‘Sonnet Man’ Brings A Fresh Take To SD Shakespeare Festival | Community

“Shakespeare is Hip-Hop,” said Glover.

According to a press release, Glover is a rapper, teacher, poet, playwright and actor who produces hip-hop adaptations of Shakespeare’s sonnets for performance and workshops in schools and theaters worldwide as “The Sonnet Man.” He’s appeared on NBC, MSNBC, BBC and at conferences and Shakespeare festivals worldwide, including Stratford, Ontario, and Stratford-upon-Avon. He has taught with Stratford Shakespeare, Passion in Practice, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Southern Shakespeare.

Glover has written adaptations of Shakespeare for various theatre companies. In 2019, he was commissioned to write a hip-hop adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night (Lyrica).” As “The Sonnet Man,” Glover delivers sonnets as originally written, and then breaks them down into “spoken word.” His flow embodies the richness of Shakespeare’s language, and his passionate, yet natural delivery offers an inspiring, creative experience audiences love.

Glover’s music samples Shakespeare’s original words and interprets them in the form of songs. The goal is to introduce younger students to Shakespeare in a more accessible way.

Shakespeare was the first to write down over a thousand words that are still used in the English language today according to the Royal Shakespeare Company. Glover referenced that and how Shakespeare’s famous plays are used in schools to teach composition and poetry skills.

For those that study literature Shakespeare is a household name. Glover, known on stage as The Sonnet Man, strives to introduce students to the famous writers work so they are more prepared to study language.

The Sonnet Man performance has been taken by Glover to several schools, workshops, and festivals. He was invited by the Board of Education to perform at the Soul Rebellion Hip Hop festival in Negril, Jamaica. After performing in Vermillion, his next stop is the International Thespian Festival in Indiana.

The South Dakota Shakespeare Festival continues through the weekend in Vermillion.