Theatre Dictionary Term of the Month: "The Scottish Play"
Well known amongst theatre folk is a certain tradition — the name of one particular play by the Bard must NEVER be uttered out loud in a theatre, lest a curse be invoked. Instead, the play must always be referred to by the code name of The Scottish Play. Those who dare speak the true name are certain to bring ill fate upon a production, unless of course the theatre demons are exorcised by one of several unusual methods. In this video produced by TDF for their Theatre Dictionary series, the history and lore of The Scottish Play are explained in detail. Now, you just have to make sure you remember not to say the real name! To see the ever-expanding dictionary visit www.theatredictionary.org. For more on the TDF initiative (and for an intro video featuring Denis O'Hare) read the Playbill story.
