AboutJESSICA MARLOWE KING Expertise YES = TEXT ANALYSIS, PERFORMANCE PROTOCOL, CAREER,* MONOLOGUES, *AUDITIONS, DEVISING THEATRE, IB THEATRE ARTS
NO = scenic design and technical design
Experience PROFESSIONAL THEATRE - OFF BWAY & REGIONAL CREDITS, BEST ENSEMBLE AWARDS
FILM - TELEVISION - VOICE-OVER - MODELING
FACULTY - INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE IN THEATRE ARTS
WELL READ - OVER 1000 PLAYS IN HOME LIBRARY FROM SHAKESPEARE TO SARAH KANE
28 YEARS TEACHING BOTH ADULTS AND YOUTH THEATRE, ALL AGES
Organizations ACTORS EQUITY ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Publications THEATRE REVIEWS: THE STRANGER, SEATTLE WA
Education/Credentials MASTERS IN FINE ARTS WITH HONORS
PROFESSIONAL ACTORS TRAINING PROGRAM: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON 1990-1993
COMPLETED COURSEWORK: SECONDARY EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY 2005-2005-2006
Awards and Honors BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A FILM 2006: WOMEN IN FILM AWARD FOR WORK IN "APART FROM THAT"
Past/Present Clients UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
CORNISH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
PERSEVERANCE THEATRE COMPANY
SEATTLE CHILDREN'S THEATER
SEATTLE REPERTORY THEATRE
FREEHOLD STUDIO
RATO BANGALA SCHOOL/NEPAL
STANISLAVSKY INSTITUTE/RUSSIA/JAPAN
SANFORD MEISNER THEATRE
WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS
STUDIO EAST
NORTHWEST ACTORS STUDIO
YOUTH THEATRE NORTHWEST
I am doing a school project on Shakespeare and i have chosen to focus mainly on
women in Shakespeare's plays. My key questions so far have not come up with a great
deal of information so it would be much appreciated if you could help me out. They
are:
*What were the main roles of women in Shakespeare's plays?
*How did women in his plays compare to what women were like at the time he wrote them?
*What insight into women did Shakespeare offer his audience and are his ideas still
insightful to a modern audience?"
Answer Sounds like you need to research. Might I suggest a terrific book for you?
It's called SHAKESPEARE ALIVE. Tiny paperback, preface by Joseph Papp (found of Shakespeare in the Park/Public Theatre NYC)
Some thoughts on your questions.
Question One
Social roles? Dramatic roles? Comedic roles? Please clarify.
Sometimes they were protagonists, sometimes antagonists...
servants, queens, ladies-in-waiting, wives, daughters, grandmothers,
witches, sisters, so many juicy roles to play.
Types of roles: character, ingenue, lead
Much of the comedic roles in Shakespeare have their roots in commedia del'arte stock characters found in Italian/French farce, so consider studying up on that.
Question Two
Depends on the time/place the play is set in - I don't think Portia [Julius Caesar] was written to reflect the Elizabethan women anymore than Batman reflects guys that I know... my sense is that the characters are purposeful and yearning for a better life - hence striving against high obstacles in order to achieve their heart's desire, which is what makes these plays timeless - in that way, the very humanity indicative in the multi-faceted written roles do offer some recognition into our own time and lives. So! It depends on the role - play - and situation being played out. Lovers haven't changed much through the ages, nor have murderers. Whether playing murder, marriage, or mayhem ~ there is SOME connection to Shakespeare's worlds he creates,
otherwise why - on earth - do so many people find him interesting, enlightening, and entertaining?
Question Three
I think this question is one of those questions that cannot have a stock answer.
Unless you have read 5 tragedies and 5 comedies - at least - it might be difficult to really fully answer this one.
Might I suggest taking a look at the front page of the New York Times for one week. Circle articles that indeed connect somehow to those plays/characters/ideas - find connections in real life events - in the ideas currently being vented, criticized, considered - are these essential questions being asked today - have they been explored in Shakespeare's plays as well?
I might also suggest researching productions that have set some of Shakespeare's plays in modern day/dress. Often times, directors do indeed see parallels, and to find commonalities for audiences to connect to, they set the play in unusual settings.
