Literary studies: plays and playwrights Books

Book SynopsisFor this updated edition of one of Shakespeare's most problematic plays, Tom Lockwood has added a new introductory section on the latest scholarly trends, performance and adaptation practices which have occurred over the last two decades.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Note on the text; List of characters; The play; Supplementary note; Textual analysis; Appendix: Shakespeare's use of the Bible in The Merchant of Venice; Revised reading list.

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Book SynopsisThe basic history of the Shakespearean editorial tradition is familiar and well-established. For nearly three centuries, men most of them white and financially privileged ensconced themselves in private and hard-to-access libraries, hammering out ''their'' versions of Shakespeare''s text. They produced enormous, learnèd tomes: monuments to their author''s greatness and their own reputations. What if this is not the whole story? A bold, revisionist and alternative version of Shakespearean editorial history, this book recovers the lives and labours of almost seventy women editors. It challenges the received wisdom that, when it came to Shakespeare, the editorial profession was entirely male-dominated until the late twentieth century. In doing so, it demonstrates that taking these women''s work seriously can transform our understanding of the history of editing, of the nature of editing as an enterprise, and of how we read Shakespeare in history.Trade Review'Fascinating insights into a hitherto unacknowledged contribution to our understanding of Shakespeare.' Greg Doran, Artistic Director of the RSC'I have read Molly Yarn's book with much pleasure and profit. It is full of interesting insights and sidelights and revealing sociological commentary. It is diligently and scrupulously researched, with a compelling narrative that brings together biography and bibliography (I love the phrase 'bio-bibliography') and foregrounds many hard working women editors, some of them leading multiple lives, who have been hitherto overlooked in the history of Shakespeare editing and criticism. She is not afraid, in her own word, to disclose the 'intimate' discoveries she has made, about herself and her subjects while working on this timely topic. It's an important and very readable contribution to Shakespeare studies.' Margaret Drabble'This is much more than a biography of forgotten and undervalued female editors of Shakespeare in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is a biography of what we value (or decide not to value ) in textual studies; it is a gripping account of female education in the United States and the United Kingdom; it is a chronicle of social circles and patronage; and it is a collection of deftly-told stories. Together these ingredients make for a compelling and illuminating read.' Laurie Maguire, University of Oxford'Few scholarly studies combine original research that opens a whole new field of enquiry and fascinates the non-specialist reader with a topic that is both relatable and deeply moving. Shakespeare's 'Lady Editors' is one of them. Molly Yarn embarked on her search for women editors of Shakespeare, assuming she would find a handful beyond the few 'household' names known to Shakespeare specialists. In fact, her careful archival work has revealed the names, biographies, and editorial achievements of sixty-nine women who edited Shakespeare in the UK and the US before 1950. Readers of Shakespeare's 'Lady Editors' will find in this book the first sustained critical assessment of a small army of women, whose editorial labour was quite literally lost, due to the disqualifying effect of their gender. Yarn does not only recover their labour but shows how influential it is in complementing and redefining our understanding of the official editorial tradition of Shakespeare.' Sonia Massai, King's College London'Shakespeare's 'Lady Editors' is a quite wonderful book. With extraordinary skill Molly Yarn has retrieved the history of the work of generations of women editors of Shakespeare, the story of whose labours has largely been lost to scholarly history. Yarn's scholarship is deeply impressive, but it is worn lightly and her book is energetically written, immensely readable and deeply engaging. The volume is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the history of Shakespeare editing and the over-looked role of generations of women scholars in helping to construct and reframe the Shakespeare text. A thoroughly excellent volume.' Andrew Murphy, Trinity College Dublin'Molly G. Yarn's meticulously researched monograph considers the numerous women who edited Shakespeare in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and thus shaped the history of Shakespearian transmission.' Georgina Wilson, Times Literary SupplementTable of ContentsPrologue: The Mystery of Mrs Valentine; 1. 'We Have Lost Our Labour': Recovering Women Editors of Shakespeare; 2. 'It is My Lady's Hand': Female Collaborators and Ambiguous Literary Labour; 2a. Sidenote: On Women Editing Not-Shakespeare (or Not Editing); 3. 'Give Ear, Sir, to My Sister': Women Editors and Scholarly Networks in America; 3a. Sidenote: A Primer on Early Student Editions of Shakespeare; 4. 'This Story the World May Read in Me': Biography and Bibliography; 5.'We Happy Few': Women and the New Bibliography; Epilogue.

