11.00-13.00 Debate 1 : Acting Shakespeare: Who's playing who?

Brilliant performers of African and Asian descent have been playing Shakespeare since Paul Robeson caused a sensation in Othello in London in 1930. Hugh Quarshie has argued, 'If a back actor plays Othello does he not risk making racial stereotypes seem legitimate and true?' How do BAME performers playing Shakespeare deal with the sterotypes often written into the plays and into theatre history?

What are the Shakespearean opportunties for Black and Asian actors and acresses today? 'The negro actor should be able to play Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear', said Robeson - over eighty years ago. How do you break a glass ceiling?

14.30-16.30 Debate 2: A Cultural Crossroads

'Teachers made it clear that Shakespeare was not for the likes of me. I did not see it as part of my cultural heritage at all.' (Meera Syal)

As globalisations spreads and UK communities evolve, BAME theatre companies and performers have used Shakespeare to address issues of post-colonialism, social integration and fundamentalism. Meanwhile mainstream companies have embraced non-European theatre styles and relocated the plays to Africa, India, the Caribbean...

Is there a disconnect between the desires of one community and another? Have we moved beyond exoticism to achieve a true creative and artistic exchange? Is Shakespeare as weapon or a hindrance?