The Bard’s Complete Walk Arrives in SB
Santa Barbara celebrates the remarkable life and work of Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death by hosting a series of performances, including three plays, by an international coalition of theaters and arts organizations Nov. 17-20.
“Shakespeare@400.SantaBarbara” includes the Complete Walk, 37 specially made short films commissioned and created by Shakespeare’s Globe London, originally shown in London last April. Westmont screens these 10-minute films, starring some of England’s finest actors, Saturday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in multiple spaces and locations at Westmont. Admission is free, and lunch is available for purchase.
“This is the only U.S. site that has attempted to show the entire Complete Walk project,” says John Blondell, Westmont professor of theater arts. “I knew I wanted to host it as soon as I heard it described. I attended the London event in late April, and the energy and enthusiasm were palpable. In some cases, more than a hundred people gathered at screens along the Thames. The project is truly expansive, visionary and epic in scope, but it is also very intimate and human.”
Each film explores one of Shakespeare’s plays and includes scenes shot in the locations Shakespeare imagined when he wrote them, as well as footage from the British Film Institute’s “Silent Shakespeare” series and “Globe on Screen” filmed stage productions. At Westmont, all 37 films will be shown in six separate venues grouped in chronological order relative to Shakespeare’s creation of the plays. Audiences can watch the plays in chronological order or choose their own adventure, dropping in and out of screenings and watching in any order they wish.
“I’m thrilled to show this and am grateful to be part of a theater community that values the contributions of Shakespeare, and honored to be part of the Westmont community with visionary leaders such as Provost Mark Sargent, who saw the potential of such a project and wanted to provide these films as a gift to the greater Santa Barbara community,” Blondell says.
“Shakespeare@400.SantaBarbara” opens with a sonnets-inspired new work, “Pop-Up Shakespeare,” co-produced by Lit Moon and the National Theatre of Macedonia on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m. in the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Admission is free.
“As You Like It,” staged by the Westmont College Festival Theatre, is Friday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in Westmont’s Porter Theatre. Tickets cost $12 for general admission, $7 for students, seniors and children.
“Julius Caesar,” staged by Lit Moon, is a timely political tragedy on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Porter Theatre. Tickets cost $20 for general admission, $15 for students, seniors and children.
“Anthony and Cleopatra,” staged by the Bitola (Macedonia) National Theatre and featuring actors from Europe speaking Macedonian, is Sunday, Nov. 20, at 5 p.m. has been moved to Porter Theatre due to inclement weather. Admission is free.