Beginning last summer, eight students from Loyola College in Baltimore researched and modernized William Shakespeare’s play, “The Folio”, which will become a focal point of classes through the campus Humanities Symposium during the 2008 spring semester.

RHS alumna Hannah Blauvelt is among the students modernizing the play, titled “Measure for Measure”. Led by well-known Shakespeare researcher Dr. Robert Miola, the students completed 300 hours of research to edit and rewrite the play. The play includes a production history, sources and adaptations of the play, helpful websites, a point and counterpoint on two of the main characters and a section on language and rhetoric.

Each of the six juniors and two seniors involved with the project specialized in a certain field of research. Blauvelt examined twentieth century criticism of the play, while other students analyzed pre-twentieth century criticism, feminism, theology, production history, language, rhetoric, sources and adaptations.

During the 2008 spring semester, the majority of Loyola students will read, discuss and debate the play. There will also be a panel discussion of the play with the editors, an art exhibit regarding the play, a presentation from expert Shakespeareans, and a theater production of the play. “Loyola has been incredibly supportive throughout the process…basically the whole campus is going to get really involved with the text next semester,” said Blauvelt.

The modernization of “Measure for Measure” was made possible by a grant Loyola offers to students to modernize or translate certain texts. The first text translated by Loyola students was St. Perpetua’s autobiography, “Perpetua’s Passion”, from the Aperio series. Students collaborated to translate this text from Latin to English.

The students designed the cover art of the play and decided the layouts of the text and notes. Apprentice House, the only on-campus publishing company where the students complete everything except the task of printing and binding the books, published the modernized version of the play. “There have been many modernized versions of the play,” said Blauvelt, “but we’re doing it specifically to create an edition for college students.”

The students are in the process of creating a website, http://www.loyola.edu/measure, which includes short biographies on the eight student-editors and excerpts from the modernized play. “Measure for Measure” is available for purchase at http://www.amazon.com/Measure-Jedidiah-D-Adams/dp/1934074268/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199741530&sr=1-1. “Editing this play has been the most rewarding academic endeavor that I have ever undertaken, and I hope that it plays a part in my future career,” said Blauvelt.