Jess Winfield
Encyclopedia
Jess Winfield is an American novelist, self-help
author
, and television writer. His books include: What Would Shakespeare Do (2000) and My Name Is Will (2008). He is a founding member of The Reduced Shakespeare Company.
and actor Daniel Singer
to found The Reduced Shakespeare Company, a collective dedicated to the writing and performing of Shakespearean parodies. In 1987, the Company presented The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
, which became an international hit and, eventually, the longest running comedy production in London's West End, where it was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 1997. He contributed to the editing and adapting of The Complete Works for publication and television performance.
(starring Nathan Lane
and Jerry Stiller
), as well as for the animated features Stitch! The Movie
and Leroy and Stitch for Disney. He also voices Jumba in the English dub of Stitch!
.
My Name Is Will (Twelve/Hachette Book Group, 2008). The work uses a historically plausible story of William Shakespeare's young adulthood in conjunction with a comic modern plot to explore themes of religious persecution
, authorial intent, and human sexuality
. It has been stated that the modern portion of the novel's plot has been based, in part, on Winfield's years studying Shakespeare in Santa Cruz
and Berkeley
.
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and television writer. His books include: What Would Shakespeare Do (2000) and My Name Is Will (2008). He is a founding member of The Reduced Shakespeare Company.
Theatrical Work
In 1981, Winfield joined writer-performer Adam LongAdam Long
Adam Long was a founding member of The Reduced Shakespeare Company. From 1987-2003 he co-wrote and performed "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare " "The Complete History of America ", "The Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show" for the BBC World Service, and "The Ring Reduced", a 30 minute...
and actor Daniel Singer
Daniel Singer
Daniel Singer was a socialist writer and journalist. He was best known for his articles for The Nation in the United States and for The Economist in Britain, serving for decades as a European correspondent for each magazine.Gore Vidal described Singer as "one of the best, and certainly the sanest,...
to found The Reduced Shakespeare Company, a collective dedicated to the writing and performing of Shakespearean parodies. In 1987, the Company presented The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare is a parody of the plays written by William Shakespeare with all of them being performed during the show by only three actors. Typically, the actors use their real names and play themselves rather than certain characters...
, which became an international hit and, eventually, the longest running comedy production in London's West End, where it was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 1997. He contributed to the editing and adapting of The Complete Works for publication and television performance.
Television
After departing from The Reduced Shakespeare Company, Winfield served as a writer for the Daytime Emmy Award-winning series Teacher's PetTeacher's Pet
-Film:* Teacher's Pet , a 2004 animated musical based 2000 TV series* Teacher's Pet , a 1958 romantic comedy film* Teacher's Pet , a 1930 two-reel comedy short-Television:...
(starring Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
and Jerry Stiller
Jerry Stiller
Gerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
), as well as for the animated features Stitch! The Movie
Stitch! The Movie
Stitch! The Movie is a direct-to-video animated spinoff of Lilo & Stitch, released on August 26, 2003. It is often considered more of a backdoor pilot for the spinoff series Lilo & Stitch: The Series rather than a sequel to the original film. The story is an introduction to Dr. Jumba Jookiba's 625...
and Leroy and Stitch for Disney. He also voices Jumba in the English dub of Stitch!
Stitch!
is the anime adaptation of the animated feature film Lilo & Stitch and the subsequent successor for the Lilo & Stitch series by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It takes place after the film and debuted in Japan on October 2008. The show features a Japanese girl named Yuna in place of Lilo, and is...
.
Author
Jess Winfield was born Jess Borgeson, and changed his name to Winfield in 1993 after marrying his wife, Sandra Thomson— his works prior to 1993 are known under this former name. Winfield is the author of What Would Shakespeare Do (Ulysses Press, 2000), a self-help book that employs Shakespearean drama as a basis for advice. In 2008, he published the novelNovel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
My Name Is Will (Twelve/Hachette Book Group, 2008). The work uses a historically plausible story of William Shakespeare's young adulthood in conjunction with a comic modern plot to explore themes of religious persecution
Religious persecution
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or lack thereof....
, authorial intent, and human sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
. It has been stated that the modern portion of the novel's plot has been based, in part, on Winfield's years studying Shakespeare in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
and Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
.