Director’s Statement

Speaking Daggers is an eleven minute film that is part of the award-winning Shakespeare Republic universe, commissioned by Independent Schools Victoria for the inaugural Arts Learning Festival in Melbourne, Australia.

One of the foundations of Shakespeare Republic’s work is continually exploring ways to make Shakespeare accessible to everyone, but particularly those who might be struggling with the text.

The creation of this short film Speaking Daggers – the series’ “spin-off” as I like to call it – was an exciting new direction for us to take and further expanded on the work done in the web series. I wrote the film using Shakespeare monologues and scenes that are in line with the 2017 Australian high school syllabus, in the style we are known for presenting. That is, using Shakespeare’s text as written, but setting the work in 21st Century circumstances in bite-sized pieces to help further remove the barrier to understanding and assist the modern viewer to relate to the text, and therefore the ideas contained therein.

The idea of setting the film in a café called “Speaking Daggers” felt like a very Melbourne thing to do, and it gave scope as well as believability to the variety of pieces appearing in the film. From Benedick and Beatrice meeting up after the disastrous almost-wedding of Claudio and Hero, to Falstaff and Prince Hal creating havoc and bickering over one of Falstaff’s tall tales, to Emilia and Desdemona discussing gender politics; these vignettes worked perfectly as overheard snippets of conversations. Then Isabella as the main overworked waitress and our Troubadour with his beautiful song, providing background atmosphere before taking centre stage … well, it’s a place and a scene you might find easily in Melbourne and I was proud to show this slice of life inspired by my hometown – all performed in Shakespeare’s language.

The title of the film (and café) also reflected the conflict in each piece. Each pairing are in disagreement on some level – some are also in conflict with the world or circumstance they find themselves in. Isabella’s monologue as she is cleaning cutlery comments on those in positions of power and their hubris, which can cause others to suffer in their wake, while the Troubadour comments on how life is short, providing a counterpoint to all this unrest and, in some cases, uncivil behaviour. But there is also love and friendship. Because nothing exists in a vacuum. And we are often in conflict because we care – about a person or a situation.

The film initially screened as part of the Arts Learning Festival, presented in a public, stand-alone screening at Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), Federation Square in Melbourne before being submitted to film festivals around the globe. I am so delighted to say that a year later, the film has been officially selected for twenty three festivals internationally, including the prestigious St Kilda Film Festival in Australia and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s Shakespeare Film Festival in the UK, additionally winning nominations and awards along the way.

I never thought my life would go this way – coming from deliberately avoiding Shakespeare to working so intensely and consistently with his texts, but that gives me hope that, in turn, others will find some joy and edification in the work through these endeavours, as I have.

Sally McLean
Writer/Director/Producer
Speaking Daggers