Shakespearean Actors Wanted

by Michael Cook on September 2, 2007
PG NewsVolunteers

Along with the thousands of text files that Project Gutenberg has to offer there are also many audio recordings. For many people these are great ways to get to know the works of different authors.

Recently Michael Hart received a request from Tina Hansen,

I notice that your site offers a number of audio books, both human narrated and computer generated. I am pleased that you are adding more books read by voice talent. I wish to suggest that adding a human-narrated version of Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream would be of value to anyone visiting the site. You do have this done with an electronic voice, but I must be honest when I say that doing any Shakespeare play with an electronic voice just doesn’t sound the same as it does when you get a group of competent voices together. The electronic voices simply lack the nuances to make these works come alive for the reader. Instead, the listener is likely to dose off. Thus, I suggest that a call be put out for a version of this text done by competent actors. I’m sure that there are plenty of theater groups around the country who would be more than happy to take on this project. Thanks.

As the son of a Shakespeare professor Michael Hart was in complete agreement.

Therefore Project Gutenberg would like to put out a request for any persons or avid Shakespeare theatre groups to step forward and volunteer to make these.

If you are unsure on how to go about making these recordings then visit the LibriVox website. There’s lot of information on the website to help you get started.

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