The first Culture club talk for 2016 , held in the Utzon Room of the Sydney Opera House, thought provoking and raised some very intriguing ideas.

We were welcomed by Ann Mossop who then introduced the chair Jane Caro and the panel Peter Evans, Marion Potts and Damien Ryan.

Jane Caro is an author novelist broadcaster columnist and social commentator. She has written and published eight books and her memoir “Plain Speaking Jane” was released in September 2015. She currently is a regular on The Drum, Agony , Q & A and Sunrise.

Peter Evans is the current artistic director of Bell Shakespeare, having worked as Associate Director with the company in 2005. He was Associate Director at Melbourne Theatre Company 2007 -2010. For Bell he has directed the current virtually sold out season of Romeo and Juliet at the Playhouse , As You Like It , The Dream, Tartuffe, Two Gentlemen of Verona , Phaedra , Julius Caesar and others including Intimate Letters with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Marion Potts has been the artistic director of Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne since 2010. She was also Bell Shakespeare’s associate artistic director and artistic director of its development arm Mind’s Eye from 2005 – 2010.

In 2009 Potts directed a controversial all-female version The Taming of The Shrew. Previously she was resident director for Sydney Theatre Company 1995-1999 . She was a founding member of the artistic directorate of Hothouse Theatre, curator of the 2003 National Playwright’s Conference , chairperson of World Interplay and a member of the Theatre Board of the Australia Council.

Damien Ryan is artistic director of Sport For Jove Theatre and has worked with Bell Shakespeare for 15 years as an actor, director, teacher and education writer. He has also worked extensively in the education sector teaching at NIDA ACA and secondary and tertiary institutions nationally.

A board member of Bell Shakespeare Ms Caro pointed out that all the panel member had links to Bell Shakespeare.

The main topic of discussion throughout was – if Shakespeare was alive and working today what would he be writing and in what media? It was suggested that he would probably be writing for tv or film and perhaps the internet. Evans suggested that the internet has brought enormous change which would have appealed to Shakespeare.

It was then remarked that at the time Shakespeare was writing there were lots of new ideas floating around and Shakespeare was well aware of commercial developments of the period. Hamlet appears to be about new policy, but also not just how the audience sees characters in public life but their private feelings . Shakespeare was a visionary and could almost have invented us..he was an innovator with great compassion.

It was suggested he would be fascinated by our world and the changes in it – he would be dazzled by all the superficial technological changes. He reflects the world and also posits what we might become.
It was also suggested that he was fascinated by villains and an eloquent presentation of moral dilemnas ( eg Shylock , Richard 111 and Macbeth).

Ryan mentioned that for Hamlet, for example, can be related to today with the extraordinary pressure and survelliance particularly celebrities are under.

Evans suggested that we are now very familiar with the cinematic way Shakespeare conflates and uses time etc and also the ‘split screen’ process he uses at times. Later it was suggested that he laid the foundation of film.
We were reminded that Shakespeare was also an ACTOR , writing for a team of players ,and was a working actor/writer.He was a ‘populist’ writer with an audience that was good at listening attentively and had good memories.

There was discussion about Macbeth and King Lear and the violence and psychosis of various characters and how we can identify and empathise with them even though they are horrible .

Character as the basis of a play was raised and what would he have thought of Donald Trump? ( it was suggested he would have been fascinated by how Trump is willing to explode his country in order to achieve power).

The term ‘Shakespearean ‘ was discussed , how the Victorian reverence and stylistic approach has influenced us badly and whether Shakespeare can be identified with current events .

Then came a discussion on women in Shakespeare and particularly the misogynist Taming of a Shrew with feedback especially from Potts and later mention of the daughters in Lear which Potts describes as ‘ particularly problematic’.

It was mentioned that wherever he travels , Shakespeare is always pushing the boundaries.

Then it was question time from the audience including – is Shakespeare relevant to schools audiences today ( a resounding yes ! from Evans).

Various questions came up about the use of language in Shakespeare and making it relevant to today ( eg rap ) and Shakespeare in translation into other languages , Shakespearean insults , the use of sound , as Ryan described it ‘a secret coded vernacular , playful bouncing sound’ .

The universality of the plays was mentioned , and how each generation has to rediscover and reinvent Shakespeare for themselves , finding themselves reflected in his works. They are a living document with so many different interpretations possible.

A great question was asked of all the panel which was – if you were Shakespeare today what would you write about ? ( Stunned , thoughtful silence at first and then Potts said ‘ but we are not … and then said that Hamlet was her favourite play. Evans said perhaps climate change but that would be very difficult to write about.

Ryan agreed also saying climate change but added that we are creating the seeds of our own destruction.

It was agreed that his plays are a vehicle to explore aspirations , consciousness and thought.

And then unfortunately our time had run out and we had to leave for lunch.

If Shakespeare Was Alive Today the first Culture Cub talk of 2016 was on Tuesday 15 March 2016

Running time an hour 15 (approx.) no interval