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Shaw during the lockdown

Eternal Relevance

Bernard Shaw has something to say about nearly everything, and what he said remains relevant, even to medical professionals.

Molloy, E.J. The Doctor’s Dilemma: lessons from GB Shaw in a modern pandemic COVID-19. Pediatr Res (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-020-0927-1

Shaw Performances During The Lockdown

Although many Shaw performances were cancelled in 2020, including those cherished ones at the Shaw Festival, one can still have the Shaw experience online.

Pandemic Players Present Saint Joan, March 21, 2020

You can watch the whole play here.  This is a live-stream by 24 performers and the creative team, all working from home, in support of the community theatres in the Baltimore area.

Buoyant Billions presented at the International Shaw Symposium, July 25, 2020

A one-act adaptation of a very late Shaw play, Buoyant’s Billions (1947) was presented by the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, the International Shaw Society Performing Arts Troupe.  The play was adapted by Christopher Wixson.

Gingold Theatrical Group presented many live streams

Rehearsals at the Shaw Festival continues, though the Shaw productions were eventually cancelled.

Shaw Online

Here are the invaluable tour of Shaw’s Corner and other Shavian conversations, presented by Professor Stanley Weintraub: https://shaw-institute.com/welcome/weintraub/. Many thanks to Dr. Anne Wright CBE for drawing attention to this in her Tribute to Professor Weintraub in A Writing Life, by Stanley Weintraub,  Eds. Michel Pharand and David Weintraub, ELT Press, 2020.

Works by Professor Stanley Weintraub, presented by the Shaw Bot: https://sagittarius.apps01.yorku.ca/weintraub/

Contingency Measures to Re-open Theatres

How did theatre companies do risk management?  Theatres face an uncertain future, but there may still be hope.

  1. Insurance policy: Shaw Festival

Shaw Festival Executive Director and CEO Tim Jennings is super-smart to have a pandemic insurance in place

How the Shaw Festival kept 500 people employed during COVID — by taking out pandemic insurance three years ago

2. Fewer seats for social distancing: Berliner Ensemble Theatre

Iconic Berlin theater looks very different with seats removed for social distancing

3. Drive in Theatres

Ontario to allow drive-in theatres and batting cages amid pandemic

Online Ticketing, Social Distancing, and Sanitizer: A Night in the Life of a Drive-In During COVID-19

4. Socially distanced seats and face masks

Fewer seats and more spaced out rows

Here’s what Ottawa moviegoers can expect as theatres reopen this weekend

5. Staggered movie starts and auditorium exiting.  The number of entrances and exits to the theater and open restrooms are also limited.

Kawartha theatres cautiously weigh benefit of reopening during pandemic

6. Socially distanced performances

Now only is social distancing practised in seating arrangements, the cast have to practise social distancing too, like standing on individual platforms distanced from one another.  e.g. Parker Theatre (formerly the Utah Children’s Theatre) in Salt Lake City.

Live Theater Is Changing in Creative Ways During Pandemic

7. Digital drama delivered virtually

This can be creative, inviting the audience to participate including improvisations, radio drama, virtual play reading.

Performing Original Works in a Pandemic, Artists Turn to New Tools

8. Infrared camera to take temperatures at the stage door with airlock — Lloyd Webber Theatre, UK

When will theatres reopen? Latest news on UK playhouses opening after new start date confirmed under lockdown rules

9. Cinema-goers in face masks, staff wearing perspex visors or masks

Covid hasn’t killed cinema… yet: Odeon Leicester Square gives MailOnline a look at the new Big Screen experience with staff in perspex visors and film fans spaced a seat apart as bosses insist the ‘Hollywood magic is still there’

10. Deep clean of the auditorium after each screeningclean ‘high-touch areas’ frequently:

“surfaces and touch screens at ticket kiosks have to be wiped every 15 minutes, and door handles and toilets every 30 minutes. They even have to wash their hands every single time they handle paper money.”

Covid hasn’t killed cinema… yet: Odeon Leicester Square gives MailOnline a look at the new Big Screen experience with staff in perspex visors and film fans spaced a seat apart as bosses insist the ‘Hollywood magic is still there’

11. Lining up: One-way systems and floor plans telling people where to stand

Covid hasn’t killed cinema… yet: Odeon Leicester Square gives MailOnline a look at the new Big Screen experience with staff in perspex visors and film fans spaced a seat apart as bosses insist the ‘Hollywood magic is still there’

12. Social distancing in auditorium-groups standing apart from one another

Covid hasn’t killed cinema… yet: Odeon Leicester Square gives MailOnline a look at the new Big Screen experience with staff in perspex visors and film fans spaced a seat apart as bosses insist the ‘Hollywood magic is still there’

13. Tickets shown on smart phones

Covid hasn’t killed cinema… yet: Odeon Leicester Square gives MailOnline a look at the new Big Screen experience with staff in perspex visors and film fans spaced a seat apart as bosses insist the ‘Hollywood magic is still there’

14. Cinema goers complete a test and trace form

Covid hasn’t killed cinema… yet: Odeon Leicester Square gives MailOnline a look at the new Big Screen experience with staff in perspex visors and film fans spaced a seat apart as bosses insist the ‘Hollywood magic is still there’

15. Hand sanitizers for cinema goers

Covid hasn’t killed cinema… yet: Odeon Leicester Square gives MailOnline a look at the new Big Screen experience with staff in perspex visors and film fans spaced a seat apart as bosses insist the ‘Hollywood magic is still there’

Future engineering necessities

Will these lead to future engineering necessities and a next generation of theatres?  Just have a look at what experts predicted.

