"Actors have a real love affair with Propeller"

An article from 2005 investigates Propeller's democratic structure and its ability to foster a group of committed actors. Speaking with James Tucker and Simon Scardifield, the article traces back to the company's first staging of The Winter's Tale and looks at men playing women, the collaborative nature of forming a production and what it is that inspires loyalty from Propeller's casts.  [e]

Propeller in China

Before they arrived in China, City Weekend previewed Propeller's Henry V, looking forward to "incredible results" from this "unique theater group." China Daily mentioned both shows in their write-up, which focused on the company's policy of single-sex casting. Similarly, ExpatChn heralds Propeller as an opportunity to experience "authentic Shakespeare" and That's Magazine explains the female free policy as the company hoping "to bring out nuances in the text that might otherwise be lost"

Shanghai Cultural Information profiles Henry V by looking not just at the play and Propeller, but also at William Shakespeare.

Like China Daily, the Global Times article about Propeller's Chinese stay focuses on the all-male aspect of the company's work, speaking to Ed Hall, Robert Hands and Dugald Bruce-Lockhart about the shows and company. The Global Times follows-up on the gender question with another article, quoting Joseph Graves, Artistic Director of Peking University's Institute of World Theatre and Film.

Time Out Shanghai praised the shows and promised readers "whether you choose the tragic fairy tale or the gory history for your night at the theatre, Propeller delivers." The article also contains quotes from Ed Hall on Propeller's origins and their current productions.

Hall also is quoted in Shanghai Daily's article  which calls Henry V "dangerous, thrilling and deeply moving" and The Winter's Tale "a fairy story that is at once mysterious and extraordinary."  [e]

A Man's World

Sheffield Telegraph spotlights Richard Dempsey in looking at The Winter's Tale, talking with the actor about playing Hermione and Propeller's ensemble environment.  [e]

Battle of the Sexes

Propeller is cited in two recent articles examining all-male casting and whether it is a sexist practice. Jo Caird "[doesn't] really see how Propeller's all-male policy can be justified" and goes on to outline the underrepresentation of women in theatre, while The Guardian comes down on the other side, concluding "single-sex casting remains one of the most effective ways of opening up the gender politics debate in classic plays."  [e]

All-Male Double-Take in Australia

Ahead of their arrival in Perth, here's a piece about Propeller in The Australian. Matthew Westwood talks with Edward Hall about the use of an all-male company (something Westwood thinks "still seems odd"), the benefits of pairing contrasting plays, and the ambiguity of "Period Shakespeare", among other things. A good read!

-cs

What's on the Page

For what feels like forever, now, my inbox has pestered me with countless articles regarding 'Anonymous,' all asking the same question—who wrote Shakespeare? I've been ignoring them, mostly, but when one includes Ed Hall's thought on the subject....well, that's worth taking a look.

His conclusion?

I only worry about what’s on the page. I must have directed half the plays in the canon and what I detect is a similarity of style, technique and structure that is robust, workmanlike, inspiring, and works extraordinarily well on an audience [...] When you come to some of the later plays you can tell there are other authors, which we know about, because they jump out at you. But otherwise the authorship doesn’t worry me because it doesn’t affect the drama.

Well put.

Full article here.  [e]

Authenticity Showdown

For those looking for a change of pace from glowing reviews, Shakespeare in Stages includes a chapter on Propeller's 2006-2007 production of Twelfth Night as compared to the Globe, in an attempt to the examine the question of 'authenticity' in Shakespeare.

"You don't even have stage directions."

The Boston Globe has an extensive article talking to Ed Hall and Richard Clothier about Propeller's origins, staging 400 year old plays, the all-male element and the ensemble process.

The Baskin-Robbins of Shakespeare

Exeunt Magazine has a great feature on Propeller from their New York stay.

Painstaking, Careful Work

AnnArbor.com's preview of Richard III and Comedy of Errors has a lot from Ed Hall on the differences between rehearsing and performing a comedy as opposed to a tragedy, along with more insights as to what attracted him to these two plays.

Ben Brantley waxes philosophic on the need for comprehensibility in theatre, pointing to Comedy of Errors' run at BAM as an example of the language getting lost. It's worth pointing out that Mr. Brantley seems to stand alone in his thinking, considering how many reviews have praised the production for its clarity of language.

