The Shakespeare Project

37 great plays. 2 best friends separated by 3,036 miles. 1 year. Allow me to explain...

My best friend (author & cellist Will Dunlap) and I have decided to read all 37 of William Shakespeare's published plays in one year (give or take). We will commence this mad yet inspired enterprise tomorrow on the first of June. Why are two seemingly sane young men embarking upon such an ambitious endeavour? Because we can! Because both of us have made words and language and the ideas they can convey central to our respective lives. For us, they are passions... The plan is to go chronologically, in order of performance, though saving King Lear for last. We will consult study guides, glossaries, and commentaries as needed. And perhaps the occasional film. The idea is not to become Shakespeare scholars, but to experience these plays in as full and rich a way as possible through our own informal self-directed survey.

Shakespeare is a name familiar to nearly everyone possessed of at least a modicum of formal education. Yet, despite the familiarity of his name, I think very few of us have ever actually had the time or inclination to sit down and read through Shakespeare's entire canon. I have Will (actually, Paul Gross) to thank for rekindling my long-dormant interest in the Bard of Avon. Last fall, Will introduced me to the amazing Canadian television show Slings & Arrows, and I have just finished watching its third and final season as re-run on the Ovation channel. The show follows the trials and triumphs of the actors at a fictional Canadian Shakespeare festival... their "romances and rivalries, glories and disgraces" both on-stage and off, all the while set against the backdrop of Shakespeare's glorious and moving words. It is, quite simply, one of the finest, most beautiful things I have ever seen on television...

So, off we go. I doubt either Will or I are likely to have any earth-shattering, life-changing revelations as a result of this project. I do think, however, this little idea of ours might just help further cement an already intimate and much-cherished friendship itself inspired by art. Honestly, I can't imagine doing this on my own and certainly not with anyone else. I'll post random thoughts and observations as we progress through this small mountain of plays. Stay tuned...