Exciting times here at Smooth Faced Gentlemen! We’ve been busy working away (in our lovely new office), and have some very big things planned for the next year.
Announcing… #SmoothFacedPlayers
Over the coming months, we’re going to be running a series of digital Shakespeare experiments. (‘Shakesperiments’ you could say… #sorrynotsorry)
We can’t reveal too much yet… except they’ll all be playful and ambitious new ways to share Shakespeare with more people than ever before, in ways you’ve never seen before. Always with women’s voices at the core (and all from the comfort of your own phone!).
And we want YOU to be a part of it
For our first experiment, we’re inviting women from all over the world to submit a video of themselves delivering the “All the world’s a stage” speech from As You Like It. It’s as simple as that.
What will we do with it, you ask? Well, our smooth faced friends, you’ll have to wait and see. But we’re looking for as many different submissions as possible – the experiment depends on it.
So, ladies, join the #smoothfacedplayers and GET FILMING!!
What you need to know:
- We’re looking for women of all backgrounds, ages and abilities. You just need to identify as female (As We Like It!)
- No acting experience is required. We won’t be judging anyone’s performance, we’re just looking for a range of voices and interpretations, and even languages.
- You can send us a line from the speech (below), a sentence, or the whole thing!
- The deadline is in TWO weeks! Get your video to us by Monday 30th September.
- Email your video link to players@smoothfacedgentlemen.com with your name and where you’re sending it from.
If you know somebody who might like to be a #SmoothFacedPlayer, please share this with them. We want as many voices as possible.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
Other things you should know:
- You should be over 18 (But if you’re not and really keen to take part, drop us an email and we’ll see what we can do!)
- We’re happy to receive videos of the speech in your mother tongue, if you have a translation.
- You can be on your own or you can be in a group.
- You can frame it however you want to. Don’t worry too much about video and sound quality, just as long as we can hear you.
- Please email us a download link. This can be dropbox, google drive, Vimeo, iCloud, it doesn’t matter – however works best for you.
- By sending us your link, you agree to allow us to use it as part of our video experiments, without reimbursement, in perpetuity in any media, on the understanding that we won’t be selling the end result. We can’t promise to use every video submitted, but whether we do or not, your video is still your own to do what you want with it.
Speech: “All the world’s a stage”
(from As You Like It, spoken by Jaques)
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Shout-out to Ruby Dee’s poem ‘Calling All Women‘ for inspiring the title of this post!
