Francis Hamit to give presentation on Screenwriting at the Shakespeare Society of America September

MONTEREY, Calif. - Aug. 16, 2013 - PRLog --     (Moss Landing, California) The Shakespeare Society of America, Inc. will host author Francis Hamit on September  4th, 2013, for a talk, “From Stage to Screen”,  about the process of converting a stage play to a motion picture or television production.
    The film used as an example is the forthcoming production, now in development, of MARLOWE, based upon Hamit’s stage play,  MARLOWE: An Elizabethan Tragedy ,which was originally produced by Shakespeare Society of America founder Thad Taylor in 1988.
    The true story behind the play and film is the second career of Elizabethan poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe as a spy for the Crown, an activity that may have led to his mysterious death at the hands of fellow agents at a tavern in Deptford in 1593.
    “You might call this ‘Elizabethan film noir’,” Hamit says;  “The story, like the era, is a very dark one, spiritually, and Kit Marlowe, who wrote such plays as Doctor Faustus  and The Massacre at Paris, had a taste for blood and bombast.”
    The Shakespeare Society of America, Inc. is a sponsor of the film.  Hamit will discuss the creative challenges that he confronted in researching and writing the original play, and how the transition to a film further changes the way the story behind the play can be told.  Admission is free, but financial donations of any amount are encouraged from those who can afford them.  Space is limited, so reservations are recommended.
    Copies of Hamit’s first draft screenplay will be available, with proceeds going to the Shakespeare Society’s general fund.  Hamit is also the author of three novels, copies of which will also be available for sale.
    The presentation will be between 3 PM and 7 PM, September 4th, at Shakespeare Society of America’s headquarters at 7981 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, California.   Francis Hamit is a member of the SSA’s Board of Directors.  SSA is a 501 (c)  3 non-profit organization and California Public Benefit Corporation specializing in educational programs about William Shakespeare and his times.  It also  maintains a small museum of artifacts relevant to its mission.

For further information contact: Terry Taylor, Executive Director, Shakespeare Society of America, Inc. at (831) 633-2989 or admin@shakespearesociety.org,  or Francis Hamit at (661) 242-1686 or francishamit@earthlink.net.