After many gray days, majestic fire in the sky. My thoughts turn to Shakespeare's sonnet # 73, a companion of three score years.
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
,
The Sonnet Project is a completely crazy idea dreamed up by Ross Williams from NY Shakespeare Exchange. 154 sonnets, 154 NYC locations, 154 actors. It’s a tapestry of cinematic art that infuses the poetry of William Shakespeare into the poetry of New York City. It’s huge, it’s visceral and it’s right here.
The Sonnet Project very quickly blossomed into something more. It became apparent that each sonnet was not simply a ‘video’ – not simply an actor standing at a monument reciting a sonnet – but a short independent film. Every single sonnet required time and effort beyond our imagining. But the finished product! Each one is expansive, narrative – a work of art.
If you are reading this on a smartphone or a tablet here’s the app: Shakespeare for Everyone.
NY Times article: Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Through a New York Lens (April 6, 2015)
“It brings Shakespeare to people who might not be in touch with it, and we can use social media like Twitter and Instagram to spread the word”
The group, which started the project in 2013, just completed its 100th film: Sonnet 27, starring Carrie Preston, an Emmy award-winning actress, and filmed on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
So far, the project’s organizers have spent about $30,000, All the actors work at no cost. The organizers hope to create a walking tour app out of the project.
Stay tuned!