Measure for Measure: A Version from All Clear! Shakespeare (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781495979804)

It all probably started when Eugene, as a monastery novice, was given the assignment of providing complementary "off-stage" material for some of the Bible stories. During that same time frame, he re-wrote A Christmas Carol for presentation at the Christmas "haustus" -- a monastic beer party in essence. A sketch - so we must skip to The Breadloaf School of English in Vermont, where acting and Shakespeare sort of came together for him. Now, on to Stanford (and MFA) and his stint with faux poetry under the faux authorship of Bluser Pacquing - throw in some composing: setting to new music the songs in Mother Courage. Skip to this mouthful: The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, in Santa Maria, Calif. The acting and directing opportunities there solidified the direction of his life (well, the rest of it). Skip, skip, skip to Charlotte, NC - eight years as Artistic Director at the community theatre. What looked like a demotion to public schooll drama teacher, turned out to be the perfect fit; and the beginning of the ALL CLEAR! SHAKESPEARE project - now 20 years old! Humble beginnings at a Middle School with no budget for stage productions; but a teacher with a mission to take the students where they'd never been before. What else, but a production of Midsummer! Do some adapting - but no insulting dumb-down; compose a little music; borrow a few costumes -- and voila! Hippolyta's mom was the theatre reviewer for the Charlotte Observer - that didn't hurt! And here we are, ten re-writes later, three in print.