In a Time of Contagion

Send us Fan MailGEORGE:This is Episode Two of our plague-and-COVID series.Last time we met two invisible enemies and noticed how history doesn’t repeat itself—but it does rehearse.Today: what happens to art when gathering becomes dangerous.What happens to theatre when breath becomes suspicious.WILL:And what happens when the crowd—the glorious crowd—is declared a hazard.GEORGE:Quick reminder: my Shakespeare can look back from the present day.He can read modern scholarship, watch modern productions, react to films—but he cannot predict the future beyond “now.” No prophecy, no spoilers.WILL:I may critique. I may lament. I may laugh.But I may not foretell.GEORGE:When plague hit London hard, one of the most dramatic effects—and for you, the most personal—was the closure of playhouses.WILL:Theatre is a creature of crowds. Plague is a creature that hates crowds.We were natural enemies.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.