Boston Public Library collaborates with the Brattle Threatre for Shakespeare out of the Box

In conjunction with the initiative All the City’s a Stage: A Season of Shakespeare at the Boston Public Library, The Brattle Theatre and Boston Public Library present a Shakespeare Out of the Box film series running Monday, November 14 – Monday, December 19 at the Central Library in Copley Square. The Monday, December 5 showing of Titus will be followed by a Q&A with Academy-award nominated director Julie Taymor.

The series features some of the more outside of the box adaptations of the Bard’s many great works. From musicals to science fiction and from U.S. high schools to the African savannah, these selections prove that Shakespeare’s narratives are truly universal. All films screen in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.

“Boston Public Library welcomes film enthusiasts and casual viewers alike to the Central Library for what promises to be an intriguing series at this historic cultural venue; I am grateful to The Brattle Theatre for their work to bring their unique viewpoint to the curation of this series, and know we all greatly look forward to Julie Taymor’s insights in early December,” said Michael Colford, Director of Library Services for the Boston Public Library.

“The Boston area is home to many important cultural institutions, and The Brattle Theatre is among the finest,” said Julie Burros, Chief of Arts & Culture for the City of Boston. “Through this partnership, we are able to collaborate with organizations in new ways and reach a broader community of those who appreciate the arts.”

Film Schedule:

Monday, November 14, at 6 p.m.

West Side Story

This certified American film classic is a streetwise musical version of Romeo & Juliet.

Monday, November 21 at 6 p.m.

10 Things I Hate about You

The writing team of Karen and Kirsten Smith cleverly transpose The Taming of the Shrew from sixteenth-century Italy to Padua High – your typical twentieth- century American high school.

Monday, November 28, at 6 p.m.

The Lion King

While not a direct adaptation, this Disney classic owes much to Shakespeare’s Hamlet – with a young lion stepping in for the melancholy Dane and the African savannah replacing the castle Elsinore.

Monday, December 5, at 5 p.m. (note special time)

Titus

The most direct adaptation in this program, Julie Taymor’s Titus hews close to the original text of Titus Andronicus, but makes use of stunning cinematic effects to drive home one of Shakespeare’s bloodiest and most infamous tragedies.

A Conversation with Julie Taymor at 8 p.m.

Acclaimed director Julie Taymor joins viewers for a discussion about her career adapting Shakespeare for the stage and screen.

Monday, December 12, 6 p.m.

Ran

The great director Akira Kurosawa adapts King Lear as a medieval Japanese epic with Tatsuya Nakadai inhabiting the role of the aging and doomed king.

Monday, December 19, 6 p.m.

Forbidden Planet

Perhaps the most “out there” adaptation in the program, Forbidden Planet hurls the Bard into space with a sci-fi interpretation of The Tempest.

All the City’s a Stage: A Season of Shakespeare at the Boston Public Library commemorates the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. From September 2016 to June 2017, discover the Bard’s lasting legacy with two exhibitions at the Central Library in Copley Square and dozens of programs system wide connecting audiences to theater and the dramatic arts. Visit www.bpl.org/shakespeare for more information.

About BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Boston Public Library has a Central Library, twenty-four branches, map center, business library, and a website filled with digital content and services. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library has pioneered public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. Each year, the Boston Public Library hosts thousands of programs and serves millions of people. All of its programs and exhibitions are free and open to the public. At the Boston Public Library, books are just the beginning. To learn more, visit bpl.org.