Engaging Shakespeare: Skype

Last week everybody should have heard our AWESOME call over skype, where we read the last act of The Tempest.  I actually was surprised how fun it was.  

Analyzing this digital mediation: Firstly, it took much longer to pull this thing together than you would think.  Besides all the time spent, dealing out parts and finding a time where everyone was available.  It took us almost half an hour to figure out skype.  This helps me feel for directors and realize how much they really put into movies, as well as all the work the technician do to make things run smoothly.

A few things I wrote down in notes about my experience were the stage actions, for one thing, were impossible to follow.   I noticed that people would just pause for a few seconds when they were supposed to do something and then continue on - in that way I felt a little less engaged in Shakespeare.  Also, the girls reading guys parts threw me off, especially where I wasn't able to see the other actors and random voices simply voiced their lines.

Overall though, very fun.  I think it's really great all the new ways of engaging Shakespeare using technology.  It really says a lot for someone's plays when they're still being not only read, but changed as the culture around them changes!