A One-Man Show about Shakespeare and Life in Elizabethan England,
played at your school.
$5.00 per student, 100 student minimum
Best for advanced, academic students
With material gathered over 30 years, this one man, one-hour
show brings to life the London Shakespeare lived in and wrote about: strolls
through the streets,
the eccentric James I, town smells, a minister's rant,
a prize at sea, a thief’s scam, a day in the life of a town-fool,
a public hanging and much more.
These segments, sprinkled with favorite Shakespearean bits and topped
off with the 'Seven Ages of Man,' reveal the London and the people Shakespeare
implored his company to hold 'a mirror up to.'
David Craig, Head of Languages, T.D.S.S. November, 2008 Do not let this unique opportunity for your students to pass by - book this show!
CBC Radio - Five stars ***** Put "A Mirror up to Nature" at the top of your fringe list.
Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star Theatre Critic Highly reccomended!
Rodger Barton is an actor who knows and loves Elizabethan England.
On a bare stage with no props, he brings us into the world using the
age's major tool: its vivid love of language. He takes us everywhere,
from the intrigues of court to a detailed description of a public
execution. At the end we know much more about Shakespeare and the
society that helped create him than we did going in, and we learned
it in an entertaining manner.
In the Bard"s own words, "This is as't should be."
Eye Weekly: This sketch/lecture combo is certainly the most entertaining
background reading I’ve ever done. Rodger Barton is
in complete command of his material, his voice, and his body language.
If you have an interest in Shakespeare don't miss this one.
Mellisa Bailey-Bean, Timiskaming District Secondary School, Now, 2008 Rodger Barton's one-man show, "A Mirror Up To Nature", is a phenomenal resource for teachers of English and students of Shakespeare. His energetic and cerebral performance will inspire anyone to delve into the complexity of William Shakespeare. P.S. I have "done" you several times this week in my classroom, Rodger - especially reading the Osric lines in Hamlet. The kids all had the idea of a courtier BANG ON, when I recalled your performance as the "dandy" with the hair and the flowered "scrunchie" on his leg.
Jay Lormand, Nantyr Shores Secondary School, Nov, 2008
I talked to my senior class later in the day and they loved it. They thought it was a great performance!
Catherine Evans, Bishop's College The show is choc-a-bloc with information, anecdotes,
jokes and horrors. Rodger's sheer passion was motivating and moving
for all of us.
York University Student "Your show made me laugh, worry and draw back in disgust. I loved
it!"
Fringe Audience Member, Toronto Fringe, 2006 Like an Elizabethan Spalding Grey, we got a grand tour so lavishly
described we could almost taste the bread and smell the shit in the
chamber pots.
(For schools booking a performance of "A Mirror
up to Nature" the text of the show will be made available as
an oral communication tool or group performance piece for the students
of that school.)
