The Hobart Shakespeareans

Imagine the sight and sound of American nine- and eleven-year-old children performing Shakespeare's Hamlet or Henry V—and understanding every word they recite. Imagine them performing well enough to elicit praise from such accomplished Shakespearean actors as Ian McKellen and Michael York, and to be invited to perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company in England. Such a spectacle would be highly impressive in the toniest of America's private schools. But what if the kids were the children of recent Latino and Asian immigrants attending a large Los Angeles inner-city public school in one of America's toughest neighborhoods?

That is the astonishing story told by the documentary The Hobart Shakespeareans, which discovers how one man's uncommon commitment and resourcefulness have opened up worlds of opportunity for his "disadvantaged" students—and perhaps have demonstrated a way forward for America's beleaguered public education system.

Credits

The Hobart Shakespearians
Director/Producer: Mel Stuart
Executive Producer: Sandra Sheppard
Cinematographer/Editor/Co-Producer: Alex Rotaru
Running time: 52 min.
Website: www.pbs.org/pov/hobart
Article: Comparative Shakespeare: The Whole World's a Stage--Be It a Classroom or a Prison

POV Behind The Lens

About the Filmmaker

MEL STUART was born in New York, and during his college years aspired to become a composer. After graduating from New York University, however, he decided to change direction and began to pursue a career as a filmmaker. In 1954, he began working as an assistant editor for a company that made commercials. There, Stuart became a special assistant to avant-garde filmmaker Mary Ellen Bute. Several years later, Stuart obtained a position as a film researcher for Walter Cronkite's breakthrough series, The 20th Century. In 1959, David Wolper asked Stuart to join a newly formed production company. For the next 17 years, Stuart served as a key executive with the Wolper Organization. During that time he produced and directed dozens of documentaries, including The Making of the President, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Four Days in November and Wattstax. He also directed various features including Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium.

In 1977 the Wolper Organization was acquired by Warner Brothers. Since that time, Stuart has been an independent producer and director. Among his productions have been documentaries such as Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant-Garde and Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy, AFI's 100 Years-100 Movies and Inside the KGB.

Stuart's latest directing efforts have been a series dealing with the lives of well-known American poets and The Hobart Shakespeareans. Among the many acknowledgments of his work have been four Emmys, a Peabody Award, an Academy Award nomination and numerous awards from festivals around the world.