Write an essay of 2500 to 3000 words in which you deal with the following themes. Clearly state your general idea for each in a topic sentence and support it with specific references to playtexts, critical texts, films--including Shakespeare in Love, live performances, and your own experience. Make your essay as personal and autobiographical as you like.

1.Shakespeare's own "metatheatrical" representations of imagination and theatricality, e.g.

• Power, limelight and airtime

• reading, decoding and interpreting words and gestures

• role playing and inner feeling

• audience and player interactions

• entrances and exits

• cues and miscues

• costume, masking, and self representation and self definition

• mirroring reality

• deception and self deception

• faith and faithlessness—something and nothing

• the creative process; bringing things to birth and fruition

2. Reading

• How reading the text illuminates viewing a performance

• How reading the texts illuminates performing

• How reading critical essays illuminates reading texts

• How reading performance critiques illuminates viewing

3. Viewing

• How viewing performances illuminates reading texts

• How viewing performances illuminates performing

• How viewing one performance illuminates viewing others--including a discussion of either Luhrmann, Taymore, or Loncraine and PCPA's The Winter's Tale

4. Performing

• How performing illuminates reading texts
• How performing illuminates viewing other performances
• How watching others stage and mount performances illuminates your experience of performance.
• How participation in performance deepens your understanding of at least one Shakespearean scene
• How the group creative process of performing illuminates the "mystery" of the creative process itself.

Some quotations from The Winter's Tale

I make a broken delivery of the business; but the changes I perceived in the Kinga dnd Camillo were very notes of admiration. They seemed almost with staring one one another to tear the cases of their eyes...5.2.10

Nothing but bonfires...Such a deal of wonder is broken out within this hour that balladmakers cannot be able to express it. 5.2.25

This news, which is called true, is so like an old tale that the verity of it is in strong suspicion...that which you hear you'll swear you see, there is such unity in the proofs... 5.2.58

Like an old tale still, which will have matter to rehearse though credit be asleep and not an ear open...5.2.60

The dignity of this act was worth the audience of kings and princes, for by such was it acted. 5.2.77

So near to Hermione hath he done Hermione that they say one would speak to her and stand in hope of answer. 5.2.100

O royal piece./ There's magic in thy majesty, which has/My evils conjured to remembrance, and/From thy admiring daughter took the spirits,/Standing like stone with thee. 5.3.43

And do not say tis superstition that, / I kneel and then implore her blessing...5.3.44

The fixture of her eye has motion in't/As we are mocked with art...no settled sense of the world can match/the pleasure of that madness...5.3.73

If you can behold it/I'll make the statue move...It is required you do awake your faith 5.2.86-95

O she's warm/If this be magic, let it be an art/lawful as eating. 5.3.110

That she is living,/Were it but told you, should be hooted at/Like an old tale; but it appears she lives...Please you to interpose fair madam; kneel/And pray your mother's blessing. 5.3.115-120