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Book SynopsisShakespeare's plays have long been open to reimagining and reinterpretation, from John Fletcher's riposte to The Taming of the Shrew in 1611 to present day spin-offs in a whole range of media, including YouTube videos and Manga comics. This book offers a clear route map through the world of adaptation, selecting examples from film, drama, prose fiction, ballet, the visual arts and poetry, and exploring their respective political and cultural interactions with Shakespeare''s plays. 36 specific case studies are discussed, three for each of the 12 plays covered, offering additional guidance for readers new to this important area of Shakespeare studies.The introduction signals key adaptation issues that are subsequently explored through the chapters on individual plays, including Shakespeare's own adaptive art and its Renaissance context, production and performance as adaptation, and generic expectation and transmedial practice. Organized chronologically, the chapters cover the mostTrade ReviewEntertaining and illuminating … This volume is of great value and provides an excellent introduction to Shakespeare in an adaptation that seems especially suited to those studying at the undergraduate level, offering not just an entry point into the plays discussed but many suggestions for further reading and research. * Cahiers Élisabéthains *[Combines] a broad thematic scope with a thorough and up-to-date scholarly background, presented in a reader-friendly style that makes the book accessible not only for the initiate, but also for students and even the educated general reader … [Provides] the reader with refreshing insights into each play’s afterlife, often highlighting unexpected thematic connections between works not commonly discussed together. * Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance *Offering readers a window into the afterlives of Shakespeare’s plays across a stunning range of time, culture, and media, Studying Shakespeare Adaptation: From Restoration to YouTube is an indispensable guide to the cultural and critical contexts that define our understanding of the Bard past, present, and future. * Courtney Lehmann, University of the Pacific, USA *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1 Titus Andronicus Chapter 2 Richard III Chapter 3 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Chapter 4 Romeo and Juliet Chapter 5 The Merchant of Venice Chapter 6 Hamlet Chapter 7 Othello Chapter 8 King Lear Chapter 9 Macbeth Chapter 10 Cymbeline Chapter 11 The Winter’s Tale Chapter 12 The Tempest Conclusion References Index

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Book SynopsisDo you get to design your boobs? Is it like Build-A-Bear?Meet Lucy and Jess; two best friends who obsess over boys, booze and their boobs. But when her mother dies of breast cancer, Lucy is forced to make a decision that will change her body forever. A story that spans ten years, Lucy Light is a powerful duologue between two women that offers a nostalgic look at our relationship with our bodies, the hereditary nature of cancer, and the strength of female friendships.My front crawl is a bit f***ing feminineTumble Tuck is a funny, brutal and honest one person piece about body image, mental health and relationships, that seeks to examine what it means to be successful in a world where medals matter.In these two complementary new plays, Sarah Milton offers up two strong female led narratives with dynamic, complex characters.This edition was published to coincide with the London production of Lucy Light at The Vault Festival 2019.Trade Review4 Stars This is an absorbing and important hour of theatre. * The Stage on Lucy Light *5 Stars Lucy Light is an absorbing, truthful, and poignant hour of theatre. Sarah Milton's writing is raw and incredibly important * The National Student *With an admirable lightness of touch, Milton steers her characters into darker psychological terrain...compelling story, deftly told. * The Stage on Tumble Tuck *5 Stars Milton’s physicality takes us to the pool and beyond...Energetic and engaging * Theatre Full Stop on Tumble Tuck *

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Book SynopsisThis open access book provides translations of early German versions of Titus Andronicus and The Taming of the Shrew. The introductory material situates these plays in their German context and discusses the insights they offer into the original English texts.English itinerant players toured in northern Continental Europe from the 1580s. Their repertories initially consisted of plays from the London theatre, but over time the players learnt German, and German players joined the companies, meaning the dramatic texts were adapted and translated into German. There are four plays that can legitimately be considered as versions of Shakespeare's plays. The present volume (volume 2) offers fully-edited translations of two of them: Tito Andronico (Titus Andronicus) and Kunst über alle Künste, ein bös Weib gut zu machen / An Art beyond All Arts, to Make a Bad Wife Good (The Taming of the Shrew). For the other two plays, Der Bestrafte BrudermordTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements Preface Introduction to Tito Andronico (Titus Andronicus) The Relationship of Tito Andronico to Titus Andronicus Issues of Race in Tito Andronico The Source of Tito Andronico The Peacham Drawing Titus and Vespasian and the Ur-Titus The Chapbook Prose History and the Ballad German Titus Plays in the Seventeenth Century Textual Introduction The Engelische Comedien vnd Tragedien of 1620 and 1624 Friedrich Menius and the 1620 Engelische Comedien vnd Tragedien The 1620 Engelische Comedien vnd Tragedien and Their Theatrical Origins Conclusion The 1620/1624 Engelische Comedien vnd Tragedien: Extant Copies Editorial History Introduction to Kunst über alle Künste, ein bös Weib gut zu machen (The Taming of the Shrew) The Relationship of Kunst über alle Künste to The Taming of the Shrew Characters and Plot: Correspondences and Differences Adapting the Plot of The Taming of the Shrew Soliloquies and Asides Verbal, Cultural and Dramatic Language The Taming of the Shrew in German in the Seventeenth Century Textual Introduction The Early Editions and Their Contexts: Publication, Paratext and Authorship The Order of Publication of the Two Editions of 1672 Extant Copies of the Early Editions Editorial History A note on the translations A note on the commentary and collation TITO ANDRONICO IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION KUNST ÜBER ALLE KÜNSTE, EIN BÖS WEIB GUT ZU MACHEN IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION Appendix: Doubling charts for Tito Andronico and Kunst über alle Künste, ein bös Weib gut zu machen Abbreviations and references Index

