New York, April 23
William Shakespeare is
now a New Yorker and more alive than ever -- thanks to The Sonnet
Project, a virtual initiative in the form of a mobile application in
which actors recite his 154 sonnets in New York City's most emblematic
places, offering a contemporary setting of the classic works.
The
initiative, run by New York Shakespeare Exchange theatRE group, was
launched six years ago to transmit the values and sensibilities of the
genius English writer to New Yorkers, while the 400th anniversary of the
literary luminary's death will be commemorated next year.
"There
are many things in the Shakespearean world that still happen. I feel
that it connects us to the past, and when we recall them through mobile
phone technology, we also connect with the future," the artistic
director of The Sonnet Project, Ross Williams, told Efe news agency.
Williams
said the sentiments conveyed by the sonnets, first published in 1609,
continue to be relevant as they speak of "universal experiences" like
love, jealousy and betrayal.
"Shakespeare is a part of my world,
your world and the world of every other person," insisted the artistic
director, "if we can make this language relevant and contemporary, the
entire world can have the kind of experience that I have had and so did
many others from different generations".
After seeing that
traditional plays failed to attract the masses, the company decided to
invest in the digital project, a free application for iPhones and iPads.
Every
week, a short film depicting a Shakespeare sonnet recited before iconic
landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park or the New York Public
Library will be released on the application.
"The sonnets are so
short that they are like small bites, little pleasures, which can be
viewed anytime in mobile phones in place of having to watch an entire
theatrical performance online," Williams added.
The filmmakers
believe every filming location adopts Shakespeare in an American way:
contemporary and very different from classical literature, but
nonetheless a city that is overflowing with poetry.
"There is
poetry in the architecture, in the parks surrounded by traffic, in the
nature of technology, among the people of all races and ages walking
around in Central Park, waving goodbye at the Grand Central Station or
walking around with the view of Statue of Liberty, without giving a
second thought to what it represents," Williams said.
While the
director's focus on Shakespeare reflects his personal tastes, he
"dreams" that every country in the world would commission a company to
bring a national poet closer to the society.
According to the
theatre group, the digital sonnets have more than 100,000 views and the
application has been downloaded in more than 65 countries.
The creators of The Sonnet Project have already completed renditions of
more than half the sonnets, and intend to have contemporary versions of
all of them by Shakespeare's death anniversary on April 23, 2016, which
coincides with that of Spanish literary legend and author of “Don
Quixoteâ€, Miguel De Cervantes, from which we get World Book Day.
