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Fringe Projects

In The Weeds Podcast with Randall Martin

By Cymbeline Anthropocene on Apr 29, 2021 in Fringe Projects

Cymbeline in the Anthropocene's project leader Randall Martin recently guest starred in Nicole Asquith's podcast In the Weeds, which explores human relationships with the environment through our cultivation of plants. In a month full of Cymbeline happenings, Randall takes a detour through a suspiciously English "Athenian" wood to speak about the forests of A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

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Ricardo II: Finale

By Cymbeline Anthropocene on Mar 30, 2021 in Fringe Projects

Merced Shakespearefest's Ricardo II: A Bilingual Adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard II comes to a close with episode 12 "Rey de Fieras / King of Beasts." In stark contrast to the lush, green, outdoor settings that framed the play's political intrigues, the play ends on a backdrop of harsh concrete settings that eerily stand for the violence humans wreak against one another and their environments. 

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Colleen Murphy's "Mouth Ghost"

By Cymbeline Anthropocene on Mar 25, 2021 in Fringe Projects

Governor General Award-winning playwright Colleen Murphy has crafted a darkly animated, multi-spirited response to the theatrical displacement caused by the pandemic. "Mouth Ghost" was originally part of a UBC Green College panel on theatre in the pandemic, titled "The Plague’s the Thing: Theatre Before, During, and After the Pandemic." The poem's brilliance has haunted us since we featured the panel on this blog, and deserves an encore of its own.

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Ricardo II: Episodes 9 & 10

By Cymbeline Anthropocene on Mar 02, 2021 in Fringe Projects

An uneasy transition of power drives the tension in episodes 9 and 10 of Merced Shakespearefest's Ricardo II: A Bilingual Adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard II. 

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"The Plague's the Thing" Panel

By Cymbeline Anthropocene on Feb 25, 2021 in Fringe Projects

In late January, three artist came together to discuss the state of theatre in a panel titled "The Plague's the Thing: Theatre Before, During, and After the Pandemic." Featuring playwright Colleen Murphy, poet Gary Geddes, and host Jerry Wasserman, the talk was hosted by the University of British Columbia's Green College, in the series "Medium to Extreme: Unlocking the Power of the Arts."

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Ricardo II: Episodes 7 & 8

By Cymbeline Anthropocene on Feb 16, 2021 in Fringe Projects

Episodes 7 and 8 of Merced Shakespearefest's Ricardo II: A Bilingual Adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard II document the impetuous king's breakdown, leading to him reliquishing the throne to Henry Bolingbroke.

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Ricardo II: Episode 6

By Cymbeline Anthropocene on Feb 08, 2021 in Fringe Projects

Episode six of Merced Shakespearefest’s Ricardo II…., entitled “Derechos y Regalias / Rights and Royalties” dramatizes the play’s power imbalances through vastly contrasting natural settings. The king’s excesses and mismanagement of resources are embodied in the stark contrast between the almost literally scorched earth he has left across the land, and the artificial lushness of the spaces he himself inhabits.

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Ricardo II: Episode 5

By Cymbeline Anthropocene on Jan 21, 2021 in Fringe Projects

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. 

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Ricardo II: Episode 4

By Cymbeline Anthropocene on Jan 07, 2021 in Fringe Projects

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.

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Ricardo II: Episode 3

By Cymbeline Anthropocene on Dec 03, 2020 in Fringe Projects

Episode three of Ricardo II: A Bilingual Adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard II reads like a miniature study of land relations by various factions across the Merced Shakespearefest's bilingual cast. Following the failed duel between Henry Bolingbroke and Tomás Mercedes/Mowbray, this episode follows Henry, his father John of Gaunt, and king Ricardo II, as the six-year exile of Henry introduces grief and geographical distance into the relationships between these characters. 

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