  1. Larger lobbies with sanitizing stations in the lobby, around the box office, at the bar, and in line for the restrooms

If You Build It, Will They Come? : Theatre architects look ahead to designs for a post-pandemic world

2. Larger auditorium seating to accommodate social distancing

If You Build It, Will They Come? : Theatre architects look ahead to designs for a post-pandemic world

Chichester Festival Theatre reviews for Heartbreak House

Critic Dominic Cavendish writes of the unfortunate underuse of the brilliant Derek Jacobi in the Chicester Festival Theatre’s production of Heartbreak House: The Telegraph

Reviewer Michael Billington declares the Shaw play Heartbreak House a bit “bland” and comments that the only redeeming quality of the production was the performance from actor Derek Jacobi (who played Captain Shotover), whose acting skills created moments of great distinction within a rather “dull” play: The Guardian

From the perspective of reviewer Henry Hitchings, actor Derek Jacobi drives the “pessimistic” play forward. He also comments on the performance of a fellow actress, Emma Fielding, who brings a “teasing vitality” to the role of Hesione Hushabye: London Evening Standard

In this Mid Sussex Times review, Gary Shipton summarizes the play with grim details of the production’s failure to bring to the stage the authenticity of Shaw’s play: Mid Sussex Times

Elizabeth Fitzherbert praises the strong performances of the actors, as it aids in delivering a “completely frivolous comedy on manners.” However, she writes, some moments in the play seem over exaggerated and drawn out, which take back from the production: The Wall Street Journal

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’s reviews of Saint Joan

This reviews summarizes the concept behind the play Saint Joan, lists the comments from other critics: Saint Joan at The Rep

A background description of the origins of the play, the playwright Bernard Shaw and his beginnings, information on the cast and crew, as well as the dates and times of the performances: Shaw’s JOAN OF ARC Comes to St. Louis Rep’s Mainstage Through Feb. 1

Reviewer Dennis Brown praises the verisimilitude of Tarah Flanagan’s portrayal of Joan of Arc, and credits director Paul Barnes for a successful dynamic interpretation of the play: Arc Triumph: The Rep assays the summit that is Shaw’s Saint Joan

Electronic Books

Weintraub, Stanley. Silent Night. NY: Free Press, 2001. link to itunes download

Weintraub, Stanley. Eleven Days in December. Christmas at the Bulge, 1944. NY: Free Press, 2006. link to ebook; link to itunes download

Weintraub, Stanley. Fifteen Stars. NY: Free Press, 2007. link to itunes download

Weintraub, Stanley. Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941. New York: DaCapo Press (Perseus Books Group), 2011. link to ebook; link to itunes download

Weintraub, Stanley. Victorian Yankees at Queen Victoria’s Court. Maryland: University of Delaware, 2011. link to itunes download

Weintraub, Stanley. General Sherman’s Christmas. Savannah, 1864. New York: Harper/Smithsonian, 2009. link to ebook; link to itunes download

Weintraub, Stanley. Final Victory: FDR’s Extraordinary World War II Presidential Campaign. New York: DaCapo Press (Perseus Books Group), 2012. link to ebook; link to itunes download

National Theatre’s Saint Joan Reviews

Critic Lizzie Loveridge praises the theatre’s production of one of Shaw’s classics and the convincing performances of the actors in the play, especially that of Anne-Marie Duff’s “kooky and direct” take on the titular character Saint Joan: A CurtainUp London Review

Although Michael Billington’s review describes Marianne Elliot’s production of the play to contradict the ideals of Shaw, he attests to incredibility of the production by stating that it is “excitingly done.” He notes that Elliot moves the play in the direction of an ensemble piece, rather than a star vehicle that focuses only on Saint Joan: The Guardian Review

Critic Neil Dowden writes that National Theatres’s production of the play relies heavily on the physical aspect of performance and less on the dialogue between characters. He then praises the leads, especially Marie-Anne Duff, and their interpretation of the historical characters: Music OMH Review

Lizzie Guilfoyle relays her experience with the play with a walkthrough of the narrative: Indie London Review

Critic David Benedict writes his appraisal for the director’s, Marianne Elliot, version of the play and her dedication to remain authentic to Shaw’s text and the characters. Anne-Marie Duff’s commitment to the character of Joan was in fact “mesmerizing” and aided in completing the vision carried out by Elliot: Variety review

