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Dr. Carol Rocamora is an educator, playwright, translator and critic. Her three volumes of his complete translated dramatic works of Anton Chekhov have been published by Smith & Kraus.
Her new play, I take your hand in mine...., based on the correspondence of Chekhov and Olga Knipper, premiered in September 2001 at the Almeida Theatre in London, starring Paul Scofield and Irene Worth, and opened in Paris in October 2003 at Peter Brook’s Theatre des Bouffes du Nord, under his direction, starring Michel Piccoli and Natasha Parry.
Now in her 15th year of teaching at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Dr. Rocamora has been the recipient of the David Payne Carter Award for Teaching Excellence. She also lectures on theater at the Juilliard School, the Yale School of Drama and Columbia University.
Formerly, she was the founder and artistic director of the Philadelphia Festival Plays at the Annenberg Center. Dr. Rocamora’s biography, Acts of Courage: Vaclav Havel’s Life in the Theatre, was published in 2005.
She has written about theater for The Nation and The New York Times, and currently contributes to The Guardian and American Theatre. She has recently completed Rubles, a collection of original plays inspired by Chekhov’s short stories. She is currently working on a biography entitled Chekhov: Portraits.
More articles by Carol Rocamora, newest first
| Shakespeare, Shylock, anti-Semitism— and Al Pacino (1st comment) |
July 11 2010 |
At least since the Holocaust, Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice has been widely reviled as an anti-Semitic screed. But Al Pacino’s majestic portrayal of Shylock in New York suggests an entirely different interpretation: of Jews (and Israel too) surrounded by a hostile world.
The Merchant of Venice. By William Shakespeare; Daniel Sullivan directed. Through August 1, 2010 at Delacorte Theater, Central Park (near 80th St.), New York. shakespeareinthepark.org.
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| Early O’Neill and Williams, together in London |
June 12 2010 |
The British director Laurie Sampson had the brilliant idea of pairing the earliest full-length efforts of Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams, and directing, cross-casting and producing them in repertory with a unifying set. The effort reveals many intriguing common characteristics– as well as the debt that Williams clearly owed to O’Neill.
Beyond the Horizon, by Eugene O’Neill, and Spring Storm, by Tennessee Williams. Both directed by Laurie Sampson. At Royal National Theatre, South Bank, Belvedere Road, London, U.K. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
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| Stage adaptations: a British foursome |
June 04 2010 |
How do you revitalize the plays of the past, when the author is no longer around to protest? British theater is addressing this issue in four provocative productions this spring.
Women Beware Women. By Thomas Middleton; directed by Marianne Elliott. At the Royal National Theatre, London. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
Romeo and Juliet. By William Shakespeare; directed by Rupert Goold. Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-on-Avon,U.K.. www.rsc.org.uk.
The White Guard. Adapted by Andrew Upton from the novel and play by Mikhail Bulgakov; directed by Howard Davies. At the National Theatre, London. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
Homer’s Odyssey. By Mary Zimmerman; directed by Rafaella Marcus. At the Oxford Playhouse, Oxford, U.K.. www.oxfordplayhouse.com.
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| Liv Ullmann’s ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ |
December 27 2009 |
In her interpretation of Blanche DuBois, Cate Blanchett appears to be channeling the spirit not only of Blanche but also of Tennessee Williams himself. In her happy first-time collaboration with director Liv Ullmann, it’s clear that it takes a great actress to direct a great actress.
A Streetcar Named Desire. By Tennessee Williams; directed by Liv Ullmann. Sydney Theatre Company production through closed December 20, 2009 at Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 636.4100 or www.bam.org.
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| Jude Law as ‘Hamlet’ on Broadway |
November 24 2009 |
Jude Law, the latest in a seemingly endless line of Hamlets, is a deeply emotional Hamlet who wears his heart on his sleeve, holding nothing back. In the process he brings out all the colors and complexities of what it means to be a man today, or any day.
Jude Law in Hamlet. By William Shakespeare; directed by Michael Grandage. Donmar Warehouse production through December 6, 2009 at Broadhurst Theatre, 235 West 44th St., New York. www.broadway.com/shows/hamlet-jude-law.
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| The storm over Caryl Churchill’s ‘Seven Jewish Children’ |
May 16 2009 |
Seven Jewish Children, Caryl Churchill’s eight-minute play about January’s Israel-Gaza war, has been attacked as a dishonest anti-Israeli rant. But the reactions and counter-reactions may matter more than the play itself. In triggering a global dialogue, Churchill has dramatized the power of theater to respond rapidly to political issues.
Seven Jewish Children. A play by Caryl Churchill. To read the complete script or view a video, click here.
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