Meme García on "house of sueños"

<p>For generations, artists have been shaping and changing Shakespeare to fit their times. The best adaptations add specific textures of place and culture, or a fluidity of language that can take centuries-old work and make it brand new. Seattle Shakespeare Company is presenting one of those works: a Salvadoran-American adaptation of <em>Hamlet</em> called <em>house of sueños</em>, by actor and playwright Meme García.</p> <p>In<em> house of sueños</em>, sisters Rina and Amelia prepare to celebrate Mom’s marriage to their new Stepdad. But when Amelia tells her sister of the mysterious voice and shadowy figure she saw in the attic last night, it becomes clear that not all in this house is as it seems. </p> <p>García’s play is being released as a five-episode series from the Seattle Shakespeare Company’s <em>Rough Magic </em>podcast. You can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts or on the company’s <a href= "https://www.seattleshakespeare.org/houseofsuenos/">website</a> through March 17, 2021. </p> <p>We talked to García about adapting Shakespeare, mental illness in <em>Hamlet </em>and in their own experiences, how they crafted the language of their play, and making the ghost of Papi actually scary. García is interviewed by Barbara Bogaev.</p> <p>Playwright Meme García is a Fulbright Scholar with a Master’s degree in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. As an actor, they have performed with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, upstart crow collective, and Seattle Shakespeare Company, among other theaters.</p> <p>From the <em>Shakespeare Unlimited</em> podcast. Published March 2, 2021. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This podcast episode, “What Dreams May Come,” was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. Ben Lauer is the web producer. We had technical help from Andrew Feliciano and Evan Marquart at Voice Trax West in Studio City, California. Leonor Fernandez edits our transcripts.</p>