This review illustrates the director’s, Marianne Elliot, inability to remain faithful to Shaw’s intention of the play, focusing more on the “psychological motivation” behind the characters rather than revealing the background of a heroine. Although the second half revives the play as a whole, this review hold fast onto the opinion that the play is not the “most brilliant” of the National Theatre’s productions: Theatre Kraut Review

New Books

Weintraub, Stanley. Iron Tears: America’s Battle for Freedom, Britain’s Quagmire, 1775-1783. New York: Free Press, 2005. (also, subtitled Rebellion in America, 1775-1783. London: Simon and Schuster, 2005) link to book

Weintraub, Stanley. Eleven Days in December. Christmas at the Bulge, 1944. NY: Free Press, 2006. link to book

Weintraub, Stanley. 15 Stars: Eisenhower, MacArthur, Marshall: Three Generals Who Saved the American Century. New York: Free Press, 2007. link to book

Weintraub, Stanley. General Sherman’s Christmas. Savannah, 1864. New York: Harper/Smithsonian, 2009. link to book

Weintraub, Stanley. Farewell, Victoria! English Literature 1880-1900. Greensboro, NC: ELT PRESS/ Univ. of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2011. link to book

Weintraub, Stanley. Who’s Afraid of Bernard Shaw? Some Personalities in Shaw’s Plays. Gainesville, FL: Univ. Press of Florida, 2011. link to book

Weintraub, Stanley. Victorian Yankees at Queen Victoria’s Court: American Encounters with Victoria and Albert. Newark: Univ. of Delaware Press, 2011. link to book

Weintraub, Stanley. Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941. New York: DaCapo Press (Perseus Books Group), 2011. link to book

Weintraub, Stanley. Final Victory: FDR’s Extraordinary World War II Presidential Campaign. New York: DaCapo Press (Perseus Books Group), 2012. link to book

Shaw Image Gallery

Here you can find images of Shaw, his context, and productions of his plays.
You can find more Shaw-related images under Shaw Image Gallery in Content of the Shaw Project.

Shaw’s Corner, managed by the National Trust

Here you can literally follow Shaw’s footsteps. First, look at Shaw’s shoes, now displayed at Shaw’s Corner. Can you guess the size of these shoes? Can you find any shoelaces? Shaw’s shoes made him very fortunate. He once laced his shoe too tightly, which resulted in an operation on his foot for necrosis. According to Professor Stanley Weintraub, “In the conditions of non-care in which he lived at 29 Fitzroy Square with his mother (the Shaws had moved again on 5 March 1887), an unhealed foot injury required Shaw’s hospitalization. On 1 June 1898, while on crutches and recuperating from surgery for necrosis of the bone, Shaw married his informal nurse, Charlotte Frances Payne-Townshend, at the office of the registrar at 15 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden. He was nearly forty-two; the bride, a wealthy Irishwoman born at Londonderry on 20 January 1857, thus a half-year younger than her husband, resided in some style at 10 Adelphi Terrace, London, overlooking the Embankment.”

1898 also saw the writing of one of Shaw’s most famous works, Caesar and Cleopatra, made into a film in 1945 starring Vivien Leigh, Claude Rains and Stewart Granger directed by Gabriel Pascal. You can watch a trailer of the film here.
Caesar and Cleopatra was nominated for an Oscar which it did not win. But never mind, Shaw has an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay from Pygmalion, which is displayed also at Shaw’s Corner.

Like getting the Nobel Prize, Shaw never went to the award ceremony. Shaw said: “It’s an insult for them to offer me any honour, as if they had never heard of me before – and it’s very likely they never have. They might as well send some honour to George for being King of England”. However, the Oscar statuette did find its way to Shaw’s home, where it became so tarnished that a curator of Shaw’s Corner once used it as a door stop. Here is the statuette, restored to its original glory, displayed at Shaw’s Corner.
The bicycle found in Shaw

Another item you can find at Shaw’s Corner is a bicycle. Was Shaw a good bicycle rider? Shaw knew Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) through the Webbs since September 1895, when they had a bicycle collision in Monmouth. However, the bicycle also helps Shaw to think. He writes in the Notes to Caesar and Cleopatra: “Again, there is the illusion of “increased command over Nature,” meaning that cotton is cheap and that ten miles of country road on a bicycle have replaced four on foot. But even if man’s increased command over Nature included any increased command over himself (the only sort of command relevant to his evolution into a higher being), the fact remains that it is only by running away from the increased command over Nature to country places where Nature is still in primitive command over Man that he can recover from the effects of the smoke, the stench, the foul air, the overcrowding, the racket, the ugliness, the dirt which the cheap cotton costs us.”

Have you ever watched Harry Potter? Here is Shaw’s famous revolving writing hut. This writing hut was built on a revolving mechanism that enabled Shaw to follow the sun. Many famous plays, includingPygmalion and Androcles and the Lion, were written in this revolving hut. Just imagine sitting inside this hut without computers, without internet, and without heating or air conditioning, but writing great works.
Shaw Interior