Notable Quotable: Heather Wood on Bonding with the Bard


by Paulette Beete
Todd Bartels as Florizel and Heather Wood as Perdita in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of The Winter’s Tale, directed by Rebecca Taichman. Photo by T. Charles Erickson
Todd Bartels as Florizel and Heather Wood as Perdita in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of The Winter’s Tale, directed by Rebecca Taichman. Photo by T. Charles Erickson

"Don’t worry if you don’t understand the first ten minutes [of a Shakespeare play]; I don’t understand the first ten minutes 90 percent of the time, unless I really, really know the play and I've worked on it. Study the character list, actually. I think that's very helpful. If you can really get a grasp on who’s in it and then just relax and enjoy it and let them take you on the journey with them. You may not get it the first time, you may not get it the second time, but enjoy the beauty of the language, enjoy the performances and just trust that you're understanding it more than you think you are." --- Heather Wood

Like Shakespeare or want to learn more? You might like these posts: Why We Still Need Shakespeare; Did You Know...? Happy Birthday William Shakespeare Edition; "Art Talk with Michael Kahn, Artistic Director, Shakespeare Theatre Company." Visit our News Room to learn which theater companies near you will be participating in Shakespeare in American Communities this year.

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