Shakespeare – A. M. Matte

Thursday Throwback – Titania’s Table

ammatte Uncategorized 5 June 20144 juin 2014A Child's View of Shakespeare, CBC Writes, challenge, Dr. Seuss, iambic pentametre, monologue, selfie, Shakespeare, Titania 0 commentaire

When I was twelve years old, I wrote a one-act play based on Shakespeare’s, called A Child View of Shakespeare. In it, Juliet does not love Romeo and a Pharaoh – Cleopatra – is disinterested by her suitors. Viola is writing a tell-all book about her boss, and there is the obligatory identical twin quiproquo.

To my young ears, Shakespeare’s iambic pentametre sounded just as rhythmic and as rhyme-y as Dr. Seuss, so that’s what the play sounds like. Basically, A Child View of Shakespeare is iconic characters stirred up in Macbeth’s witches’ pot to deliciously silly results.

Fast forward two decades (ahem) later, when CBC Writes launched its Shakespeare Selfie Challenge to celebrate the playwright’s 450th birthday, asking Canadians to take a Shakespearean character, situate him or her in a present-day scenario, and write a new soliloquy or monologue (an old-timey selfie) for that character.

So, I dug through A Child’s View of Shakespeare and pulled out a passage to submit to the challenge. I recycled my twelve-year-old self’s banquet-themed monologue and breathed new life into it through Queen of the Fairies Titania’s voice. What if she were the host of a modern-day cooking show?

Click here to read Titania’s Shakespeare Selfie – do you see the Shakespearian and Seussian influence?

A passion for reading, writing and theatre

ammatte Uncategorized 9 January 20129 juin 2012Creative Writing, Michel Tremblay, Molière, reading, Shakespeare, théâtre, Writing 0 commentaire

I loved books before learning to read, and reading quickly became my favourite passtime – along with writing. Before I handled a pencil, I produced plays with my little brother in our living room, where we presented our masterpieces to our parents, for the low cost of 5¢ – per ticket.

Great classical playwrights such as Shakespeare and Molière guided my first plays (Des fous et des femmes, 1992; Colour Me Mythed or The Myth of Many Colours, 1993; A Child’s View of Shakespeare, 1992; Les fourberies de Molière ou Le Molière imaginaire, 2001). Studying Michel Tremblay’s works also had an impact on my writing (Peau des ongles, 2002), as did my love for Broadway musicals (La Reine a cassé sa pipe, 2005).

Passionnée de la lecture, de l’écriture et du théâtre…

ammatte Uncategorized 7 January 20129 juin 2012création littéraire, écriture, lecture, Michel Tremblay, Molière, Shakespeare, théâtre 1 commentaire

J’adorais les livres même avant avoir appris à lire et la lecture était mon passe-temps préféré – avec l’écriture. Bien avant de mettre plume sur papier, dès l’âge de six ans, j’inventais du théâtre avec mon petit frère dans le salon de notre demeure, où nous présentions nos œuvres à nos parents pour la modique somme de 5¢ par personne.

Les grands dramaturges classiques tels Molière et Shakespeare ont orienté mes premières pièces de théâtre (Des fous et des femmes, 1992; Colour Me Mythed or The Myth of Many Colours, 1993; A Child’s View of Shakespeare, 1992; Les fourberies de Molière ou Le Molière imaginaire, 2001). L’étude des écrits de Tremblay a aussi marqué ma plume (Peau des ongles, 2002), ainsi que mon amour de Broadway et des comédies musicales (La Reine a cassé sa pipe, 2005; Gates’ Heaven, 2009).