"I Cannot Heave My Heart into My Mouth"

Authors

  • Judith Clare Thompson University of Guelph

Abstract

Cluster: Playwrights' Statements: On Political and Youth Adaptations of Shakespeare in Canada

"I Cannot Heave My Heart into My Mouth" is a personal account by renowned Canadian playwright Judith Thompson of her experiences adapting and directing Shakespeare for inner city children in Toronto, from grades four through six over the past seven years. The essay explores the process of adapting Shakespeare for youth as one of explosive healing, empowerment, as well as a joyous and searing investigation of the self.

Author Biography

Judith Clare Thompson, University of Guelph

Judith Thompson—playwright, screenwriter, director, actor, professor, and mother—is the author of ten plays, two feature films, and numerous radio plays and essays. An Officer of the Order of Canada, she has won, among others, two Governor General's awards, the Toronto Arts Award, the Prix Italia, a Nellie, the Canadian Authors Association Award, and a Chalmers Award.

Issue Cover text: B&L, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2007. Image: Hamlet lifts a masked player's cloak which has fluer-de-lis on the outside and the Canadian maple lead on the inside.

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Published

2007-05-01

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2007): Canadian Shakespeares

Section

Appropriations in Performance Reviews