Edinburgh author discovers Hamlet’s Book

Edinburgh author discovers Hamlet’s Book

What is the book Hamlet reads? You know the one? In Act II, Sc 2, he comes onstage quietly reading. Is it a bible, a book of poetry, an instruction manual for his iPhone? What is it? It’s a reasonable question. In fact, Shakespeare has Polonius ask it: Polonius: What...
Thou Art Alive: What’s My Through Line?

Thou Art Alive: What’s My Through Line?

It was my first experience of playing Shakespeare using parts and cues. As I got up to read I asked ‘what’s my character’s through line?’ It was a gift to the workshop leader. ‘Aha! ‘ said he. ‘That’s one of the main differences you’re about to experience.’ I was...
Thou Art Alive: Not Liking Shakespeare

Thou Art Alive: Not Liking Shakespeare

Andrew didn’t like Shakespeare. “Well,” he said, “when I say I don’t like Shakespeare, I don’t mean I don’t like Shakespeare, I mean I wish I did like Shakespeare. I just can’t get on with him. All that thee-ing and thou-ing. Men in tights. Complicated words.” It...
Drowning in Metaphor

Drowning in Metaphor

The river water was clear, clean and deep, the weather hot. Aberdeenshire was a gentle place that summer, the countryside of Monymusk, lush and green. I was staying with friends, of friends. They owned this stretch of river. The kids all learned to swim here in its...
You are a Force of Nature!

You are a Force of Nature!

You wouldn’t argue with a force of nature, would you? You couldn’t argue an avalanche into a change of course or cajole a bolt of lightning not to strike. You couldn’t, by argument, stop the Aurora Borealis doing its thing. Things of that kind happen and, if you’re...