COMPLETE - Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare - ic

[sadclown]

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

This project is now complete! All audio files can be found on our catalog page: http://librivox.org/the-taming-of-the-shrew-by-william-shakespeare/

The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies, and was inspired by classical Roman comedy and the Italian commedia dell'arte. Baptista Minola, a rich gentleman of Padua, has two daughters: Katherina, renowned for her sharp tongue, and Bianca, who is sought after by multiple suitors. Baptista decides that Bianca cannot marry until her elder sister finds a husband. Enter Petruchio, who has come to "wive it wealthily in Padua," and who is convinced by Bianca's suitors to woo Katherina. The play ultimately poses the question of who is the bigger shrew: Kate or Petruchio. The subplot involves the subterfuge employed by Lucentio to woo the lovely Bianca. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)

1. Is there a deadline?
   
   Target completion date of this project: 7/31/2010 – but try to send your recordings as soon as you can. If you cannot do your section, for whatever reason, just let me know and it’ll go back to the pool. There’s no shame in this; we’re all volunteers and things happen.
   
   "To be fair to the readers who have completed their sections in a timely way, all unrecorded sections that were claimed more than 2 months ago will be orphaned on November 7th unless the claimants post in this thread before then to reclaim the section."
2. How to claim a part, and 'how it all works' here
   
   To find a role to record, simply look at point 5. below at the sections. All the ones without names beside them are “up for grabs.” Click "Post reply" at the top left of the screen and tell us which role you’d like to read. Read points 6. to 8. below for what to do before, during and after your recording.
3. New to recording?
   
   Please read our Newbie Guide to Recording!
4. Where do I find the text? Source text (please only read from this text!): http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1508
5. Please claim roles (the numbers in the first column below)! Please note: All Librivox recordings are in the public domain. When you submit your recording, you will be placing your recording in the public domain as well.
   
   If this is your first recording, please let me know under which name or pseudonym you'd like to appear in the LibriVox catalogue. We can also link to a personal website/blog.
   
   ==========================================
   MAGIC WINDOW:
   
   (BC admin)
   
   
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6. BEFORE recording: Please check the Recording Notes: http://librivox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6427#6430
   
   Please pronounce "Petruchio" as Peh-True-Chee-O
   
   Set your recording software to: mp3
   
   Channels: 1 (Mono)
   
   Bit Rate: 128 kbps
   
   Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz
   
   Submit one file per act.
7. Make sure you add this to the beginning of your recording:
   
   [Role], read by [your name].
   
   If you are reading stage directions, please include for each file:
   
   At the beginning: Act [#] of The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare. This is a Librivox recording. All Librivox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit Librivox dot org.
   
   At the end: End of Act [#]. At the end of the play, add End of The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare.
   
   Please remember to check this thread frequently for updates!
8. AFTER recording:
   
   Save files as 128 kbps MP3 tamingoftheshrew_[role]_[#].mp3 (all lower-case), where # is the act number.
   
   ID3 V2 tags: Not needed for individual parts.
   
   Recording Notes: Please record your dialog with a 1-2 second pause in between your lines, so that the waveforms don't touch each other. Please do not attempt any type of filtering or modification of the "raw" sound.
   
   Please insert this Tone in between scene breaks. It'll make it much easier to visually spot the scene divisions when editing. Thanks!
   
   Tone
   
   BTW - this tone can be generated inside Audacity by selecting Generate>Tone. It'll default to a 30-second length, but can be trimmed down like any other sound.
   
   Transfer of files (completed recordings)
   
   Please always post in this forum thread when you've sent a file. Also, post the length of the recording (file duration: mm:ss) together with the link.
   
   • Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader (when your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread): http://upload.librivox.org
     
     
     
     (If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin)
     
     You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: ic - icyjumbo
   • If this doesn't work, or you have questions, please check our How To Send Your Recording wiki page.

Any questions? Please post below or PM me.

[sadclown]

I'm claiming Bianca! (finally a female role in a Drama )

[neerajanagarajan]

Can I take up two roles - if yes, the Hostess and the Widow. If no, one of the two

[sadclown]

Can I take up two roles - if yes, the Hostess and the Widow. If no, one of the two

Sure, as long as you can make them sound different!

[KiltedDragon]

Can I take up two roles - if yes, the Hostess and the Widow. If no, one of the two

Sure, as long as you can make them sound different!

The Change Pitch tool in Audacity is wonderfully useful for this.

[EHB]

Might I venture to suggest some modifications to the Wikipedia summary? For instance, how about this:

The Taming of the Shrew is an early comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1590 and 1594. The play begins with an Induction in which a drunken tinker named Sly is tricked into thinking he is a nobleman by a mischievous Lord.

The Lord has a play performed for Sly's amusement with a primary and sub-plot. The main plot depicts the courting of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate, and eponymous shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments - the "taming" - until she is an obedient bride. The sub-plot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's less intractable sister, Bianca.

