Episode 3 – Shakespeare al fresco
Conny Loder talks about the relevance of Shakespeare for everyone today and how the study and performance of Shakespeare’s plays can help actors become better at their craft, help adolescents discover the joys of shared creation, and show all of us the amazing fabric of our humanity. She also shares some of the challenges and funny stories about performing Shakespeare al fresco, or outside in the open air.
Conny Loder earned a Teaching Diploma degree from the Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU) in Munich, a M.Litt. from the Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, and a PhD from the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, Greifswald.
She taught Early Modern Literature at the Greifswald University, in particular Shakespeare’s plays, until 2013 and Drama Didactics at the LMU until 2016. She is a member of the Renaissance Drama Research Group, led by Dr. Martin J. Wiggins, which focuses on Renaissance drama. Her own research focuses on Shakespeare and the Machiavellian influence on Early Modern plays. Named as a Fulbright scholar in 2003/4, she taught German at the Pacific University, Oregon, in the USA.
Conny has directed several plays, given drama workshops for universities and secondary schools in Germany, UK and USA and regularly presents at the IATEFL conference, an annual international meeting of teachers of English as a foreign language. She has conducted Shakespeare excursions to London since 2009 and engaged with people from all over the world about Shakespeare. She joined Entity Theatre in 2013.
She began teaching at the European School Munich (ESM) in 2014 and founded a youth theatre company there called the ESM Players*. Her most recent theatre works include Twelfth Night and Richard III (2017), Macbeth and Hamlet (2018), Romeo & Juliet (2019), and A digital Tempest (2020).
Conny firmly believes that Shakespeare is meant to be enjoyed by all ages. With the summer Shakespeare outdoor productions at the Theatron, Westpark, she plans to engage the audiences’ “imaginary forces”, just as Shakespeare did more than four centuries ago at the Globe Theatre.
You won’t want to miss Conny’s open air performance this year of Much Ado about Nothing and the singing and dancing she has planned for your enjoyment. See details here.
During the winter, Conny takes a break from theatre and can be found on the slopes, teaching skiing with Parallel Skiing e.V.
* You can read more about Conny’s work with the ESM Players by going to https://bloggingshakespearetheatre.com and then clicking the tab “ESM Players”
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All Things Theatre podcast episode 3
Title: Shakespeare al fresco
Guest: Conny Loder
Host: Roger Voight
You can contact the podcast creators at allthingstheatre@entitytheatre.org or complete the comment form below.
Photo: Julia Mueller
Graphics: Katrin Fegert (Drama icon: Aham Brahma)
Support: Bogdan Tabacaru
This episode of the All Things Theater podcast is brought to you by Entity Theatre’s production of The Dark – A Halloween Radio Play (directed by Jim Nellis, produced by Katrin Fegert), performing live 28–31 October 2021 at Amerikahaus München. WNTT Radio Theatre presents some of the scariest, creepiest, most shocking short stories from the deepest catacombs of radio plays adapted to the stage. The audience will be stage-side as the WNTT broadcast team streams live news, weather, sports, and our featured ensemble cast performing classic programs from the frightening days of radio. Listeners at home can tune in to the LIVE broadcast on Halloween night. https://entitytheatre.com/the-dark-a-halloween-radio-play