By John Moore
CultureWest.Org is endeavoring to make short films out of all 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets, each featuring actors with Colorado connections. The artistic intent is primarily to further CultureWest’s mission to spotlight the local theatre community and their current or upcoming productions. It’s also an attempt to promote Shakespeare education in a fun way. This is an entirely volunteer project with a proud budget of … zero dollars.
We will roll one Sonnet video a week for … zoinks! … 154 weeks. Here’s a link to the YouTube playlist that hosts the entire series.
Four our 12th sonnet, No. 131, Josh Nelson addresses a woman not of evident beauty but with a considerable, compensatory emotional allure. Only here, she’s a dog named Meatball (and – in true Shakespearean fashion – actually a boy!). Nelson just appeared in the Aurora Fox’s ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ at Stapleton, the Denver Center Theatre Academy’s “An Evening of Sondheim” Master Class Project and next will reprise his role in ‘Guys on Ice’ at the Fox.
Video by John Moore. Another new short sonnet film is posted here every Monday. Thank you to Meatball’s owner, Talia Liccardello. Read more about the Denver Sonnets Project here: Please support the Denver Actors Fund at www.DenverActorsFund.Org.
The Denver Sonnets Project is a volunteer collaboration, with limited eligibility requirements for participation. For information on how to register, email your interest to culturewestjohn@gmail.com.
Completed episodes to date (in numeric order):
Sonnet 1: Cast of “Cult Following”: “From fairest creatures we desire increase …”
Sonnet 2: Josh Robinson, “See thy blood warm …”
Sonnet 23: Gabra Zackman, “As an unperfect actor on a stage …”
Sonnet 36: Rachel Fowler, “I may not evermore acknowledge thee …”
Sonnet 44: John Carroll Lynch, “Thought kills me that I am not thought …”
Sonnet 47: Adrian Egolf, “Thyself away are present still with me …”
Sonnet 74: Lowry Elementary School: “Thou hast but lost the dregs of life …”
Sonnet 90: Adam Stone: “If thou wilt leave me, do not leave me last …”
Sonnet 94: James O’Hagan-Murphy: Sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds …”
Sonnet 124: Cast of Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s ‘The Tempest’
Sonnet 131: Josh Nelson, “In nothing art thou black save in thy deeds …”
Sonnet 136: Lyndsay and Jeremy Palmer, “Make but my name thy love …”
Look here for a new sonnet every Monday. For more information on The Denver Sonnets Project, and how to sign up, please email culturewestjohn@gmail.com.
Please consider supporting the Denver Actors Fund at www.DenverActorsFund.Org