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Book SynopsisYou know what would really fuck them off? If you went out there and found the least suitable, most inappropriate, most outrageous hunk of a man that this fine city has to offer, and the pair of you rock up to that church service in May, arm in arm. Seán is feeling wronged because his boyfriend Tim has been excluded from a family wedding back home in Ireland. What does it matter that they've just broken up? The problem for his family is that Tim is femme, fabulous and worst of all, English. Spurred on by righteous anger, Seán is determined to do something about it. As Greek myths, hook-up apps, and the musical stylings of Sinéad O'Connor collide, Seán launches into his hunt for the most disruptive plus-one possible.

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Book SynopsisShakespeare and Digital Pedagogy is an international collection of fresh digital approaches for teaching Shakespeare. It describes 15 methodologies, resources and tools recently developed, updated and used by a diverse range of contributors in Great Britain, Australia, Asia and the United States. Contributors explore how these digital resources meet classroom needs and help facilitate conversations about academic literacy, race and identity, local and global cultures, performance and interdisciplinary thought. Chapters describe each case study in depth, recounting needs, collaborations and challenges during design, as well as sharing effective classroom uses and offering accessible, usable content for both teachers and learners.The book will appeal to a broad range of readers. College and high school instructors will find a rich trove of usable teaching content and suggestions for mounting digital units in the classroom, while digital humanities and education specialists will fiTrade ReviewTo read this volume is to encounter the richly generative creativity and expansive pedagogical imagination of scholar-teachers who have gathered at the nexus of Shakespeare and Digital Pedagogy. Carefully curated by Henderson and Vitale, the essays collected here provide inspiring case studies and generalizable strategies of wide interest to literary scholars and practitioners in educational development. The volume illuminates the many affordances of digital technologies in the classroom (physical and virtual) while asserting the winning claim that Shakespearean pedagogies are at their best when active, co-creative, and fully inclusive—indeed, one of the advantages of digital technology is the potential to diminish hierarchies of power and inspire co-creative action as a path to meaningful and persistent interpretation. The volume will be warmly welcomed and widely embraced. -- Elliott Visconsi, University of Notre Dame, USATable of ContentsList of figures Notes on contributors Foreword Michael Witmore (Folger Shakespeare Library, USA) Introduction Diana E. Henderson (MIT, USA) and Kyle Sebastian Vitale (Temple University USA) Part One Teaching Academic and Digital Literacy 1. Shakespeare Students as Scribes: Documenting the Classroom through Collaborative Digital Note-taking Cyrus Mulready (SUNY New Paltz, USA) 2. The Shakespeare CoLab: a Digital Learning Environment for Shakespeare Studies Rachael Deagman Simonetta, with Melanie Lo (both University of Colorado, Boulder, USA) 3. ‘Reading Strange Matters’: Digital Approaches to Early Modern Transnational Print History Kathryn Vomero Santos (Trinity University, USA) Part Two Teaching Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 4. (Early) Modern Literature: Crossing the ‘Sonic Color Line’ David Sterling Brown (Binghamton University USA) 5. Diversifying Shakespeare: Intersections of Technology and Identity Meg Lota Brown and Kyle DiRoberto (both University of Arizona, USA) 6. The British Black and Asian Shakespeare Performance Database: Reclaiming Theatre History Jami Rogers (University of Warwick, UK) 7. Reading Interculturality in Class: Contextualising Global Shakespeares in and through A|S|I|A Eleine Ng-Gagneux (National University of Singapore, Singapore) Part Three. Teaching with Traditional and Modern Archives 8. Shakespeare at Basecamp Kristen Poole with Jake Cohen (University of Delaware, USA) 9. The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive: Art to Enchant Michael John Goodman (Cardiff University, UK) 10. Student-Curated Archives and the Digital Design of Shakespeare in Performance Marcia McDonald, Joel Overall, and Jayme M. Yeo (all Belmont University, USA) Part Four Teaching in Hybrid and Online Learning Environments 11. Performance and Pedagogy: The Global Shakespeares Online Merchant of Venice Course Sarah Connell (Northeastern University, USA) 12. Translating Shakespeare from Scene to Screen, and Back Again: Digital Tools for Teaching Richard III Loreen Giese (Ohio University, USA) 13. Dividing the Kingdoms: Interdisciplinary Methods for Teaching Shakespeare to Undergraduates Jaime Goodrich (Wayne State University, USA), with Sarah Noble (Berkley, Michigan, USA) Part Five Teaching in Web 3.0 14. Mapping the Global Absent in Shakespeare: Lessons Learned from a Student-Faculty Collaboration John S. Garrison with Ahon Gooptu (both Grinnell College, USA) 15. Shakespeare Reloaded’s Shakeserendipity Game: Pedagogy at the Edge of Chaos Liam E. Semler (University of Sydney, Australia) A Closing Note Diana E. Henderson and Kyle Sebastian Vitale

