Shakespeare - Tug of War Transcript.pdf

Shakespeare and the Citizen Soldier: Tug of War

Director Barbara Gaines and Professor Stuart Sherman discuss the development and themes of the ambitious Tug of War productions. Part of a four-episode series in partnership with Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Power plays, ego, lust, humor and, yes, even love: no writer surpassed Shakespeare in portraying the forces that drive leaders to war—or the wisdom and valor of the common soldier. Distilling six of the Bard's plays into two action-packed dramas, Gaines and Sherman discuss the development process of Tug of War: Foreign Fire and the fall 2016 production of Civil Strife, which explore and dissect the insanity of war and the integral role of the citizen soldier in Shakespeare's works. Interview led by Pritzker Military Museum & Library President and CEO, Kenneth Clarke. 

From the inspirational St. Crispin’s Day speech of Henry V to the master class in political rhetoric that is Mark Antony’s call to action in Julius Caesar— across centuries, monarchs and soldiers alike have taken solace in Shakespeare’s words. As a lead sponsor of Shakespeare 400 Chicago, Pritzker Military Museum & Library and Chicago Shakespeare Theater will provide new access to Shakespeare for Chicago’s active and retired military personnel through Shakespeare and the Citizen Soldier, featuring Shakespeare’s legendary monologues illuminating the personal impact of war.

BARBARA GAINES  is the founder of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where she has directed over 30 of Shakespeare’s plays. Honors include: the 2008 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre; the prestigious Honorary OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in recognition of her contributions strengthening British-American cultural relations; and Joseph Jefferson Awards for Best Production (Hamlet, Cymbeline, King Lear and The Comedy of Errors), and for Best Director (Cymbeline, King Lear and The Comedy of Errors). Beyond Chicago Shakespeare, Ms. Gaines has directed at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-on-Avon, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and The Old Globe in San Diego. As the cornerstone production of Shakespeare 400 Chicago, the 2016 international celebration of Shakespeare’s legacy, she created a world premiere Shakespeare history cycle, Tug of War, including the rarely staged Edward III. Gaines received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Birmingham (UK), the University Club of Chicago’s Cultural Award, the Public Humanities Award from the Illinois Humanities Council and the Spirit of Loyola Award. Ms. Gaines serves on The Globe Council (Shakespeare’s Globe, London).

STUART SHERMAN is Professor of English at Fordham University. He is the author of Telling Time: Clocks, Diaries, and English Diurnal Form, 1660-1785, as well as articles on such topics as Ben Jonson, John Dryden, Daniel Defoe, Samuel Johnson, David Garrick, James Boswell, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and other topics. His book-in-progress, News, Plays, Days: Tussles over Time in the London Media, 1620-1779, tracks the vexed, complex relations between the playhouse and periodical print once the news industry got under way, four years after Shakespeare's death. For the past twenty years, he has contributed, as writer and panelist, to Chicago Shakespeare’s artistic and education endeavors, prior to serving as Barbara Gaines’ advisor on Tug of War.