What we’re about
The Twin Cities Shakespeare Readers meets once a month to discuss a play by William Shakespeare, the greatest writer who ever lived.
We usually on the last Monday of every month, 6-8 p.m., at the Minneapolis Central Library in downtown Minneapolis, usually in Room N-202.
We also post other events that may be of interest to our members.
Upcoming events
3
"Musical Settings for Shakespeare”
F-O-K Studios, 106 W. Water St., St. Paul, MN, US"Musical Settings for Shakespeare”
Saturday, October 11, 2025, 7-8 pm
F-O-K Building
106 Water St.
St. Paul, MNPerformed by the Ken Takata Ensemble.
We know that music played a crucial role in the original productions of Shakespeare’s plays because there are over 70 texts that are supposed to be sung. Unfortunately, most of the original music has been lost. In our presentations we have used our imaginations to craft melodies to Shakespeare’s lyrics, using various styles of music.
This performance will include new settings from Twelfth Night, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Pericles.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
This event takes place as part of the St. Paul Art Crawl.
More info at: https://kentakata.com
3 attendees
“Titus Andronicus” Discussion
Minneapolis Central Library, room N-202, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, mn, USMinneapolis Central Library: Room N-202.
There is underground parking beneath the library, off 4th St. S., for about $5. Go in to the Library lobby and then in to the book stacks area. Take the elevator or stairs up to the 2nd floor, then go all the way to the left.
This is a discussion about the play, not a reading or showing of it.
She is a woman, therefore may be wooed:
She is a woman, therefore may be won:
She is Lavinia, therefore must be loved.
– Demetrius, in Titus Andronicus, Act 2, Scene 1Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand,
Blood and revenge are hammering in my head.
– Aaron, in Titus Andronicus, Act 2, Scene 3I have done a thousand dreadful things
As willingly as one would kill a fly,
And nothing grieves me heartily indeed
But that I cannot do ten thousand more.
– Aaron, in Titus Andronicus, Act 5, Scene 1O, let me teach you how to knit again
This scattered corn into one mutual sheaf,
These broken limbs again into one body.
– Marcus, in Titus Andronicus, Act 5, Scene 3SYNOPSIS (from the Folger Library)
• Titus Andronicus overflows with death and violence. Twenty-one sons of the Roman general Titus Andronicus have died in battle, leaving four alive. After defeating the Goths, Titus permits the sacrifice of the oldest son of their queen, Tamora.
• Titus helps Saturninus become emperor. Saturninus plans to marry Titus’s daughter, Lavinia. Instead, she marries Bassianus, aided by Titus’s sons, one of whom Titus kills. Saturninus then marries Tamora. The stage is set for multiple revenge plots.
• Tamora’s lover, Aaron the Moor, instructs her two sons to kill Bassianus, then falsely implicates two of Titus’s sons. Tamora’s sons also rape Lavinia, cutting off her tongue and hands. To save his sons from execution, Titus cuts off his own hand, but Aaron sends him their heads.
• Lucius, Titus’s last son, leads an army of Goths against Rome. Titus kills Tamora’s sons and serves them to her in a pie. In the ensuing events, Lavinia, Tamora, Titus, and Saturninus all die. Lucius becomes emperor and sentences Aaron to death.FREE VIDEOS - FULL PLAY (YOUTUBE)
• Movie (Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Alan Cumming, Julie Taymor) (1999)
• Seoul Shakespeare Company (2015)
• Shakespeare by the Sea (2020)FREE VIDEOS - OTHER (YOUTUBE)
• Tim Nance: Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus Discussion and Summary
• The Making Of Titus [Andronicus], Interview with Anthony Hopkins (1999)KANOPY APP
Download the free app. Then link your library account to it. This will allow you free access to many Shakespeare plays. You can also watch the Shakespeare series “Upstart Crow” for free.ARTICLES
• Wikipedia: Titus Andronicus
• About Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus by Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine
• A Modern Perspective: Titus Andronicus, by Alexander Leggatt
• Further Reading: Titus AndronicusPODCAST
• Shakespeare Unlimited podcast and transcript: Black Lives Matter in Titus AndronicusGENERAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
• The Folger Shakespeare Library has free and paid (includes notes) downloadable texts of all of Shakespeare’s plays.
• The Folger Library: Shakespeare Documented has copies of original documents from Shakespeare’s time.
• PlayShakespeare: The Ultimate Free Shakespeare Research
• Podcast: “Approaching Shakespeare”
• Podcast: “Shakespeare Unlimited” Play by Play
• SparkNotes 101: Shakespeare [Excellent synopses of all the plays.]
• Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber [Excellent analysis of all the plays.]FACEBOOK PAGES
• The Official William Shakespeare Page
• Shakespeare Study Group
• William Shakespeare: His Works and His WorldAPP
• Shakespeare AppBEST SHAKESPEARE USED BOOK SELECTIONS IN THE TWIN CITIES
• Midway Books, St. Paul
• The Book House, Minneapolis
• James & Mary Laurie Booksellers, Minneapolis
• Magers and Quinn, Minneapolis
• Half Price Books6 attendees
Theatre In The Round Players: "Agatha Christie’s The Murder on the Links" ($5)
Theatre in the Round, 245 Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USThursday, November 20, 2025, 7:30 pm.
Theatre in the Round Players (TRP)
245 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis MN 55454"Agatha Christie’s The Murder on the Links"
A new adaptation by Kate DanleyJoin us for the final dress rehearsal of "Agatha Christie’s The Murder on the Links". The cost is $5.00 at the door. Cash preferred. NO LATE SEATING.
Play Description:
Hercule Poirot returns in another new Agatha Christie adaptation from Kate Danley. When a desperate plea brings Poirot and his ever-loyal companion Captain Hastings to a quiet French village, they arrive just a stroke too late—their wealthy client has been found murdered on a golf course. As the investigation begins, the duo must navigate a rough course of rival detectives, secret affairs, and shifting identities. In a case where no one plays it straight, Poirot’s “little grey cells” are in for his greatest challenge yet.Run time: t/b/a
There is also a Pay-What-You-Can performance on Monday, December 1, 2025, 7:30 pm
PARKING:
1. Parking is NOT free at parking meters in the evening.
2. There is a surface parking lot directly across the street from Theatre in the Round, behind The Corner Bar, where the cost is $5.00.
3. You can also park nearby in the ramp of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, 1500 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55454. Remember your license plate and when you are leaving the theater there is a QR code you can scan with your smart phone and only pay $5.50. (Four hour limit at this discounted price.)There is always a small chance that a performance might be cancelled at the last minute, so call TRP that afternoon to check 612-333-3010, and also check Meetup messages for this event.
2 attendees
Past events
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