My Shakespeare

I just happened upon this on our local PBS channel and was transfixed.

Baz Luhrmann acts as the omniscient adviser to directors everywhere hoping to create a meaningful stage experience, using an inner-city rendition of Romeo & Juliet as the case study. Juxtaposed with Luhrmann's insightful explanation of a director's craft is the making of the project itself -- a West End production of Romeo & Juliet, performed by actors with zero experience who've been chosen off the streets of an inner-city London neighborhood.

Clearly, director Paterson Joseph is biting off more than most folks would presume he could chew, but the documentary does a magnificent job of detailing his process, challenges and creative (and sometimes difficult) solutions to the evolving problems. Many of the cast are spotlighted individually, and their growth from curious pedestrians who answer Paterson's question, "Have you ever read any Shakespeare?" to confident would-be thespians is fascinating. Despite having never directed a performance before (!), Paterson rides the tumultuous wave of highs and lows through to an end that likely exceeded his own expectations as surely as it exceeds that of his cast.

Paterson's grace and wisdom should inspire anyone seeking to create in any art form. Truly recommended for artists of any persuasion, or anyone who doesn't believe in "impossible."