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Book SynopsisJohn McGrath was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, in 1935. After national service and Oxford University, he wrote and directed for theatre and television, as well as writing for cinema. Early work included Z-Cars for BBC-TV (1962), Events While Guarding the Bofors Gun (1966) and the screenplay for Billion Dollar Brain (1976). In 1971, together with Elizabeth MacLennan, he co-founded the 7:84 Theatre Company, which divided into Scottish and English companies in 1973 with McGrath remaining as Artistic Director of both. During his career McGrath wrote over 60 plays, including Fish in the Sea(1972), The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil (1973), Blood Red Roses (1980), Border Warfare (1989), Watching for Dolphins (1992) and, most recently, HyperLynx (2001). He was twice Visiting Fellow in Theatre at Cambridge University. His previous books include A Good Night Out(1981), The Bone Won't Break (1990) andTrade ReviewArguably the single most important show in the whole history of Scottish theatre. * Scotsman *As play it has everything, and it throws it at you in generous handfuls; laughter, farce, drama, live song and dance, finely researched political intent. . . . a love song to a beautiful, damaged culture and a warning of the dangers of unchecked capitalism it still rings astonishingly true. * Independent *[McGrath] was Britain's Brecht, Scotland's Dario Fo . . . A creative powerhouse who was often out of fashion, but never out of action . . . Today, few speak, far less make theatre, with such ideological intent. * Guardian *Table of ContentsForeword by Kate McGrath The Play

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Book SynopsisNational Theatre Connections is an annual festival which brings new plays for young people to schools and youth theatres across the UK and Ireland. Commissioning exciting work from leading playwrights, the festival exposes actors aged 13-19 to the world of professional theatre-making, giving them full control of a theatrical production - from costume and set design to stage management and marketing campaigns. NT Connections have published over 150 original plays and regularly works with 500 theatre companies and 10,000 young people each year.This anthology brings together 9 new plays by some of the UK''s most prolific and current writers and artists alongside notes on each of the texts exploring performance for schools and youth groups. Wind / Rush Generation(s) by Mojisola Adebayo This is a play about the British Isles, its past and its present. Set in a senior common room, in a prominent university, a group of 1st year undergraduates are troubled, not by the weight ofTable of Contents1. Introduction to National Theatre Connections 2. Wind / Rush Generation(s) by Mojisola Adebayo 3. Directors Notes on The Changing Room by Chris Bush 4. Tuesday by Alison Carr 5. A series of public apologies (in response to an unfortunate incident in the school lavatories) by John Donnelly 6. THE IT by Vivienne Franzmann 7. The Marxist in Heaven by Hattie Naylor 8. Look Up by Andrew Muir 9. Crusaders by Frances Poet 10. Witches Can’t Be Burned by Silva Semerciyan 11. Dungeness by Chris Thompson Directors notes follow each of the 10 plays.

