Introduction
3rd British Shakespeare Association Conference
University of Warwick 31 August -2 September 2007
This conference brought together theatre practitioners, teachers, students, academic researchers and Shakespeare enthusiasts to consider the choices made in speaking Shakespeare, editing and teaching his works, directing his plays both on the stage and on film, and providing the music and stage design against which they are performed.
The programme emphasised discussions and workshops to encourage active participation by audiences as well as the speakers. Discussions addressed Blogging the Bard, Editing Shakespeare, Speaking Shakespeare, Designing Shakespeare, among other topics.
On Saturday the conference moved to Stratford-upon-Avon for the day. The Shakespeare Institute of the Universoty of Birmingham, hosted a plenary session in the morning addressing the cultural value of Shakespeare in the 21st century and posing the question Is Shakespeare Good for You?. In the afternoon there were tours of the archive and rare books collections at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and a taster of the work of its Education Department, as well as a range of workshops and seminars, and a plenary session with actor Simon Russell Beale.
Teachers
The conference included a range of practical workshops, from the RSC’s Education Department and Globe Education focussing on both GCSE and A-level to sessions exploring Shakespeare’s texts and the domestic spaces in which they were created. The afternoon was rounded off with a debate: What is Creative Teaching?: Discuss with Reference to Shakespeare.
Speakers
Included Paul Allen, Jonathan Bate, Catherine Bunting, Ben Crystal, Christie Carson, Philip Davis, Andrew Dickson, Bart van Es, Ewan Fernie, Alison Finlay, Penelope Freedman, Tony Howard, Mark Hollingsworth, Kate McLuskie, Elizabeth Oakley-Brown , Simon Palfrey, Amanda Penlington, Kate Rumbold, Jan Sewell, Bruce Wall, Gary Watt, Stanley Wells, Paul Yachnin, as well as theatre practitioners Cicely Berry, Chris Dyer, Patrice Naiambana, Janet Dale, Kelly Hunter, Simon Russell Beale, Oliver Ford Davies.