Informational Videos
Recycling Magic: A Midsummer Night's Dream - State of the Arts, New Jersey
Junk most people throw away is transformed into magical sets and costumes for a new production of the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Old keys, straws, plastic membership cards, wine corks and CDs, all combine in costumes and sets that evoke a magical world. Artistic director Bonnie Monte, a self-proclaimed collector and recycler - describes her vision.
‘Shakespeare and Nature’, an introduction by Professor Charlotte Scott - Oxford University Press
Charlotte Scott explains how Shakespeare uses the natural world to amplify the emotional and psychological elements of his plays. She examines the use of the forest in As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Titus Andronicus and Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Interview with Evelyn O'Malley on Open Air Shakespeare - Shakespeare Link
Video of open-air theatre expert Evelyn O’Malley in conversation with Shakespeare Link Associate Artist Jamie Wilkes. Evelyn is a lecturer in drama at the University of Exeter and researches open-air Shakespeare, theatre and climate change. Evelyn’s work has resulted in a book, Weathering Shakespeare (described on our book resource page).
Shakespeare Hour: ‘Shakespeare and the Environment’ - Shakespeare Theatre Co
Hour-long video on Shakespeare’s green world. As the torrent of images of nature in comedies and tragedies alike seems to suggest, the world of nature, of Stratford-upon-Avon and the English countryside, was never far from his heart or his pen. What do Shakespeare’s works, written during the first wave of early modern mass urbanization, tell us about views of our natural world, then and now? How do his works (and the production of those works) relate to 21st century sustainability movements? In this episode, we discuss Shakespeare the environmentalist. Guests: Sir Jonathan Bate (Foundation Professor of Environmental Humanities at Arizona State University); Susan Hilferty (Tony and Obie Award-winning costume and scenic designer; Chair, Department of Design for Stage and Film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts); and Davis McCallum (Artistic Director, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival)
Research conversations on Shakespeare and the Environment - Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
A three part series from early 2022, including Shakespeare & the Planet: an Introduction, with Solitaire Townsend; Shakespeare and Green Theatre with Katie Brokaw, Paul Prescott, and Randall Martin; and How Green Was Shakespeare?
Creative Performances and Films
A Nigerian Eco-Tempest (video and post) - Montana In-Site Theatre
A new short film adaptation of The Tempest interrogates the human and environmental damages of colonialism. A production of Montana In-Site Theatre, the Oguta Island is written and co-directed by Nnamdi Kanaga, who also stars as Onyeka, a powerfully reimagined Caliban who has the full knowledge of African history and resistance to colonialism.
Shakespeare's Letter to the Earth (video and post) - Shakespeare's Globe
The Globe Ensemble responds to Letters to the Earth with Titania’s speech from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act II scene 1.
Imogen in the Wild (film) - Shakespeare in Yosemite
Imogen in the Wild is a retelling Cymbeline from the perspective of environmental justice and land descruction, a collaborative venture between UC Merced faculty, alumni, students, professional and community artists, and the National Park Service, which was filmed and released in 2021.
Paddayi, feature length film adaption of Macbeth set in a South Asian Fishing village, directed by Abhaya Simha
Shakespeare and the Natural World: Film Students Respond to Climate Change: Five short films from Anglia Ruskin University, in partnership with the Globe
A series of five thought-provoking and ambitious short films from students from a leading film school – conceived, created and edited in the midst of a pandemic. Films inclde "The Pulse of Change" (based on Titania's Dream speech), "Queen Mab," (based on Romeo and Juliet), "Mother Nature's Vengeance (based on Casca's Caesar speech), "Bound" (based on Macbeth's witches), and "Tomorrow" (pulling together several plays).
This Distemperature: Parrabola
A conversation between Shakespeare and the environment in 5 acts (Forest, Fire, Winter, Storm, Bees), created by a team of community actors from Craiova, Romania with Phil Parr for the 2020 Craiova International Shakespeare Festival.
Sustainable Cinema: A Historical Timeline of the Best Environmental Movies and Documentaries: a list of movies that are the finest examples of sustainability in cinema including:
Captivating dramas that serve as thought-provoking debate topics
Child-friendly animations that form the base of class-time discussions
Documentaries with a direct message that can encourage viewers to look up their local green organizations or start petitions
Please send us your suggestions to add to this page!
