'As YouTube Like It' - it's Shakespeare reimagined
Shakespeare’s Globe releases five short films produced by Anglia Ruskin students
Shakespeare’s Globe has released a series of short films produced by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) students, each using the text from plays by William Shakespeare to jump in exciting new directions.
The five films are inspired by Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream – this year’s summer productions at Shakespeare’s Globe – and have been launched on the Shakespeare’s Globe website, on YouTube, and across their social media.
Aimed at bringing the plays to life for new audiences, the latest batch of films marks the third year of the collaboration, which has seen students from ARU’s BA (Hons) Film & Television Production course work with the Globe’s Head of Research Dr Will Tosh and theatre director Kevin Bennett to find bold, new ideas and inspiration in texts that are over 400 years old.
ARU student James Hartley, the writer and director of A Midsummer’s Nightmare, said:
Dr Will Tosh, the Globe’s Head of Research, said:
“I think the students’ artistic superpower is their ability to zero in on the plays’ most compelling themes, from female friendship to magical metamorphoses, from the power of language to both illuminate and to wound, to the terrifying persistence of guilt and trauma.
“Gasp!, Wicked Dreams, Lost From Sea, Dress Rehearsal and A Midsummer’s Nightmare have helped me understand Shakespeare in new ways – and they are stories that prove these students will be film-makers to watch.”
Hans Petch, Senior Lecturer in Film & Television Production at ARU, said:
“The five films encompass musicals, horror, comedy and utopian nightmares! We’re thrilled by the way that our students have led this project – the production stars of tomorrow are already setting down markers!”
The five student films are available to watch at: https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/blogs-and-features/2023/06/16/shakespeare-on-film-students-respond-to-our-summer-2023-season/