BARD-A-THON 2013: Live and Will in Fairbanks
Written by Extreme Alaska
One more the Bard's words sail across cyberspace. Local volunteers pitch in around the clock whispering, barking, crying and humbling reading WIlliam Shakespeare's peerless pages, reigniting imagination across the ages.
Get the schedule an video stream here.
If music is the only reward, Fairbanks Shakespeare Volunteers are officially on break. Expect other hiccups as our local players sometimes miss their cues, along with tongue-tied stumbles and bathroom breaks, pardon such pauses and be patient, dear audience. Action, such as there is, will resume.
In keeping with this Far North tradition, Will's readers soldier forward until his cannon is complete. This year that means Jan. 29.
Better yet, head down to the Empress and embrace immortality adding your voice to the joyous flood of words.
First person: Henry VI, part II
Written by Molly Lane
The floor creaked under the weight of each member as they stretched and prepared for the 4:00 p.m. reading of Shakespeare at the Empress Theatre. The middle of the room is lit with Christmas lights that are hung in such a way that they resemble a spider with many legs. About six tables with mismatched chairs create an arch around the big empty room. Each table also had mismatched table cloths which closely resembled loud drapes. The only thing that matched were the dim banker lamps with green shades. The room could easily hold 200+ people, yet only six people in Fairbanks made the time to read Henry VI part II.
First person: Merchant of Memories
Written by Jeff Bushke
I drove East on Airport Way, at 3:40 AM on Tuesday. There was no traffic and the stop lights all gave me a “green”, until I reached Cushman Ave. Just a few more blocks and then I would arrive at the Empress Theater just before the top of the hour.
I was about to embark on a journey that took me back 45 years. The objective was to read “The Merchant of Venice” by William Shakespeare.
First person: Kaitlin gets the part
Written by Extreme Alaska
Late Sunday night five people and one black and white spotted dog, gathered at the Empress theater in Fairbanks, Alaska to read the sonnets and stories of William Shakespeare. For 192 consecutive hours, Shakespeare's farthest north fans will take part in Bard a Thon, a tribute to the great playwright. For ten days the Empress theater will be the setting for the Fairbanks community to come together and read every piece ever written by Shakespeare.
I stopped by for the midnight reading of Edward the III.
"Kaitlin Wilson? KAITLIN WILSONNNNNN!!!,"