Playing in Key

While at BAM, Ed Hall participated in an artist's talk with New York Shakespearean (and former co-worker of mine), Barry Edelstein, to talk about tapping into the extremes of Shakespeare's plays and using the ensemble to bring those extremes into focus.

The Epoch Times caught Comedy of Errors in New York and found it a "delight," praising the cast, direction and design of the production and highly recommending the production to readers.

Just "A Small Group of Guys"

The Herald talks with Ed Hall in an article that covers Propeller's all-male dynamic and Hall's family background.

Who Wrote This?

The Norwich Advertiser talked to Dugald Bruce-Lockhart and Jon Trenchard a few days ago about Propeller's current productions, the company's all-together attitude and getting modern audiences into Shakespeare.

Welcome Back

Places and Faces previews Propeller's return to Norwich this week, highlighting Dominic Tighe and Dugald Bruce-Lockhart's return to the company and how the return of performers affects designing for a production.

Texts and Trajectories

The Journal has an article about Propeller's arrival in Newcastle, addressing how they approach the text, what funding cuts mean for the company and hinting towards future plans.

Ring in the New Year

Comedy and Richard bring Propeller back to the stage this week in Sheffield, and thus let the posting begin once more....

Yorkshire Post has an excellent piece from Ed Hall on Propeller's creation, aims, appeal and the future of the arts in light of recent funding cuts.

The Guardian is looking forward to the combination of Richard and Comedy as "an opportunity to see Propeller fly" and lists the shows as a pick for what to see in 2011.

Sheffield Telegraph has an interview with Richard Clothier, looking back on Propeller's history and discussing choices made for the staging and characterization in Richard III.

Gail-Nina Anderson explores and anticipates the men-as-women conceit in her piece for The Crack magazine, while CultureCritic previews Comedy by calling Propeller "Britain’s finest all-male Shakespearean acting troupe"

And, jumping ahead a bit, the Edinburgh Evening News' survey of the season assures audiences that "If Shakespeare isn't for you... think again, Propeller will change your mind," while a preview of BAM's spring season includes Comedy of Errors in its 'Shakespeare Trifecta,' remarking "theatergoers who have never seen an all-male Shakespeare comedy are in for a great surprise. When skilled actors are involved, gender becomes a non-issue in about five minutes. "

Finally, the rehearsal gallery on Propeller's official site gives just a taste of what can be expected on Wednesday.

Determined to Make the Villain in Spain

Some of the press coming out of Spain...

El País has a feature this morning (translated) previewing Richard III's weekend in Girona.

Avui's article translates less cleanly and awkwardly identifies Peter Hall as the director instead of Ed. Um....oops?

And, finally, Ed Hall, Richard Clothier and Dominic Tighe participated in a press conference yesterday, and so are represented in a slew of articles including those from Gironainfo.cat (translated), El Periódico (translated), El Faro (translated), DiarideGirona.cat (translated) and a small preview on the Catalan New Agency (translated).

Michigan Dispatches

Mary Roeder took a trip across the pond for UMS to report back on the rehearsals for Richard III. Here is her report, along with a slide show of rehearsal photos (including some not included in Propeller's own web gallery).

Hmm..

So I've been keeping an eye on Propeller's official site to see if dates are being added to their tour, and it still says the last shows are in Tokyo. And yet! I have just found information pertaining to their appearance in Galway this weekend...how did I miss this?

You can find their pages in the program (including a photo of Richard Dempsey) here.

In an article from The Galway Advertiser, Ed Hall predicts Galway to be the high point of the tour. 

The Irish Times has a great piece covering Propeller's history and their approach to Shakespeare, as well as the ubiquitous discussion of the all-male conceit.

The Galway Independent previews the shows....

...and The Irish Independent has an article talking with Ed about the relationship Propeller has with audiences.

And how about a review? The Irish Times hails Richard Frame's "brilliant take on Hermia" and calls Bob Barrett "a masterclass in comic timing" in Midsummer.

I Bet You Thought I'd Forgotten About You

But not so! To make up for my disappearing act, here are two in-depth articles about Propeller's arrival in Japan, both involving conversation's with Ed Hall.

In the first, we hear about wha Ed thinks Shakespeare would be up to today and some insights as to what the prison setting of Merchant and the characterization of Shylock hopes to accompish.

And, in the second, we get a discussion on the nature of Shakespeare and the advantages of an all-male cast, along with two intriguing references...why is Bob "barking mad"? And where are these DVDs?