476. LIVE “BARDTALK,” LUTZ & JOSYPH: SHAKESPEARE’S THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

John Lutz and Peter Josyph

This special session features a lively exploration of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew by two of our longstanding Frick Estate Lectures professors, John Lutz and Peter Josyph. The two will discuss—perhaps contentiously at times—some of the important themes and issues of stagecraft in one of Shakespeare’s most enduring comedies. Brief selections from The Taming of the Shrew will be distributed in class for students to follow along, but in case you’d like to quickly brush up on your Shakespeare, the Franco Zeffirelli film starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor is “streamable” on Prime. Shrew is a popular but controversial play, so your voice will be welcome in this lively discussion with Q&A to follow.

10:00 – 12 noon                                                                                                                               1 Session

Thursday, July 10                                                                                                                              Fee:  $50

ABOUT THE LECTURERS

John Lutz is Professor of English and oversees a university Division of Humanities which houses English, Philosophy, and Foreign Language. In addition, he has led numerous initiatives such as College 101, Learning Communities, Freshman Orientation, Strategic Planning, and Outcomes Assessment. Dr. Lutz has also published numerous scholarly articles on both philosophy and literature, including a recent publication entitled “ ‘Objects Insignificant to Sight’: Racial Violence and Empathy in Faulkner’s ‘Pantaloon in Black’,” The Faulkner Journal, 2023; he has consistently been honored and has won significant awards for outstanding teaching throughout his stellar career.

Peter Josyph works concurrently as a writer, painter, actor, photographer, and filmmaker. He has published 12 books, including five on Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy, and a series of fictions about Henri Matisse; his paintings have exhibited around the world, and his films include: Shakespeare in New York; A Few Things Basquiat Did in School; Hell; Bardtalk; No Standing in St. Petersburg; Acting McCarthy: The Making of Billy Bob Thornton’s All the Pretty Horses; and the award-winning Liberty Street: Alive at Ground Zero.

Lutz and Josyph have also cooperated on other free-flowing discussions about “The Bard”, which were filmed and posted to YouTube; they are currently co-authoring the forthcoming exploration of another famous play they’ve previously discussed on film, entitled Bardtalk: A Dialogue on The Merchant of Venice.