the Cobbe portrait

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,

Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine

With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:

And there the snake throws her enamell’d skin,

Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in…

—A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oberon, Act 2, scene 1

Beloved Bibliophiles!

We had a lovely Zoom gathering on April 25th, to celebrate Will’s 457th birthday (two days late). Because many of the people had experience doing Shakespeare plays in prison, or going to see them there, that’s mainly what we talked about. Friends from all over the world joined our conversation.

Aaron Gilbert played Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night at Two Rivers prison. He joined us from Roseburg.

Allen Mills joined us from his truck (maybe somewhere in the vicinity of Newberg), while he took a coffee break from work. Allen played Hamlet, Puck and Feste at Two Rivers prison. 

Some of the Actor/Directors who enlivened our conversation were:

Curt Tofteland of Shakespeare Behind Bars, from Michigan.

Stratis Panourios from Athens.

Ashley Lucas of the Prison Creative Arts Project at the University of Michigan.

Alan Benditt, from Seattle.

Howard Thoresen from New York.

Keith Scales from Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Todd Oleson from Walla Walla, Washington.

Other lovely friends who joined the conversation, included Gail Lester from San Rafael, and Portlanders Martha Ragland, Jeffrey Sher, Deborah Buchanan, Tad Leflar and Nancy Scharbach.

And of course Will Shakespeare was with us in spirit!

peace, love & happiness  

Johnny