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In a Time of Contagion
Description
GEORGE:
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.
Thank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.