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Book SynopsisFrom fantasy and sci-fi to graphic novels, from boy scouts to board games, from blockbuster films to the cult of theatre, Shakespeare is everywhere in popular culture. Where there is popular culture there are fans and nerds and geeks. The essays in this collection on Shakespeare and Geek Culture take an innovative approach to the study of Shakespeare's cultural presences, situating his works, his image and his brand to locate and explore the nature of that geekiness that, the authors argue, is a vital but unrecognized feature of the world of those who enjoy and are obsessed by Shakespeare, whether they are scholars, film fans, theatre-goers or members of legions of other groupings in which Shakespeare plays his part.Working at the intersections of a wide range of fields including fan studies and film analysis, cultural studies and fantasy/sci-fi theory the authors demonstrate how the particularities of the connection between Shakespeare and geek culture generate new insights iTrade ReviewA great contribution to Shakespeare scholarship, especially those chapters which present informative, inspiring, and transformative ways fandom culture could be of use to Shakespeare studies. * Sederi Yearbook *Table of ContentsA. Geek Culture and Fiction 1. Shakespeare, Tolkien and Geeking Out, by Andrew James Hartley (University of North Carolina, USA) 2. “’I opened a door; that is all’: Neil Gaiman’s Decidedly Human Shakespeare in The Sandman.” by Emily Leverett (University of North Carolina, USA) 3. Shakespeare Unfocused in Time: Collective Memory and Anachronism in Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters, by Kyle Pivetti (University of Norwich, UK) 4. May the Bard Be with You: The Presence or Absence of Shakespeare’s Language in SciFi/Fantasy Adaptations , by Ann Martinez (Kent State University, USA) 5. “Questions of Time and Tense”: Shakespeare’s Past and Science Fiction’s Future, by Andrew Tumminia (Spring Hill College, USA) B. Geek Culture and the Shakespeare Sandbox 6. “Let’s kill Claudius in the church!”: Fan Fiction and Wish Fulfillment in Ryan North’s To Be or Not to Be and Romeo and/or Juliet, by Johnathan H. Pope ( Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada) 7. Hiddleston-Shakespeare-Coriolanus: Rhizomatic Crossings in Fanfic, by Stephen O’Neill (Maynooth University, Ireland) 8. The Bard is dead, long live the Bard: Geek Bardolatry, the Death of the Author and Kill Shakespeare, by Douglas M. Lanier (University of Newfoundland, USA) 9. “There Lies the Substance”: Rediscovering Richard in Geek Culture, by Valerie M. Fazel (Arizona State University, USA) and Louise Geddes (Adelphi University, USA) 10. On eating paper and drinking ink, by Matt Kozusko (Ursinus College, USA) C. Pastimes, Gaming and Shakespeare 11. Shakespeare and the Renaissance of Board Games: Appropriation, Agency, and the Geek, by Vernon Dickson (Florida International University, USA) 12. Boy Scouting with the Bard, by M. Tyler Sasser (University of Alabama, USA) 13. The Play of Gender Is The Thing: Geeky Shakespeare and the Power of What If?, by Jessica McCall (Delaware Valley University, USA) 14. Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as Shakespearean Theater, by Rebecca Bushnell (University of Pennsylvania, USA) D. Film, Theatre and Geek Culture 15. Vulnerable Geek Masculinity in Recent Shakespeare on Film, by Keith M. Botelho (Kennesaw State University, USA) 16. Shakespearean Whedon and Whedonesque Shakespeare, by Jennifer Flaherty (Georgia College, USA) 17. Worst. Lear. Ever.: Early Modern Drama and Geek Hermeneutics, by James D. Mardock (University of Nevada, USA) 18. I Can Geek Upon Occasion: Shakespeare and Theatrical Geekery, by Peter Holland (University of Notre Dame, USA) Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisThis book is an accessible guide through the many twists and turns of Euripides' Children of Heracles, providing several frameworks through which to understand and appreciate the play. Children of Heracles follows the fortunes of Heracles' family after his death. Euripides confronts characters and audience alike with an extraordinary series of plot twists and ethical challenges as the persecuted family of refugees struggles to find asylum in Athens before taking revenge on its enemy Eurystheus. It is a fast-paced story that explores the nature of power and its abuse, focusing on the appropriate treatment and behaviour of the powerless and the obligations and limitations of asylum. The audience must continually re-evaluate the play's moral dimensions as the characters respond to complications that range from the fantastic to the frighteningly realistic.Yoon situates Children of Heracles in its literary context, showing how Euripides constructs a unique kind of tragiTrade ReviewYoon opens up this play’s neglected riches in crisp, lucid, and precise prose. * Greece & Rome *With [an] earnest and well-executed plea for readers and theatre-goers to appreciate this relatively neglected play for what it has to offer rather than succumb to the weight of a long, but receding, history of negative critical reception, Yoon fulfils the aims of a Bloomsbury Companion admirably. * The Classical Review *Table of ContentsList of figures Preface Chapter 1: Action and expectation Chapter 2: Summing the parts Chapter 3: Heracles and other imagined figures Chapter 4: The power of the weak Chapter 5: Then and now Appendix: Fragments Selected chronology Guide to Further Reading Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book is open access and available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. It is funded by Knowledge Unlatched.Many of the American playwrights who dominated the 20th century are no longer with us: Edward Albee, Arthur Miller, Sam Shepard, Neil Simon, August Wilson and Wendy Wasserstein. A new generation, whose careers began in this century, has emerged, and done so when the theatre itself, along with the society with which it engages, was changing. Capturing the cultural shifts of 21st-century America, Staging America explores the lives and works of 8 award-winning playwrights including Ayad Akhtar, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Young Jean Lee and Quiara Alllegría Hudes whose backgrounds reflect the social, religious, sexual and national diversity of American society. Each chapter is devoted to a single playwright and provides an overview of their career, a description and critical evaluation of their work, as well as a sense of their reception. Drawing on primary sources, incTrade Review[Bigsby’s] writing is a breath of fresh air … the kind of volume that one could recommend to any theatre lover, especially those with an interest in American drama and dramatists today. * British Theatre Guide *Christopher Bigsby’s Staging America: Twenty-First Century Dramatists is a beautifully written book, one brimming with fresh critical insights. What is immediately obvious is his utter command of his material. The book will appeal to theatergoers and scholars interested American dramatists whose works define selected public issues of a nation as reflected through the private anxieties of its citizens ... Bigsby’s book has the panoptic reach and cultural depth to make it one of the major coordinates in contemporary American drama scholarship, an area which he has helped re-think and remap over the years. * Modern Drama *Bigsby's probing of the playwrights' diverse backgrounds reveals an interesting commonality: most expressed a sense of double identity, having grown up as Americans within the larger society yet also as outsider observers of that society. Well-chosen epigraphs head each chapter and point to crucial insights. The literary criticism is balanced by brief assessments of theater reviewers' responses … Summing Up: Recommended. With reservations. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Ayad Akhtar 2. David Auburn 3. Stephen Adly Guirgis 4. Quiaia Allegría Hudes 5. Young Jean Lee 6 Bruce Norris 7. J.T. Rogers 8. Christopher Shinn Notes About the Author Index

