Tag Archives: love-in-idleness

Were the World Mine: A Queer Shakespearean Adaptation

were-the-world-mine

Cory James Krueckeberg and Tom Gustafson’s musical adaptation of Shakespearean classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream utilizes the literary magic of Shakespeare to incorporate pressing and important present day issues regarding homophobia and toleration. Were The World Mine addresses the tale of Timothy (Tanner Cohen), a persecuted gay student at an all-boys private school outside of Chicago, and his fantastical forays into a dream world of songs, dance, and lustful mayhem. An anthem for acceptance and toleration, Were the World Mine incorporates traditional Elizabethan play elements, text, and costumes in the present world of an all male, testosterone-driven play setting. Continue reading →

Love-in-idleness

Love-in-idleness, a flower commonly known as the pansy, botanically known as viola tricolor, German-ly known as the Stiefmuetterchenkraut, amusingly known as the kiss-her-in-the-buttery, and traditionally known as heartsease, is one of the many plants that William Shakespeare referenced in his plays. As one of the most common and popular field flowers across Europe, the pansy has inspired a variety of legends. As Shakespeare recounts in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one popular tale states that the flower was originally pure white until it was struck by Cupid’s arrow. The wound from the arrow formed the dark purple center of the petals. This tale of Cupid, coupled with the flower’s name, from the French “pensée,” meaning thought, and its heart-shaped petals, has linked the pansy with ideas of love, lovers, and dreaming. Continue reading →