Shakespeare visits Minot
MINOT – The first year that Minot State University celebrated William Shakespeare, a decorated barge floated players across a nearby lake to their performance space on the lawn, and festival goers enjoyed music, dance, and selections from the Bard’s plays. This was in 1916, 300 years after Shakespeare’s death.
One hundred six years later, Robert Kibler, professor of English and chair of the Division of World Languages and Cultural Studies, alongside Eric Furuseth, professor of English, are directing this year’s Shakespeare Fest. Over two nights, Kibler and Furuseth will introduce and lead discussion on a film adaptation of “The Tempest” and the movie “Shakespeare in Love.” The festival will take place on April 19 and 20, at 6:30 p.m., in Aleshire Theatre.
“What we're hoping to do is have a game before we show the movies,” Kibler explained. “Then, Eric and I will introduce the movies, and talk about the text, the origins, the history of the play, and also give the audience some sense of what they should be looking for as they watch. There's coffee and cookies at the lobby, and after each movie, those who want to do so are very welcome to stay around and discuss the plays into the night.”
Several English students will also help with the festivities, both leading up to and during the two-night event. The spirit that has gone into coordinating Shakespeare Fest reflects what Kibler describes as a need for a revival of the liberal arts.
“We need to do more to enlarge the footprint of the liberal arts so that people realize their value,” said Kibler. “We are in a fight for the aesthetic and intellectual center of university life. The forces of stout practicality are killing higher-ed. They’re making it contractual. We need to have people going into university and dreaming of something bigger than ourselves — something more noble than a simple transaction. For as a transaction alone, education becomes smaller all of the time, and the costs more burdensome than anything else. But if we are following dreams too, well, people who dream big do big things. It is almost a prerequisite to high achievement.”
On the importance of Shakespeare himself, Kibler cites both the playwright and literature at large as driving-forces towards an enriched life.
“I think, as I do really for all literature, that Shakespeare is important because it embodies human truths that, you know, I am left to ferret out, and by doing so, that strengthens my own mental acuity. It also confirms for me — often in words that I don't possess — human truths that I recognize once I see them,” he said. “That's why I'm in literature. Literature embodies the wisdom of the past and the human truths which have a durability even if they change with generations. And, getting that sense of the whole human condition past, present, future — it's a rich understanding. So Shakespeare, all of it. All of it. That’s what I value.”
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
Published: 04/07/22
