I met William Shakespeare yesterday.  He was walking toward the men’s room, but I managed to stop him before he reached the door.  I told him that I am a big fan, and we chatted for a while.  He seemed impressed to hear that I teach a course on his work in Singapore.  I think he was not aware that Singapore is primarily an English-speaking country.  He did, in fact, ask about how his work fares in Chinese (I told him there are some very good translations), and we chatted for a while about how his work is received in various parts of the world.  Of course, it’s well known that the Germans want to claim him as their own.  But then, he pointed out, they would be pleased to claim nearly any good thing as their own.

This meeting took place at the Texas Renaissance Festival.  I had never attended the annual event before, but really enjoyed getting to be a part of it yesterday.  The jousting was perhaps the most exciting show during the day, but meeting the Bard had to be the highlight of the festival for me.

It is impressive to see the work done by the people who put together this grand event.  It takes months of preparation beforehand, and some have even made this their life’s work, traveling from place to place and helping with the various Renaissance Festivals that go on across the country. 

Duncan Inches is one of those who travels from place to place.  He dresses as Shakespeare, and really does a nice job playing the part.  You can engage Inches-as-Shakespeare to come to any educational or entertainment event and perform his shows, which include “A Little Touch of William,” “Seems Hamlet:  A Work in Progress,” “Better a Witty Fool...,” and “The Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet.”  He does talks at schools, acting workshops, and even acts as Master of Revels at various feasts and festivals.  I really enjoyed his onstage telling of Shakespeare’s life yesterday, and had a good time chatting with him later in the day (even if it was outside of the men’s room).

I’m always on the lookout for good Shakespeare resources, and I might have found one of the best yet in meeting Mr. Inches.  If you’d like to contact him for any events, you’ll have to do so by more traditional means at this time, though he does hope to have a website up and running soon.  (Look here for a link, once that is done.)  You can reach him at:

        Arts in Education Programs

        4465 East Genesee Street PBM 101

        DeWitt NY 13214

        Tel:  (508) 237-3036

© 2007 Shelly Bryant