Behind the Literature V: Shakespeare Society of America

I’ve written several posts in the past about the pleasures of discovering literary history in my own back yard (Behind the Literature I and Behind the Literature III: The Hardboiled Streets of San Francisco), and also stumbling upon literary surprises while traveling (Behind the Literature II and Behind the Literature IV: Ojai, CA).  Today, I'll tell you about a discovery I made while visiting the beach near Monterey, CA, earlier this year.

While I'm not much of an outdoors-woman, I love to kayak on the Elkhorn Slough off Monterey Bay (especially in a double kayak where my husband does most of the paddling).  The estuary is a habitat for all sorts of wildlife like sea otters, harbor seals, pelicans, herons, egrets, and hundreds of species of plants, animals, and birds.  Before taking off in your kayak, you watch an informational video that includes instructions on what to do if a harbor seal tries to climb aboard your kayak.  (Note - This is not a video of a seal trying to board our kayak as we did not encounter that issue, but we did see an otter eating its lunch.)

After a few hours of rowing against the wind and current (or any time, for that matter), my husband and I are always ready for lunch and a margarita at The Whole Enchilada in Moss Landing.  

Moss Landing is a small community with a population of only around 200.  It is rated one of the best places in the U.S. to watch birds and spot sea otters.  Its "downtown" appears to consist of a few quaint short streets with antique shops and galleries.  As we were driving through after lunch, I saw a building with a large depiction of Shakespeare on the side, so of course we had to stop and check it out.  We found ourselves in front of the Shakespeare Society of America.

The Society was founded in 1968 in Los Angeles with a mission to provide public benefit programs that inspire education and personal development through the works of William Shakespeare relating to history, culture, literature, theatre, and art in America.  In 1972, the Society built and began operating the Globe Playhouse with a replica of the interior of Shakespeare’s 1599 Globe Theatre.  It produced Shakespeare’s 38 plays in succession twice, from 1976-1979 and 1981-1984.  The Society relocated to Moss Landing in 2008.

As we entered the building, we were greeted by a docent who immediately began to educate us on common phrases said to have been invented by Shakespeare. 

He handed me a sheet of paper with dozens of words printed on it that Shakespeare had possibly contributed to the English language.  

He told me that he could identify my age (or close to it) by how many words on the sheet that I didn't know the meaning of.  I thought he could likely identify my age just by looking at me, but I played along.  When I told him I knew what all of the words meant, he correctly guessed my age range (oldish).  He said that many younger people aren't familiar with quite a few words on the sheet, "dauntless" and "zany" being a couple of examples. 

Thus enlightened, we browsed the Society's collection (or the small portion of it they had on display), which includes rare books, museum memorabilia, visual art, and theatre arts archives consisting of playbills, posters, reviews, photographs, slides, and props.  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, the docent's affability, and happening upon a literary gem in an unlikely place.

What is your favorite Shakespeare play?  I like many of them, but if I had to pick one, it would be Much Ado About Nothing.  

Angela Crider Neary is an attorney by day and writer by night. She is an avid mystery reader and especially enjoys reading novels set in interesting locales. She was inspired to write her first mystery novella, Li'l Tom and the Pussyfoot Detective Bureau: The Case of the Parrots Desaparecidos, by one of her favorite areas in San Francisco, Telegraph Hill.  Her second book, Li'l Tom and the Case of the New Year Dragon is now available.  To learn more, visit her on Facebook and Amazon.