Q&A

Q&A: Lolita Chakrabarti - The 'Red Velvet' playwright on 19th-century Black actor Ira Aldridge
Lolita Chakrabarti shares historical context about pioneering 19th-century Black actor Ira Aldridge, the subject of her play Red Velvet, including a notable detail about his funeral in Poland which she learned after she’d written the play.

Q&A: Director Sam Gold on his 'Macbeth' with Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga
Director Sam Gold shares what he loves most about Macbeth, why it stands out from other Shakespeare tragedies he’s directed, and how his ideas about the play changed over time.

Q&A: Allan Clayton on playing Hamlet in Brett Dean's opera
Hamlet sings! A new opera version of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is onstage now at the Metropolitan Opera, with tenor Allan Clayton resuming the title role that he played for the opera’s world premiere at the Glyndebourne Festival.

Q&A: Jacob Ming-Trent on Falstaff, Bottom, and Shakespeare’s comedy
Jacob Ming-Trent shares a favorite moment from his Shakespeare in the Park performance as Falstaff in “Merry Wives,” which premieres on PBS’s Great Performances May 20.

Play on! Q&A: Aditi Kapil on translating 'Measure for Measure'
In choosing which Shakespeare play to translate for the Play on! project, playwright Aditi Brennan Kapil let herself be influenced by dramaturg Liz Engelman, who was attracted to the themes of Measure for Measure and their resonance in today’s world.…

Play on! Q&A: Lillian Groag on translating 'Troilus and Cressida'
Lillian Groag writes about the challenges of translating one of Shakespeare’s more obscure plays, ‘Troilus and Cressida,’ for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Play on! project.

Play on! Q&A: Ellen McLaughlin on translating 'Pericles'
Ellen McLaughlin writes about translating ‘Pericles’ for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and what she learned about this less frequently produced play.

Play on! Q&A: Migdalia Cruz on translating 'Macbeth'
From her work translating ‘Macbeth’ for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Play on! project, Migdalia Cruz shares reflections about ambitions, loyalty, the witches, and the porter scene.

Play on! Q&A: Elise Thoron and Julie Felise Dubiner on translating 'The Merchant of Venice'
The playwright and dramaturg who worked on translating ‘The Merchant of Venice’ share insights into the play and the translation process.

Play on! Q&A: Caridad Svich on translating ‘Henry VIII’
Playwright Caridad Svich writes how ‘Henry VIII’ oscillates between characters’ desire for power, on the one hand, and forgiveness, on the other.

Q&A: Tracy Chevalier on New Boy, her retelling of Shakespeare's Othello
Read this Q&A with Tracy Chevalier about her new novel New Boy, which retells the story of Shakespeare’s Othello and is the latest book in the Hogarth Shakespeare series.