All the World is a Stage, Print, by James Christensen

characters come to life!

†he Bard and more than 50 of his dramatis personae take a bow in this

remarkable tribute to Shakespeare’s entire canon—38 plays, including the

obscure Two Noble Kinsmen. With the Old Globe Theatre as backdrop, James

assembles an eclectic cast of fictional characters and actors in rehearsal

mingling with a few thespians who never tread the boards (but might have

flittered above them). You’ll find Romeo proffering a rose to Juliet, who

rebuffs the salacious overtures of Henry VIII. Viola of Twelfth Night is in the

act of binding her breasts to fill the manly role of Cesario, while beside her

other Shakespearean heroines don male apparel to play their virile counterparts—

all the more interesting when you consider that in Shakespeare’s day men played

all the female roles. Caesar is a self-portrait—an opportunity for the artist

to make a statement about backstabbing (he doesn’t like it!) and revel in

applause (notice Titus Andronicus giving him a warm hand). All humor aside…

James’ prodigious knowledge of Shakespeare manifests in a work offering

multiple layers of meaning and countless discoveries. All the World’s a Stage

was commissioned by the Utah Shakespearean Festival—winner of this year’s Tony

Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre—in celebration of its 40th anniversary.

Published from the artist’s original oil painting.

Available in both a print and giclée canvas edition.

3000 signed by the artist and consecutively numbered.