A Baked Shakespeare in in Melville
A different take on the world-renowned playwright and poet's work.
On one Wednesday night in Melville, locals headed to Ruby Soho where they watched Baked Shakespeare Twelfth Night.
Now, if you unfamiliar with the term ‘baked’ in informal settings, this describes someone who is intoxicated by cannabis.
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Producer and actor Jake Maisel, described ‘Baked Shakespeare’ as a concept that came about as a spinoff to the Broadway hit, Drunk Shakespeare. Though he wanted to go with this exact concept in our country, he realised that alcohol in a South African context does not work as it is too abusive, “So we thought what works? And everybody loves? Weed!
Maisel said the interactive theatre, which was the first of its kind in Joburg, is an adapted Shakespeare play that has been shortened to about a little over an hour with focus on the main protagonists, “Before the show begins, the cast will line-up in front of the audience and two of the actors are chosen by the audience to smoke weed,” he explained.
The audience will have about five chances in total to call for a performer to come forward and take a hit. “While they are getting completely baked everyone else around them is completely sober so it creates a super funny dynamic on stage.”
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As he is from Cape Town, this was Maisel’s first time in Melville and said the suburb was a super quirky, hip, young neighourhood with a vibe.
Though the play is booked for theatre spaces their preference is more informal spaces like Ruby Soho, “This is informal theatre and we are not trying to be anything than what we are not,” said Maisel.
He hoped people’s overall perception of the event be that they realise there are spaces for young people to watch theatre as well as avenues for them to enjoy theatre too.
“There are awesome ideas and opportunities out there for young actors and people who do not find access to the theatre. I started the show to bring theatre to younger audiences.”
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