The play has been adapted numerous times for stage, screen, opera, and musical theatre; the most famous adaptation being Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia)

I've made the following four alterations:

1. In the opening para, I've removed the reference to footnote [1], since the footnote itself isn't given.

2. I've also removed Wikipedia's statement that the Induction is "a framing device." That's true of some other texts of this work (in which Sly returns at the end of the play). But in the text to be recorded by LV, the Sly material in[tro]duces the play but doesn't "frame" it.

3. I've deleted Wikipedia's final para, which I think has a rather oldfashioned look nowadays (the relationship between The Shrew and A Shrew has been immensely clarified by recent research, though I daresay some details remain in doubt). In any case, the subject isn't directly relevant to a LV recording of The Shrew.

4. I've deleted Wikipedia's statements about "The play's misogynistic elements." Politically provocative remarks of that kind may have a place in a Wikipedia summary, but I'm not sure that they're wanted in a LV summary. I might add that I personally find those particular Wikipedia statements tendentious and potentially inaccurate, for two reasons: (a) Even if a character in a play utters misogynistic sentiments, that does not necessarily make the play itsellf misogynistic. (b) In any case, where the Shrew is concerned, I'm not sure that the characters' sentiments are misogynistic, in the true sense of that word. An assertion that (e.g.) wives should be submissive to their husbands is highly offensive to most people nowadays, but that does not make it "misogynistic" (just as an assertion that children should be submissive to their parents is not "misopedic").

In saying all this, I'm not trying to defend or excuse the play in toto (few people nowadays, I imagine, would do that). I'm simply trying to avoid politically provocative issues which would do nothing to enrich most listeners' enjoyment of an audio recording.

Apart from the above four points I've left the summary unaltered. I haven't modified Wikipedia's syntax and vocabulary, even where they look strange ("the headstrong, obdurate, and eponymous shrew"; "Petruchio tempers her"). (I must confess that I don't think we're seeing Wikipedia quite at its best in this particular article!)

This is just a suggestion. Even mentioning the four points inevitably gives the impression that I think them more important than I really do. Others may well prefer to adopt the Wikipedia summary without modification. If so, that's fine with me.

[BellonaTimes]

Man, Petruchio has some great lines I'd love to read,

Signior Hortensio, 'twixt such friends as we
Few words suffice; and therefore, if thou know 615
One rich enough to be Petruchio's wife,
As wealth is burden of my wooing dance,
Be she as foul as was Florentius' love,
As old as Sibyl, and as curst and shrewd
As Socrates' Xanthippe or a worse- 620
She moves me not, or not removes, at least,
Affection's edge in me, were she as rough
As are the swelling Adriatic seas.
I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;
If wealthily, then happily in Padua.

but shouldn't we go traditional and have an Englishman read them? (preferably Jude Law)

[sadclown]

Man, Petruchio has some great lines I'd love to read,

Signior Hortensio, 'twixt such friends as we
Few words suffice; and therefore, if thou know 615
One rich enough to be Petruchio's wife,
As wealth is burden of my wooing dance,
Be she as foul as was Florentius' love,
As old as Sibyl, and as curst and shrewd
As Socrates' Xanthippe or a worse- 620
She moves me not, or not removes, at least,
Affection's edge in me, were she as rough
As are the swelling Adriatic seas.
I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;
If wealthily, then happily in Padua.

but shouldn't we go traditional and have an Englishman read them? (preferably Jude Law)

Well, I'll check with Jude, but if he's not available, then you're welcome to read the part!

[kristin]

I can't help myself. Though I know I've already read a number of great Shakespeare parts, so if someone wants it really bad let me know.

But until then, I'd like Katherina.

[sadclown]

I can't help myself. Though I know I've already read a number of great Shakespeare parts, so if someone wants it really bad let me know.

But until then, I'd like Katherina.

Great, thanks!

[icyjumbo]

Jennifer, as you've guessed, this will probably be a complicated project. It will be my first dramatic project, so I'm looking forward to learning something. I'll be back soon with your MW.

[Jc]

do you have a MC yet?
If not, I can take your project!

[icyjumbo]

Sorry Jc, it looks as though we cross-posted.

As a consolation, would you like to read a part?

[icyjumbo]

Magic Window set up now.

I'll leave the project here in the launch pad for a day or so to see whether we can pick up a DPL, but I'll move it to its proper home tomorrow come what may.

[BellonaTimes]

Man, Petruchio has some great lines I'd love to read, but shouldn't we go traditional and have an Englishman read them? (preferably Jude Law)

Well, I'll check with Jude, but if he's not available, then you're welcome to read the part!

I'm gonna go for it. I can just hear the slapped foreheads of a dozen UK readers, but...