Jul 5, 2006 | Shakespeare - Theatre
If you wanted to throw my whole theory about the cause of the feud out of whack, you could point out to me that Lady Montague does not, in fact, have the final death in the play. I would answer with a nod, a sigh, a smile. “I know. Benvolio does.” The first legitimate...
Jul 4, 2006 | Books - Shakespeare
I firmly expect to get mugged by Shakespeare and Dante scholars alike. The Dante folk will take issue with several of my choices. His movements prior to his arrival in (or return to, as it certainly was) Verona are much debated, and I’ve chosen one of the more...
Jul 1, 2006 | Essential Posts
Not happy with how the novel was progressing, I fought halfway through a bad version before I realized I wasn’t writing the story I wanted to tell. More research, more false starts. Finally I took a deep breath and settled in to read Dante’s Divine Comedy, something I...
Jun 30, 2006 | Essential Posts - Shakespeare
The production of R&J that I directed came and went as shows do. Throughout the following year, however, I was unable to leave the idea of the origin of the feud behind. The play was done, but my research continued. I’d waded shin-deep into the history of Verona;...
Jun 28, 2006 | Books - Essential Posts - The Novel - Writing
Early in 1999 I was directing Romeo & Juliet at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre (a great space that to my everlasting regret has since become a church). It was my fourth or fifth encounter with the play, but my first as director. Getting ready to direct Shakespeare...
