Shakespeare and Contemporary Performance

The module enables students to investigate the distinctive role of Shakespearean dramaturgy within contemporary performance cultures, as well as offering the opportunity for analytical and practical exploration of the best known and most influential body of work in the canon of world drama. Shakespeare’s status as cultural myth, educational icon and theatrical media and social resource affords access to the processes by which societies create their sense of national identity, and prompts consideration of Shakespeare’s multiple articulations within the global context. Examining the recent history and current practices of appropriation of Shakespeare’s works and myth, this module contributes to a theoretically and historically informed understanding of how and why these continue to be reproduced and contested within contemporary cultures worldwide.