The Play’s the Thing!

Louis Fantasia is currently Artistic Associate of the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles and Series Editor of Playing Shakespeare's Characters. His books include Instant Shakespeare; Tragedy in the Age of Oprah; and Talking Shakespeare: Notes from a Journey. In 2003, the Council of Europe named the theatre collection at its library in the European Parliament in his honor. In 2016 he was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland) for his contributions to German culture and theater. A monologue from his first play, Dreams of a Sleep to Come (2020), was included in Best Men’s Monologues of 2021.

Contributors – Introduction: The Play’s the Thing! – Olivia Buntaine: The Story of Cressida’s Body: The Rebellion of Survivorship in Troilus and Cressida (and Our Responsibility in Storytelling) (Rebels) – Brian Lohmann: Smiling, Damned Villains: The Pleasure of Not Caring (Villains) – Janna Segal: Re-"Claiming from the Female": Shakespeare’s Henry V (Monarchs) – Baron Kelly: Othello: In the Age of Black Lives Matter and DACA (Lovers) – Armin Shimerman: "He that plays the King shall be welcome" (Villains) – Timothy Harris: Through Hamlet’s Eyes (Monarchs) – Charles Duff: "In Boy, go first. You houseless povertie … ": Social Justice and Transformation in King Lear (Rebels) – Jessie Lee Mills: My Poor Fool: Dramatic Implications for Single, Double, and Dual Casting Cordelia and the Fool in King Lear (Monarchs) – Elaine Turner: Measure for Measure (Monarchs) – Susan Gayle Todd: Caliban in Love (Lovers) – Edit Villarreal: Behind Closed Doors: Sex, Lies and Servants (Villains) – Louis Fantasia: "Very fine people …" (Villains).