FMU’s Artists and Lecture Series and the FMU English Department will be sponsoring “Lot O’ Shakespeare,” a one-man theater production with a Shakespearean theme. The production will take place on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. in Chapman Auditorium in the McNair Science Building.
“Lot O’ Shakespeare” will be presented by the Tim Mooney Repertory Theatre. Tim Mooney, the only member of the theater group, will be presenting Shakespeare monologues in a fun and interactive environment.
The performance will be set up as a bingo game which participating members of the audience play. Mooney will spin a bingo cage that contains ping pong balls with references to specific Shakespeare plays and monologues. Mooney will then perform the monologue that corresponds to the ball he draws.
References to these monologues will be on “Iago” (instead of Bingo) cards, named for the famous Shakespearean character from “Othello.” Each participating member in the audience will have one of these cards, and if they the reference to the particular monologue on their card, they will mark it off. In order to win, a player must be the first to mark off four titles in a row. The winner gets a free t-shirt.
According to Professor of English Dr. Jon Tuttle, the performance will be both fun and impressive. The audience will simultaneously be able to play an interesting form of bingo and witness Mooney’s memorization and performance of a variety of Shakespeare’s plays.
This is not the first time that Mooney has displayed his talents at FMU. In 2007, Mooney performed “Molière Than Thou.”
Although Tuttle has not seen a performance of “Lot O’ Shakespeare,” he did enjoy “Moliere than Thou.” According to Tuttle, it was a funny “one man mash-up of Molière.”
“Lot O’ Shakespeare” promises to be equally entertaining and enjoyable. The performance has received many positive reviews, and, in Tuttle’s words, Mooney is a “remarkable” performer.
Tuttle also expressed his sincere desire for students, and anyone else who is interested, to attend. He stressed that everyone is welcome and that admission is free. According to him, the appeal of the play is to witness both Mooney’s and Shakespeare’s talent.
“The point of it is not just the dexterity of the actor but the variety of Shakespeare,” he said.
Dr. Linda Jacobs, professor of English and Shakespeare expert, is excited about the performance and believes it will result in students gaining a better understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare.
“[Students] need to brush up on their Shakespeare,” Jacobs said.
Tuttle also hopes that students will watch this performance and gain an appreciation for Shakespeare.
“[The play] shows that Shakespeare is accessible and entertaining and not the vitamins or vegetables [students] have to eat because they’re in college,” Tuttle said.