New York Shakespeare Exchange announces the next Freestyle Lab: Shakespeare on the Big Screen – A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR THE BARD

New York Shakespeare Exchange
announces the next
Freestyle Lab
Shakespeare on the Big Screen – 
A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR THE BARD
in partnership with the 53rd Street Library 
Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at 6:30pm

New York Shakespeare Exchange announces the next Freestyle Lab, Shakespeare on the Big Screen – A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR THE BARD, on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at 6:30pm at the 53rd Street Library (18 West 53rd Street). This event is free.

In honor of William Shakespeare’s 455th birthday, New York Shakespeare Exchange presents a screening of 20 incredible films from their award-winning THE SONNET PROJECT which received a Special Commendation from The Shakespeare Birth Place Trust in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK. Each of the films features one of the Bard’s iconic love poems in perfect indie-cinema style. The films will be shown in a feature-length screening in the library theater. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the actors and directors, about translating Shakespeare to film. Free to attend. (BIRTHDAY CAKE INCLUDED!!)

The Sonnet Project is a tapestry of cinematic art that infuses the poetry of William Shakespeare into the poetry of the world in which we live. The project began with the goal of creating 154 films in the five boroughs of New York City. Each film taking one of Shakespeare’s sonnets and interpreting it for the screen. But as the end of that journey (130 films released, so far) nears, the conversation has expanded to include two new series of films: The Sonnet Project US and The Sonnet Project International. 

The films feature performances from acclaimed actors such as Joanna Gleason, Susan Heyward, Lynn Cohen, Billy Magnussen, Isaiah Johnston, and Hannah Elless. The event will also feature a panel consisting of several of the Sonnet Project filmmakers including Adam Bradley, Karla Braithwaite, Alex Megaro, Jessica Baumann, Harry Taylor, Lucas Rainey, Pat Dwyer, moderated by NYSX artistic director, executive producer and creator of the Sonnet Project Ross Williams.

Part lecture, part performance, and part town hall conversation, Freestyle Labs address the issues facing our world through a Shakespearean lens. All Freestyle Labs begin with an exhibition performance and conclude with a vibrant Town Hall conversation with the artists and audience. 

The next Freestyle Lab, scheduled for May 21, topic to be announced.

New York Shakespeare Exchange is internationally known for its The Sonnet Project (in which more than 1,500 volunteer filmmakers from around the world have joined the discussion by creating short films in New York locations based on all 154 Shakespeare sonnets). NYSX produces at least one mainstage production a year.  In 2016, NYSX produced Hamlet10, in which 10 actors played the Danish Prince, and a stunningly relevant period-adaptation of Shakespeare’s epic poem, “The Rape of Lucrece,” which delved into sexual violence against women.  This past season NYSX staged a critically acclaimed, smart phone-obsessed Much Ado About Nothing, which plugged into the zeitgeist of fake news and alternative facts.  Their most recent production, a new adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was conceived and directed by Brendan Averett and ran in January/February 2019 at the Secret Theater in Long Island City, NY.

In the coming months, NY Shakespeare Exchange will offer a number of exciting community-based events. Their Freestyle Lab series-part performance, part lecture, and part town hall conversation-will be presented free of charge on May 21 at the 53rd Street branch of the NY Public Library. www.NYSX.org