Chelsea Horne (American University)
Why Shakespeare? Why now? Why here? These important questions come up time and again in academic and performance discussions of the Bard as we grapple with the inherent tensions of studying and producing Shakespeare today. Even the encyclopedia Britannica participates in the ongoing dialogue with an entry—albeit a short one—defending “why is Shakespeare still important today?” In the midst of an ongoing (r)evolution, this roundtable seeks to address the pressing why-now-here questions as they apply to considerations of Shakespeare in all forms with a focus on adaptation, performance, and pedagogy.
Certainly, much has changed in the 400 years since Shakespeare’s plays were first performed. Indeed, much has changed in just the last five years. This roundtable invites participants to engage deeply and critically in the conference theme of “(R)evolution” by considering how Shakespeare (in scholarship, performance, adaptation, and pedagogy) has changed with our times or how it has not. What are the costs and benefits? What’s gained? What is lost (and perhaps should stay lost)? How does the study, performance, and adaptation of Shakespeare contribute to society’s “cultural and global diversity in all its dimensions”? How does Shakespeare—and the scholars studying him and the artists performing him—attend to questions of race, class, culture, gender, religion, power, and identity? We invite contributions from multiple, diverse, and interdisciplinary approaches that tackle the challenges and highlight the strengths of engaging with Shakespeare today. We aim to foster rich discussions from scholars, practitioners, and teachers to consider the role, relevance, and future of Shakespeare and the humanities.