Happening at the library
Shakespeare at the Library
01.07.20
On January 15, 2020, The Shakespeare Project of Chicago will present a theatrical reading of Richard III at the Des Plaines Public Library.
Register here to attend the performance.
Written by William Shakespeare around 1593, this historical play depicts the rise to power and short reign of King Richard III.
Richard III, King of England 1483-1485
These theatrical readings are fully staged, book-in-hand performances.
The Shakespeare Project opened their 25th season with the production of Shakespeare's best-known play, Hamlet. The Des Plaines Public Library hosted a performance on October 16, 2019.
The actors make entrances and exits. There will be no sets, no props, or costumes. You will hear some music and sound.
The dramaturge will introduce the play with background on the play's history.
After the reading, there will be a short Q & A with the actors and the creative team.
Other theatrical readings this season at the Des Plaines Public Library are:
Performance of Hamlet at DPPL
Romeo and Juliet - February 26, 2020
Measure For Measure - May 20, 2020
The Shakespeare Project of Chicago was founded in 1995.
The hope was to bring the words of Shakespeare and other dramatists to life, to foster the talents of members of Actors' Equity Association, and to present plays to the Chicago community for free.
For the past 24 years, they have been doing just that.
The Chandos portrait of Shakespeare was the first painting to enter the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Shakespeare lived his life largely around two locations: Stratford-upon Avon where he was born, and London where he worked.
His plays have been translated into more than 50 languages and performed across the globe for audiences of all ages.
No other writer's work has been performed, translated, adapted, and altered in such remarkable variety as Shakespeare.
The library owns individual copies of Shakespeare’s plays as well as works of criticism.
Following is a sampling of the varied materials in the Des Plaines Public Library collection.
Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare
By James Shapiro
Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro explains when and why so many people began to question whether Shakespeare wrote his plays.
The Globe Guide to Shakespeare
By Andrew Dickson
The ultimate companion to the life and work of William Shakespeare.
How the Classics Made Shakespeare
By Jonathan Bate
A groundbreaking account of how the Greek and Roman classics forged Shakespeare's imagination.
The Little Book of Shakespeare
This book is packed with simple explanations and with illustrations making it the perfect primer to Shakespeare's words.
Macbeth: A Dagger of the Mind
By Harold Bloom
A portrait of one of Shakespeare's most complex and compelling antiheroes.
Women of Will: Following the Feminine in Shakespeare's Plays
By Tina Packer
A fierce, funny, and fearless exploration of the women of Shakespeare's plays.
Worlds Elsewhere: Journeys Around Shakespeare's Globe
By Andrew Dickson
A book about how Shakespeare became fascinated with the world, and how the world became fascinated with Shakespeare.
Shakespeare: In Music & Words
This two CD set features famous classical pieces inspired by Shakespeare's best-loved plays and poems as well as a selection of his speeches.
Shakespeare Uncovered
This six episode DVD combines history, biography, and iconic performances to tell the story behind the stories of Shakespeare's greatest plays.