Shakespeare in Performance
Performance brings Shakespeare alive and each performance reveals new contexts for and meanings of his plays. Warwick is a leading centre for research in Shakespeare in Performance which encompasses complementary themes, exploring ways in which Shakespeare is adapted and interpreted for the stage and how such representations refract and reflect social and cultural values.
Our research themes comprise minorities on stage, including ethnic minorities in Britain, gender and age; Reviews of Shakespeare as a central cultural activity which influences how Shakespeare in performed and what qualifies as authentic Shakespeare; the life and works of Shakespeare in the social, political and cultural contexts.
How we influence how the world sees Shakespeare:
Shakespeare: Staging the World exhibition British Museum July - November 2012 was influenced by the research of Jonathan Bate (formerly of the English Department to 2011) into the works of Shakespeare in their context. Part of the Cultural Olympiad, the exhibition was seen by over 100,000 visitors with a total estimated visitor spend of £2.75 million (£1.2 million from overseas).
Shakespeare on Film: Tony Howard is a renowned expert on film adaptations of Shakespeare. His series Shakespeare on Film which accompanied the Staging the World exhibition at the British Museum sold out every night. He has led more than 30 Shakespeare on film events to audiences exceeing 1,400 since 2008. He has been invited to curate Shakespeare on Film seasons for the Goethe Institut, the Harlem Shakespeare Film Festival and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
Professional theatre productions: London-based and regional theatres have benefited from the input of our scholars into their Shakespeare productions. These include the Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford Upon Avon), Northern Broadsides (West Yorkshire), Theatr Clwyd Cymru (North East Wales) and the Young Vic Theatre (London).
Book Prizes:
J. Bate (General Editor) The RSC Shakespeare: Complete Works, Falstaff Awards, Best Shakespeare Book Award Winner 2007; British Book Design Award Winner 2007.
T. Howard, Women as Hamlet, Shakespeare's Globe Book of the Season Award Winner, 2007.
J. Bate, Soul of the Age, shortlisted PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Award for Best Biography, 2009.