What may appear to be an obvious sequel, certainly was not born from that intention. It was in December of 2001 and the submission for Fringe was fast approaching. Matt and I wanted to collaborate on another show, but had not come up with anything inspiring. We talked a little bit about another UCSN type show - but did not have any real idea and we were thinking of maybe skipping out for 2002. Then one day I was conversing with a couple of International students who I and my family were hosting. One was Brazilian and another Korean and our talk drifted to International Soccer and the fact that both Japan and Korea were co-hosting World Cup 2002. That night - I had football on the brain.
Football/Soccer was one of the sports I had originally considered for Rugby Wars but found it inappropriate for the plays I had chosen. I gradually started to think about which four plays we could tackle this year and naturally drifted to the "great four" tragedies. And then the lightening bolt hit: Othello could represent Italy, Lear - England, Hamlet - Denmark, and Macbeth - Scotland. It was PERFECT! (...with the possible leap of faith that Scotland could qualify...) That night I couldn't sleep. The next day I called Matt (in Vancouver) told him the concept and he said "giddy up."
Obviously in many ways, Shakespeare's World Cup is similar to Rugby Wars in overall comic structure and theme. However, World Cup has been much more challenging. With Rugby Wars, we had four plays that had a built-in conflict: two Royal families jockeying for the Crown. But with the "great four" - we have tried to find points of contact among four independent stories. They are there - but they are much more difficult to uncover and reveal while still trying to tell ALL FOUR STORIES in 75 minutes...through Soccer!
To meet this challenge, I brought more people on board to brainstorm ideas that would lead directly to developing a final script. So although Matt and I had the final say and put most of the pen to paper - there is a team of good brains providing a solid foundation for this show.
The other major change for this year is our co-producers who have joined us to bring you this spectacle. Spending the last year at OISE/UT put me into contact with Hart House Drama Society (HHDS) where I found a similar philosophy of producing theatre. I approached HHDS with the consideration of producing this show together - to encourage more students and people of diverse backgrounds to participate. It was a perfect fit.
So lots of changes - and yet, a familiar name, poster and basic concept. But in the end - not just another sequel. In fact, this is more correctly called an "installment." Matt and I intend to adapt the entire Shakespeare Canon into UCSN. And this time, we won't have to wait until December...
Chris
Coculuzzi
Artistic Producer