Shakespeare moves from stage to screen with a first ever Shakespeare film series at The Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego's beautiful Balboa Park. This program is scheduled for four consecutive Thursdays beginning September 20 plus educational outreach programs on October 1 -3 and October 9-11.

According to the press release, a quartet of bold adaptations of Shakespeare will be offered. From the street gangs of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet to a samurai Macbeth; from bit players in the wings observing the melancholy Dane to Richard III recast as a 1930s Warner Brothers gangster, these films reveal the diverse inspiration Shakespeare has provided to filmmakers.

KPBS film critic and longtime Shakespeare buff Beth Accomando serves at the guest curator for what is planned as an annual event to follow the Old Globe Theatre’s summer Shakespeare season. The film series is presented in conjunction with the Old Globe Theatre and the San Diego Shakespeare Society and will include an exciting educational outreach program for students in grades 6 through 12. In some schools, Shakespeare is being taken out of the English curriculum. It is hoped this program will inspire students to take an interest the Bard’s work, which is still incredibly relevant today.

For the inaugural event MoPA (Musuem of Photographic Arts) will screen the following films:

September 20: Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet with guest speaker actress Diane Venora (Lady Capulet)

September 27: Sir Ian McKellan's Richard III

October 4: Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood (Macbeth) with guest speaker professor Stefan Tanaka

October 11 Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead

The education outreach program includes screenings of Ten Things I Hate About You (inspired by Taming of the Shrew) on October 1-3, 10am to 2pm, and Romeo + Juliet on October 9-11, 10am to 2pm. Both programs include a film screening as well as educational workshops for students. There is no admission fee for students. To reserve seats or for more information contact Priscilla Parra at  parra@mopa.org.

All evening programs begin at 7pm, and tickets will be sold at the door. The cost is $6 for the general public and $4 for students, seniors and military personnel.   

For more information, please click here or call 619-238-7559.

Thanks to curator Beth Accomando for sharing this press release with ReelTalk Movie Reviews. I believe “The Film’s the Thing: Shakespeare on Film” is a worthwhile program other communities should consider offering.

(Photo: Martin Droeshout’s copper engraving of the Bard, circa 1623 A.D.)