Main Menu
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu
)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
2/7/2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES- During his career as an actor and teacher Dr. Jack Wann has criss-crossed the country sharing his love of Shakespeare. Wann is hoping to spread his enthusiasm to a wider audience through a new book published by the Northwestern State University Press.
The book, "Shakesperience!: An Approach to Performing Shakespeare," uses Wann's experience as an actor, director and teacher to help make the playwright's work more accessible.
"Shakesperience!: An Approach to Performing Shakespeare," is available for $16.95 plus $3 shipping for the first book and $1 for each additional book. Copies can be ordered by mail to: Shakesperience/Wann, P.O. Box 602, Natchitoches, LA 71458, by calling (318) 352-1653 or e-mailing wannjshakesperience@yahoo.com.
"Having taught Shakespeare during most of my career as a teacher, I believe Shakespeare is the best our language has to offer," said Wann, who has been at NSU since 1989. "Shakespeare is something I feel I am an expert in. If you are a musician, you study Mozart. An artist might study Rembrandt. An actor should study Shakespeare. There is no greater voice than Shakespeare."
Wann set out to write a book that "wasn't ponderous at all" and that would help anyone read or play Shakespeare better.
"I put some of my experiences down on paper and have written it in a casual enough style that it should appeal to someone embarking on their first experience with Shakespeare," said Wann. "This book would be appropriate for a good high school student, a college student or someone active in community or professional theatre."
Before coming to NSU, Wann was on the faculty at Northern
Kentucky University. He is a 30-year member of Actors Equity and
has directed, stage managed or performed in more than 300 plays
in his professional and acting career.
Wann said "Shakesperience!" does not go into the historical
detail or the politics surrounding Shakespeare's plays.
"There have been thousands of other books which have gone into that," he said. "I want to tell people how to jump in and come to terms with things. I want them to know how to do Shakespeare how to deal with the archaic language and the physical demands."
The idea of the book came to Wann about five years ago and he has been writing for about two years while managing a busy schedule as a director, speaker and coordinator of NSU's theatre program. For the past several years, Wann has also cast and directed a troupe called "Shakesperience" which has performed a fast-paced Shakespeare program to students and groups in 10 states.
"I guess I am at an age where people write books," said Wann. "At this point in my career where I am relatively close to retirement and I would like what I have discovered about Shakespeare to be available to others when I am no longer there to teach it. I have a sense of responsibility to encapsulate my thoughts about Shakespeare."
Wann teaches the theatre department's "Acting Shakespeare" class and has seen the impact the author's work has on his students.
"The kids who have taken the course reinforce how important Shakespeare was," said Wann. "Seldom have I had someone take the course and not come out of it with Shakespeare as a favorite."