Richard Eyre on Directing Shakespeare

The Royal Society of Literature do some very good talks and events, don't you know? I was definitely looking forward to this theatre/literature crossover at The National Portrait Gallery with directing legend Richard Eyre talking about Shakespeare, before being interviewed by writing legend Timberlake Wertenbaker.

Richard's talk was full of passion and enthusiasm for Shakespeare, peppered with many a tale about directing his work on stage and screen. He was quoting lines from plays, describing the moment he fell in love with Shakespeare aged 15 after watching Peter O' Toole play Hamlet at the Bristol Old Vic, talking about how he illuminates meaning as a director, proclaiming Shakespeare to be the British national emblem, and displaying an impressive knowledge of the themes, issues and contexts in his work.

As the applause died down and he went to sit with Timberlake, she said to the audience - "I still don't understand a word of it." A hilarious, but damning review there. I'm sure Richard has faced the haterz over the years, but absolutely nothing would dampen his enthusiasm for his hero. He said so many insightful things about how to direct and watch Shakspeare, it would take forever and a day to write them all down. So here's a few soundbites to leave you with -

"I've come to think of directing like being the conductor of an orchestra - I bring the actor in on the beat."

"Shakespeare is obsessed with the humanness of being human. The transforming power of love. Shakespeare's plays can extraordinarily translate into other forms and languages - that sense of humanity, of paradox, and largess of spirit transcend."

"I like being made to concentrate when I watch a play. I like that theatre happens in a present tense, that it's changeable, communal - going in an individual and coming out a group, the sense of magic and moral debate, theatre's uniqueness and liveness."