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Book SynopsisInua Ellams: Born in Nigeria in 1984, Inua is an internationally touring poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist & designer. He is an ambassador for the Ministry of Stories and has published four books of poetry: Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars', Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales' 'The Wire-Headed Heathen' and '#Afterhours'. His first play The 14th Tale was awarded a Fringe First at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival and his fourth Barber Shop Chronicles sold out its run at England's National Theatre. He is currently touring 'An Evening With An Immigrant' and working on The Half God of Rainfall a new play in verse. In graphic art & design, online and in print, he tries to mix the old with the new, juxtaposing texture and pigment with flat shades of colour and vector images. He lives and works from London, where he founded the Midnight Run, a nocturnal urban excursion. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.Trade ReviewIt feels like a very contemporary piece which will resonate with young people and which could easily be linked to current events and news for literacy events. * Teaching English *Table of Contents1. Introduction and Teacher Resources by Synergy Theatre Project 2. Cape Playtext

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Book SynopsisThis collection brings together emerging and established scholars to explore fresh approaches to Shakespeare's best-known play. Hamlet has often served as a testing ground for innovative readings and new approaches. Its unique textual history surviving as it does in three substantially different early versions means that it offers an especially complex and intriguing case-study for histories of early modern publishing and the relationship between page and stage. Similarly, its long history of stage and screen revival, creative appropriation and critical commentary offer rich materials for various forms of scholarship. The essays in Hamlet: The State of Play explore the play from a variety of different angles, drawing on contemporary approaches to gender, sexuality, race, the history of emotions, memory, visual and material cultures, performativity, theories and histories of place, and textual studies. They offer fresh approaches to literary and cultural analysis, offer Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Series Preface Introduction: Sonia Massai (King’s College London) and Lucy Munro (King’s College London) Chapter 1: Hamlet’s Touch of Picture: Kaara L. Peterson (Miami University, USA) Chapter 2: Remembering Ophelia: Theatrical Properties and the Performance of Memory in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Kathryn M. Moncrief (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA) Chapter 3: “Tragedians of the City”: Hamlet and Urban Exile: Kelly Stage (University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA) Chapter 4: Code Black: Whiteness and Unmanliness in Hamlet: David Sterling Brown (SUNY Binghamton, USA) Chapter 5: Character Fictions in Hamlet: Jay Farness (Northern Arizona University, USA) Chapter 6: Q1 Hamlet and the Sequence of Creation of the Texts: Charles Adams Kelly (Howland Research) and Dayna Leigh Plehn (Howland Research, USA) Chapter 7: The Hamlet First Quarto: Traces of Performance?: William Nigel Dodd (ADD, USA) Chapter 8: “You must wear your rue with a difference”: Gertrude, Ghazala, and the Sati in Haider’: Pompa Banerjee (University of Colorado, Denver, USA) Chapter 9: ‘Most Eloquent Music’ (and Multiple Texts): The 2017 Glyndebourne Opera of Hamlet : Ann Thompson (King’s College London, UK) and Neil Taylor (Roehampton University, UK) Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisHe is a Chekhov of our time: holding his characters with as much humanity, compassion, humor and love - but without holding back his scathing indictment of deeply entrenched, systemic injustices and inequities.' - David SchwimmerThe Inequalities combines three plays from British author and director Alexander Zeldin into a trilogy that tells new stories of love, compassion and resilience for our time of austerity.Contextualised with an essay before each play and an in-depth interview with the author, Zeldin's three pieces present intimate stories of work, home and community in a radical form of realism. Written after extensive research across the United Kingdom, and involving people affected by the central themes of the plays, The Inequalities goes beyond social chronicle, achieving a timeless portrait of humanity under duress. This is theatre that goes behind the mirror of our time to reveTrade ReviewThis is the National's play of the year - and then some * Evening Standard on LOVE *This desolate, quietly intense devised drama gets under your skin and into your bones... unforgettable * The Times on Beyond Caring *Gripping, amusing, uncomfortable, desperately moving. Zeldin shows us friction…but also kindness and dignity and lots of love without turning sugary * The Times (on Love) *Table of Contents1. Foreword by Rufus Norris 2. Introductory essay to Beyond Caring 3. BEYOND CARING 4. The Beyond Caring Bookshelf 5. Introductory essay to LOVE 6. LOVE 7. The LOVE Bookshelf [1pp] 8. Introductory essay to FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY 9. FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY [96pp] 10. The FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY Bookshelf [1pp] 11. Interview with Alexander Zeldin on Process, edited by Faye Merralls

