What we’re about
Twin Cities Shakespeare Readers meets once a month to discuss the plays of William Shakespeare, the greatest writer who ever lived. Our goal is to approach the wisdom, beauty and cognitive power of his poetry.
We meet at 6 PM on the last Monday of every month at Minneapolis Central Library in the Doty Board Room, room N-280.
The Doty Board Room, room N-280, is located on the second floor of the Minneapolis Central Library. Take the elevator or escalator up from the lobby to the second floor and go down the hallway to the left.
Audio performances of 2023 plays
Spotify: https://spotify.link/BxDcBu4hFCb
YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6f0Fq3KbiVLF3TceUXVClCn9YjlxjKqa&si=4AZzbvIrVhEP6gmv
Donate
PayPal: paypal.me/robblarson
Venmo: @Robb-Larson
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Theatre In The Round Players: "Glory" ($5)Theatre in the Round, Minneapolis, MN
Thursday, January 16, 2025, 7:30 pm.
Theatre in the Round Players (TRP)
245 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis MN 55454Join us for the final dress rehearsal of "Glory". The cost is $5.00 at the door. Cash preferred. NO LATE SEATING.
Play Description:
The year is 1933 and four friends set out to prove to Canada that hockey isn’t just a sport for men. But with the Great Depression weighing heavily on the nation and political tensions rising in Europe, can they overcome the odds, and people’s expectations, to forge their own path to glory? Inspired by the true story of the Preston Rivulettes and brimming with music of the jazz age, Glory proves that a woman’s place is on home ice. Don’t miss this thrilling hockey story for the whole family.At the box office you can get a voucher for a discount at the parking ramp of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, 1500 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55454. The parking meters are not free at night.
There is always a small chance that a performance might be cancelled at the last minute, so call TRP that afternoon to check 612-333-3010, and also check Meetup messages for this event.
- A Midsummer Night’s DreamMinneapolis Central Library, room N-202, Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis Central Library: Room N-202.
There is underground parking beneath the library, off 4th St. S., for about $5. Go in to the Library lobby and then in to the book stacks area. Take the elevator or stairs up to the 2nd floor, then go all the way to the left.
This is a discussion about the play, not a reading or showing of it.
SYNOPSIS (from the Folger Library)
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare stages the workings of love. Theseus and Hippolyta, about to marry, are figures from mythology. In the woods outside Theseus’s Athens, two young men and two young women sort themselves out into couples – but not before they form first one love triangle, and then another.
Also in the woods, the king and queen of fairyland, Oberon and Titania, battle over custody of an orphan boy; Oberon uses magic to make Titania fall in love with a weaver named Bottom, whose head is temporarily transformed into that of a donkey by a hobgoblin or “puck”, Robin Goodfellow. Finally, Bottom and his companions ineptly stage the tragedy of “Pyramus and Thisbe”.FREE VIDEO PERFORMANCES
• A&E Cable Network / New York Shakespeare Festival (1982) (IMDb rating 7.8)
• Royal Shakespeare Company (1996) (IMDb rating 6.2)
• The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival (2020)
• IPFW Department of Theatre, Fort Wayne (2016)
• University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts (2018) (Play starts at 15:26 mark)LOCAL LIVE PERFORMANCES
• Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, Feb. 1 - March 23, 2025KANOPY APP
Download the free app. Then link your library account to it. This will allow you free access to many Shakespeare plays.ARTICLES
• Wikipedia: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• “A Modern Perspective” by Catherine Belsey
• SparkNotes: Full Book Analysis
• SparkNotes: Themes
• SparkNotes: Literary Context Essay
• SparkNotes: Central Idea Essay
• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Navigator
• Further ReadingGENERAL INFORMATION
• The Folger Shakespeare Library has free and paid (includes notes) downloadable texts of all of Shakespeare’s plays.
• The Folger Library: Shakespeare Documented has copies of original documents from Shakespeare’s time.
• “The Play’s The Thing” is an excellent free podcast discussion of Shakespeare’s plays.
• Podcast: “Approaching Shakespeare”
• SparkNotes 101: Shakespeare [Excellent synopses of all the plays.]
• Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber [Excellent analysis of all the plays.]FACEBOOK PAGES
• The Official William Shakespeare Page
• Shakespeare Study Group
• William Shakespeare: His Works and His World
