Episode five of Merced Shakespearefest's Ricardo II: A Bilingual Adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard II is titled "Hombres de Guerra / Men of War," but the standout character in this installment of the play is Queen Isabella. 

With the new year underway, many of our collaborating theatre companies have begun rehearsing Cymbeline—if perhaps under more unusual circumstances than usual. As the covid-19 crisis continues to change how theatre makers are able to share their craft, many of our Cymbeline in the Anthropocene collaborators are adapting new ways to reach their audiences.

In episode 4, "Arrendador de Inglaterra / Landlord of England," the king and his entourage travel to visit John of Gaunt, who grieves his banished son from a sick bed. When the king arrives only to mock John's illness, what follows is a witty but ominous repartee.

In our final blog entry of 2020, Cymbeline in the Anthropocene project leader Randall Martin delves into the textual allusions indicating Cymbeline was originally a Christmas play, signifying an existential turning between ages that was relevant to audiences in both 1610, the year of its first performance, and in 2020. At the end of a year dominated by global health, ecological, and social crises, Cymbeline's prophecies offer a wisdom we can take into a new year, and a new era, as the world continues to transform.

We are delighted to announce that internationally distinguished Argentinian playwright, translator, actor, and opera and theatre director Mónica Maffía will be joining Cymbeline in the Anthropocene. Dr. Maffía will create a new translation of Cymbeline in Castilian Spanish, which will be performed by her Buenos Aires-based theatre company, Setebos.