from A Man’s Heartbeat During A Marriage Proposal
At the heart of Shakespeare’s plays and poetry is a rhythm. A poetic pattern called the iambic pentameter. A rhythm that is aligned with the beat of the human heart.
How it works
Combining both the user's voice and their own pulse we’ll generate meaningful visual and audio patterns (overlaid with beautiful typography), that allow them to get a real understanding of pace, intonation, stress, tones, moments of loss, anger, love, temptation, etc.
Using the in-built heart rate monitor ability of your phone (Samsung S3+ and iPhone) and voice recognition software to sync your voice with your laptop or tablet to help generate your very own audiovisual rhythm patterns
Mood board - Design Direction
The Experience
Look & Feel
A natural and flowing feel - materials moving, digital drops of blood spilling, delicate shards of tears, aggressive spikiness of anger, tender lines for a tender kiss. Sculpted, considered, light and dark, colourful and varied.
Each visual reaction and sound will relate to the themes from the scene being read. Typography overlaying the audiovisual rhythm patterns - like a beautiful teleprompter. Minimal interface design, simple text, nothing cliche Shakespeare or Elizabethan.
The details
You begin by choosing to hear and see the visualised readings from the very best British actors from 3 of Shakespeare's most famous (and accessible) plays: Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet.
At the end of each reading choose to delve deeper into that play, selecting an Act, and scene to start your reading and rehearsing. Before you begin, you’ll be given a few pointers from the experts and talent. Start reading and rehearsing...
As you complete each scene, you’ll receive feedback as well as unlocking the proceeding part of the play.
At the beginning of each new scene, you’ll receive and advice from the experts and fellow thespians about how best to tackle the reading