A new question, a consequence, a soul seeking an audience.
We hosted a little party on the 23rd April – here are some of our photos celebrating Shakepeare’s Death (and Birth) Day!
Such gorgeous and very serious guests!
And cake!
We got a little bit glammed up.
A big fat thank you to everyone we worked with over the past year (there’s a whole lot of you) and a big fat thank you to William Shakespeare – you’re a pretty awesome bloke!
xxx
When people ask us about 2016 and what we achieved it’s often quite overwhelming to communicate the scale of In Souliloquy and the amount of work we actually did across the year. This started as a little project and has evolved into anything but that – although at it’s core it remains essentially what we set out to do. To celebrate Shakespeare, his work and to reclaim the voices of characters lost in the plays and time since.
We’ve grown too, as producers and artists. Our vision has opened up and we are very excited to bring new creations to you in 2017.
Thank you to everyone who has collaborated with us this year, your time, talent and work has been essential to the ongoing success of this project. Thank you to those who voted on that terrible website, supported by viewing our videos and put up with us talking Shakespeare all the time. We are pretty chuffed with your support and confident we can reward it by continuing to make good art (hat tip Neil Gaiman) this new year.
Big love and a whole lot of gratitude,
Tilly and Victorine xx
(V&T)
I love Paul Kelly – with the kind of defiant Australian-ness that I cling tight with his stories of my country and how far we have come and how far we have to go.
Seven Sonnets & A Song is a project to tie in with #Shakespeare400 – where Paul has taken the words of Shakespeare and put them to music. In short it’s a pretty divine collection – it’s only downside that it feels very short – much more like an EP than a record. But it’s beautiful and full of little treasures and new rhythms to words you thought you knew.
Sonnet 18 gets a lovely treatment – but here below is Sonnet 73 – it’s a wonderful video clip:
I missed out on his London concert but sent along a mate who provided me with the goods and also had a great time! Yay for sharing on good things and for tickets not going to waste.
So this isn’t necessarily “Australian” but hearing this very “English” words sung with such a voice is a reminder how much Shakespeare means to all sorts of people around the world and how it can be reclaimed in different contexts.
A discussion for another day perhaps – but for now perhaps lets sit back and enjoy the music.
FIVE SMALL ANGRY TWITTER SHAKESPEARES. It is such a great celebration of an Australian Bard tapping into The English Bard. Plus you can learn and sing these words in a new way, what a truly excellent and worthy thing.
PS. My dad thinks we should write to Paul and get him to sing our Souliloquies! I agree, I think singing them would be ace.
So being immersed in In Soulilouy has left me with a Shakespeare detector that makes me jump around like an idiot when I find something that references him. This past week has been full of Romeo and Juliet.
1.Taylor Swift’s song Love Story
So, I’ve been listening a lot to Taylor Swift recently and this sickly sweet song got sugar hooks into my brain and I actually now genuinely love it. It’s a strange mix to be dreaming of our Juliet with this lurking in the background.
3 Small Angry Twitter Shakespeares because they get a happy ending and she says Romeo a lot.
2. Gnomeo and Juliet.
This was on BBC iPlayer and I could not resist. I actually chose to rewatch it. It’s totally better the second time round. I mean it just a winning combination of ridiculous puns and Elton John’s music and there is A TALKING SHAKESPEARE STATUE. And a flamingo (who’s love gets replaced by an online order…which is really creepy actually) – but a flamingo!
This gets 4 Small Angry Twitter Shakespeares as it is a delight and basically was made because someone *cough probably Elton John* came up with a pun and made a movie out of it.
3. Batman (1966 movie)
It is Shakespeare’s Bust that holds the key to the secret entrance to the Batcave. A lovely touch in an epic movie which I saw for the first time tonight and genuinely felt like I was being stalked by Shakespeare.
2 Small Angry Twitter Shakespeares because the Romeo and Juliet reference came when Bruce was falling for Kitkana (Cat Woman in disguise) and not using his brain at all but the bust is amazing!
4. The Blacklist – Season 3 – episode 20 – The Artax Network.
Almost spoiler for the most recent episode but this one made me cry. It was a direct quote and was just the right bit of text to be read at that moment.
4 Small Angry Twitter Shakespeares because it was delivered without any cleverness – just heart and that’s sometimes what is needed. ❤
5. Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries – season 1 – episode 11 – Blood and Circuses.
There’s a part when working out how the conspiracy has all come together when Phryne describes a person in the scenario as “come over all Romeo and Juliet” when he fakes his death using animal tranquilizers. It’s a lovely quip – especially as fans will know well Inspector Jack Robinson is a massive Shakespeare fan. I just rewatched this episode so this reference popped out.
3 Small Angry Twitter Shakespeares as it is witty and clever whilst being inclusive and fun for both the audience and for Jack.
6. Matilda – Naughty Song – by Tim Minchin.
I totally sang this at our Juliet when filming because it is awesome and wonderful and generally a pretty good rule for life. Being stuck in a story where you are doomed lovers sucks so get out of it pronto!
3 Small Angry Twitter Shakespeares because it is adorable and has a great message as well as asking the main question I had when I first read the play – I’m sure they could have worked out a better plan, no?
7. Juliet In Souliloquy
Juliet In Souliloquy from In Souliloquy on Vimeo.
With our Juliet I had a clear idea of what she was saying and why she was saying it. The idea of eternal love is romantic yes, but in eternity what might this mean for two very young people when one of them is a bit of an idiot. It always felt to me that Romeo and Juliet was a waste of life and how heartbreaking would it be if she relised that.
5 Small Angry Twitter Shakespeares* for Fern who surprises so much in this performance as those words flew out of Juliet’s soul.
When you write something and it comes back at you in a way that catches your breath and changes your understanding that’s pretty special. Hopefully that’s what William Shakespeare feels like when we take his Romeo and Juliet and make it anew. Whether it’s sung or quipped or said with great regret or humour – it’s a play that’s here to stay.
*You are surprised we got 5 Small Angry Twitter Shakespeares? She who rights the list makes the rules!
It’s the end of April (Shakespeare’s Birthday Month) and a time to reflect on our project before moving forward with it.
Before we move on to our Second Cycle in May here is a little pause and a reflection on things that we (V&T) Team In Souliloquy have achieved in April.
This April the two of us have produced, written, directed and edited 6 new films.
What we actually did.
An enormous part of this work happened in the past week. On the 23rd of April 2016 400 years since William Shakespeare died we filmed and by the end of this month our first cycle was released.
Please celebrate the end of April by sharing on our unique responses to Shakespeare’s work and stay tuned to the website and twitter for news of more souls seeking an audience.
Love Tilly and Victorine
(V&T)
Today we celebrated a big day! Happy Birthday Mr. William Shakespeare and Happy 400 year Anniversary since you took your final bow.
Thank you.
We also successfully filmed the full first cycle of In Souliloquy.
Francesca Burgoyne as (a hungry) Lady Macbeth.
Michael Bagwell as (a confused) Fool.
Our little Lavina made and played by Joanna May.
Fern McCauley as (a slightly well balanced) Juliet.
An enthusiastic Helena played by Christine Leigh Milburn!
Unfortunately Margaret of Anjou doesn’t mug for the camera (we had a time limit) – however in director mode her performer Victorine Pontillon …
As you can see we made time for some celebratory fun in among the deep and meaningful exploration of art, language and soul searching.
I think it’s important to share the fun and the light side of what goes into the art we make and to acknowledge how it it is connected to what has come before.
We writers need strong hands.
“Out, out brief candle.”
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Shakespeare for your light that shines on us 400 years later on the 23rd April 2016.
In Souliloquy 