"We began this project as a continuation of our mission – getting new audiences to like Shakespeare," according to the Sonnet Project website. "With The Sonnet Project, we are trying to begin a conversation with Shakespeare the playwright, not Shakespeare the icon. Shakespeare was an artist, and like all artists he was trying to find his voice. He’s no good to us on a pedestal. If we can demystify his work and connect it to our own culture, then we can really get into the heart of what Shakespeare can reveal to us, and about us."
Among the actors who have been part of the project, the New York Times reports, are Emmy winner Carrie Preston and Broadway's Billy Magnussen. The latter recently filmed Sonnet 108 in northern Manhattan.
"It brings Shakespeare to people who might not be in touch with it, and we can use social media like Twitter and Instagram to spread the word," Magnussen told the Times.
To date 100 films, featuring actors all working free of charge, have been completed.
