Blogging Shakespeare

By Kelsey Ridge, the Shakespeare Institute. I was drawn to Gemma Bodinetz’s Othello at Liverpool’s Everyman largely for its high-concept approach: Othello (played by Golda Rosheuvel) is a lesbian.  An Othello with a lesbian Othello and bisexual Desdemona is one I believe can illuminate the text’s issues and is one I have wanted to see […]

closing date 29 June 2018 Are you studying Shakespeare at college, university, or for leisure? Are you going to be using the archives or library of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust? If so, you might be interested in applying for the Louis Marder Shakespeare Centre Scholarship – or recommending it to a friend or colleague. This […]

By MC Lars The second episode of MC Lars’ venture into Shakespeare’s writing addresses the Sonnets, including their cultural and historical background, Shakespeare’s inspiration, and their relation to the blues genre in current music.     The views expressed in this post are the author’s own

Author in conversation: Ian Doescher on William Shakespeare’s The Force Doth Awaken (Star Wars Part the Seventh) 25/10/2017, Shakespeare Centre, Stratford-upon-Avon [spoiler alerts] By Dr Thea Buckley To begin with, Ian Doescher explained the origins of his series, long ago, in a country far away: “I pitched it to Quirk Books right after going to […]

Rapper MC Lars has launched a new youtube series in which he summarizes classic literary works. This week he addresses William Shakespeare’s 1608 tragedy “King Lear”, engaging with plot, themes and rounding off with raps about blindness and filial ingratitude. Series produced by MC Lars and Bryan Atchison. Beat by SMP Productions (http://smphq.com). Video and […]

Stephen H. Grant, distinguished member of and longtime contributor to the Blogging Shakespeare community talks about Henry and Emily Folger, and their lifelong engagement of collecting Shakespeare. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.

By Kelsey Ridge, The Shakespeare Institute There are many questions inspired by Shakespeare’s problem play of dubious decision-making, All’s Well That End’s Well, but foremost among them must be, “What the hell, Helena?” Any production has to grapple with Helena’s moral character and determine what motivates her. Some, like Ellen Terry, see her as a […]

By Layla Moallem Sonnet 130 This single is the outcome of a beautiful encounter between Layla and the highly acclaimed musical producer and Balkan Beat Box founding member Tamir Muskat. What started as an improvised session in Tamir’s studio, in which Layla found herself rapping Shakespeare’s sonnet 130 onto Tamir’s beats – became a long […]

By Ella Hawkins The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s Archive features an impressive collection of original costume designs. Covering a period of approximately 70 years, the collection contains approximately 1,250 individual designs relating to 96 productions staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company between 1919 and 1988. Several boxes featuring in the Trust’s collection contain the work of […]