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Book SynopsisNominated for Outstanding Drama Education Resource at the 2024 Music & Drama Education AwardsA first-of-its-kind anthology, Beyond The Canon's Plays for Young Activists combines plays, toolkits, and an online guide to empower young people into activism. With award-winning plays from the UK's most revolutionary female writers of colour, as well as bespoke multimedia learning guides, this collection offers young global activists aged 16+, as well as teachers and creatives at any level, the opportunity to diversify their education and enhance their understanding of politically driven plays, world politics and social justice. Unique in how it amplifies these selected award-winning plays by incorporating learning guides that accommodate different learning styles (be they visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinaesthetic), Beyond The Canon dares readers to take a deeper dive into the world of the play, be inspired by the themes and provocations anTrade ReviewThese are genuinely groundbreaking plays, full of provocations and rich sources of discussion, both in and out of the classroom … The watching, studying and reading of these plays can contribute to those aspirations being realised, encourage students to take a deeper and more clear-eyed view of our shared history and cultural assumptions, and ultimately help them step out of their comfort zones. -- John Dabell * Teach Secondary Magazine *Table of Contents1. About Beyond The Canon Limited 2. Introduction by Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway 3. Introduction Sarudzayi Marufu 4. Beyond The Canon’s Top Tips for Approaching Politically Charged Plays: Creating a Safe Space 5. Interview with and Biography of Mojisola Adebayo 6. Muhammad Ali and Me by Mojisola Adebayo - Playscript 7. Muhammad Ali and Me - Learning Resource written by Award-Winning Writer and Co-Founder at Black Lives Black Words International Project, Reginald Edmund 8. Interview with and Biography of Hannah Khalil 9. A Museum in Baghdad by Hannah Khalil 10. A Museum in Baghdad - Learning Resource written by Director, Dramaturg and Education Associate for RSC Chris White 11. Interview with and Biography of Amy Ng 12. Acceptance by Amy Ng 13. Acceptance - Learning Resource Written by the Author 14. Continue the Conversation 15. References and Inspirations

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Book SynopsisMulti-award-winning Scottish playwright Kieran Hurley has been making waves since the early 2010s with his vivid storytelling and searing honesty, creating plays acutely concerned with society and community, and deeply enmeshed in Scotland''s local political context. Tracking the evolution of Hurley''s work from his early solo shows to his later large-cast plays and featuring an introduction by Scottish theatre critic Joyce McMillan, this is an exciting collection showcasing one of the UK''s most exciting creators of politically-engaged theatre. The plays collected are:Hitch (2010): a previously unpublished solo show about Hurley''s hitchhiking trip to the 2009 G8 meeting in L''Aquila, exploring the meaning of political protest.Beats (2012): a coming-of-age story exploring the aftermath of the 1994 Criminal Justice Act outlawing raves. It was adapted into a film in 2019, garnering nominations for BIFA Best Debut Screenplay and WGGB Best Screenplay.Heads Up (2016): Trade ReviewGripping, truthful and engaged … Mouthpiece reaffirms Kieran Hurley’s place as a hugely talented playwright for today. * The Stage on Mouthpiece *A tremendous piece of storytelling that takes us back to 1994… One of the best shows of the Edinburgh Festival last year. * The Guardian on Beats *Table of ContentsIntroduction by Joyce McMillan Plays 1. Hitch 2. Beats 3. Heads Up 4. Mouthpiece 5. The Enemy

