It’s our first play, so let’s jump right in. Here is your video introduction to Twelfth Night, provided by Professor Murray Biggs.
Murray Biggs was born in England, raised in South Africa, and educated there and at Oxford. In 1986, after ten years’ teaching at MIT, he moved to Yale where he is now a semi-retired professor of English, Theater, and Film. He has published some 30 articles, many exploring the relations between text and performance, and directed over 40 stage productions, mostly with undergraduates, including 16 plays by Shakespeare, three of them twice. He lectures around the country on various aspects of drama.
More personally, Murray is my college professor and dear friend. Deepest thanks to him for agreeing to record the first introductory video for the Shakespeare 2020 Project.
Many thanks, also, to my friend Joey Bianco of Whim Wham for the animated video elements.
Off to a good start.
OK, I’m really doing this!
What a nice introduction. Thank you.
What a great insightful beginning! This is going to be awesome!
Thanks for the introduction – food for thought…
Yes,a very nice introduction. Thank you, Professor Biggs.
interesting comment about the ups and downs of social standing for Toby B. Andrew A. and Malvolio. I had never thought of Toby as “slumming it”, though I can see it now, in his attitude to and treatment of Andrew.
Thank you for the background resources. I start today.
This is much appreciated.
Thank you for the video. Very interesting and enlightening.
Very informative context for understanding the play, which I’m reading for the first time.
Absolutely fantastic! I think I would enjoy having a cup of tea with Professor Biggs.
As an 84 [recently had my birthday on December 30]I am so excited to begin this project.I am especially interested because my granddaughter will be spending next semester[Binghamton University] in London and will be studying Shakespeare.I may not always be on schedule but I will do my best.It’s going to be fun!!!!!!
Wonderful video! Thank you for the introduction, Professor Biggs. This will be my third time reading Twelfth Night and I’m so excited for this year. This is a very fun play to start the year off with.
Thank you Professor Biggs for making this so approachable. Feeling like a bit like a fish out of water – an engineer reading Shakespeare – so really appreciate this group and all the help!
Thanks for this. I tried reading all of WS’s plays last year on my own but faltered a bit. This will help and I WILL STICK TO IT! Have seen 12th Night at least fifteen times and read it and spoken on it before performances a bit at a theatre in the SF , CA are but had NOT realized Sir Toby had the most lines.
Very nice intro cutting, so-to-speak, to the chase; the two plots.
Thanks for that.
I look forward to this project very much and thank you for initiating it.