Nude, All-Women Production Of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ in NYC

[garbo]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nude-all-women-shakespeare_us_573f78a1e4b045cc9a710e0c

from NBC News writer, Jennifer Weiss, "New York State law generally prohibits full nudity, with an exception made for plays and exhibitions. The co-director, Alice Mottola said the group obtained a standard park permit for the shows. At Thursday's performance, several people stationed near the entrance warned of nudity ahead, as did a sign, to prevent the uninitiated from stumbling in."

YouTube preview: https://youtu.be/yhfjHzZavsc

[Naturist Zoar]

Glad to read there was real nudity and not the current trend like on Naked and Afraid (hide your genitals with a burlap sack) or Dating Naked (pix out anything that might offend.

[usuallylurk]

Glad to read there was real nudity and not the current trend like on Naked and Afraid (hide your genitals with a burlap sack) or Dating Naked (pix out anything that might offend.

I guess I just don't see the point of naked Shakespere, but , whatever.... obviously because this was a live appearance in New York I didn't see it, but hopefully it doesn't become a weird joke - as in the case of the Japanese all-girl nude "symphony" playing a bad version of the Nutcracker suite.

If you recall what that one was, someone organized a group of late teens-early 20s slim, trim women to play a musical number. They were about as good / bad as an average high school orchestra. Some hailed in in here as "revolutionary, etc." when it was just someone probably organizing the project, selling tickets, and there was an audience of men paying for it.

There may have been real nudity but on the other hand, this was likely a stunt.

[usuallylurk]

Glad to read there was real nudity and not the current trend like on Naked and Afraid (hide your genitals with a burlap sack) or Dating Naked (pix out anything that might offend.

I might add - if you want to see "real nudity" on television - you can pay to see it.

If Dating Naked and Naked and Afraid didn't pixellate, you might have still seen that programming - on a pay-service like HBO, Showtime, etc. and there are certainly places on the 'Net where you can find such things, both free and behind a paywall.

Dating Naked - seen a couple of times. The first time I saw it, it was relatively stupid. Some guy couldn't water-ski and made jokes about it. Changed the channel. Have glanced at it a few times, noted that they have some type of round-robin dating/relationship game. OK, fine. Enjoy. Not my cup 'o tea.

Then again - you have to be aware - a lot of "reality" shows are fantasies. And they depict fantasies that are unrealized, for many. How many guys would love to be in a "Dating Naked" situation - multiple attractive women, all nude, at a plush resort on a tropical island? All paid for by someone else?

"The Real World" - was the first. It was not "real". Who's gonna give a number of kids right out of high school, a large budget to try to put together some project, but for the most part - goof for a year while living out on their own for the first time?

"Naked and Afraid" -- well, not really fantasy. Not one I could imagine taking part in, anyway - not even as a 19-year-old with raging hormones. Not situations I'd want to be put into, even with a pretty young naked lady.

[Naturist Mark]

I might add - if you want to see "real nudity" on television - you can pay to see it.

You can pay to see sexual nudity, but real nudity that is non-sexual is very hard to find, even on pay channels.

And that is the value of nude Shakespeare. Yes, it is a gimmick. But it normalizes nudity, and for most people who see it, even if they went there originally for titillation, the nudity is pretty unremarkable by the end of the play.

Let's hope the idea spreads, and nude Shakespeare in the Park happens all over America. And the cast becomes as diverse as America, not just fit young women. And it becomes so unremarkable and boring that nobody goes to see it. Just like regular Shakespeare.