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Book SynopsisYou can't live your life thinking everything you text will become public knowledge.Censoring yourself is no way to live.Everyone needs Jim.His mother.His best friend.His brother.A hopeful future President.But can Jim really help anyone, when he isn't sure who he is any more, or what he actually believes? An expert in electoral strategy, he's forged a successful career by advising politicians how to communicate with voters. But following seismic shifts in the political landscape, he's disillusioned. And his marriage is in crisis. As he juggles the demands on his life through his smartphone, will the lure of success and fame prove irresistible?The Narcissist is a gripping, inventive and witty take on personal and political communication in the internet age by celebrated US playwright Christopher Shinn. This edition was published to coincide with the premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre in August 2022.

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Book SynopsisIn this deeply moving and life-affirming tale, a mother must nurture her five-year-old son through an unfathomable situation with only the power of their imagination and their boundless capacity to love.Written for the stage by Academy Award nominee Emma Donoghue, this unique theatrical adaptation featuring songs and music by Kathryn Joseph and director Cora Bissett takes audiences on a richly emotional journey told through ingenious stagecraft, powerhouse performances, and heart-stopping storytelling. Room reaffirms our belief in humanity and the astounding resilience of the human spirit.This updated and revised edition was published to coincide with the Broadway premiere in Spring 2023.Trade ReviewRoom soars! Visually arresting and emotionally rich, Emma Donoghue’s Room is boldly realised for the stage … harrowing … astonishingly moving. * Toronto Star *Emma Donoghue's adaptation of her novel works beautifully onstage, and the songs capture heightened moments with sensitivity. A story of survival and love — something we all need to hear more of at this time. * Now Magazine *The most striking thing about Emma Donoghue’s stage version of her award-winning novel, Room, is its intense imaginative quality… Kathryn Joseph’s songs, co-written with Cora Bissett, burst from the texture of the play like some heightened form of speech… The story of Room is in some ways a harrowing one, that brings many in the audience to tears. Yet it is also a tremendously beautiful, vivid and uplifting show about the power of a mother’s love * The Scotsman *Haunting and reflective music and lyrics. They emerge naturally from the narrative … Compelling viewing (even in you know the ending.) This coproduction… is a triumph * Times of London *A strangely moving work about the power of imagination and the pain of adjustment to a new reality. … I found the prospect of the play intimidating. In the end, I was deeply touched by its testament to human resourcefulness * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisSome things we do for those we are responsible for, some things for ourselves, and some things we do for the ancestors.Today, it's all three!1959. The first wave of independence is sweeping across Africa and Beneatha has left the prejudice of 1950s America for a brighter future with her Nigerian husband in Lagos. But on the day they move into their new house in the white suburbs, it doesn't take long for cracks to appear, changing the course of the rest of their lives.Present day. Now a renowned Dean whose colleagues are questioning the role of African American studies for future generations, Beneatha returns to the same house in search of answers. Inspired by Lorraine Hansberry''s ground-breaking modern classic, A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha's Place challenges today's culture wars about colonial history and reckoning with the past. A razor-sharp satire from Young Vic Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, about the power of knowing your hi

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Book SynopsisWould you mind if I asked you a troubling question?An Oscar-winning American actor, an English director and a Northern Irish playwright are about to begin rehearsals for a new play one that could transform each of their careers. But when it turns out that they're not on the same page, the night threatens to spiral out of control.Power dynamics, cultural identity and the perils of being a woman in the entertainment industry; nothing is off limits in this pitch-black comedy from the award-winning playwright David Ireland.This edition is published to coincide with the revival at Riverside Studios, London, in December 2023.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThe life of William Davenant -Shakespeare's godson and potential biological son -reads as entertainingly as his plays.

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Book SynopsisOffers an ecocritical approach to understanding dress in early modern plays and performance

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Book SynopsisA Student Edition of Brecht's classic parable, set in an unjust society where good can only survive by means of evil. The text of the play is accompanied by an extensive commentary and study notes.

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Book SynopsisWith over 3,000 quotes organized by topic and by play the Dictionary is very easy to use. It also includes a glossary of unfamiliar terms and a brief biography of Shakespeare. The key word index makes it easy to dip into by word, theme or play allowing you to track down a half-remembered quote easily.

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Book SynopsisThis unique book desribes the ways in which educational practitioners at Shakespeare''s Globe theatre bring Shakespeare to life for students of all ages.The Globe approach is always active and inclusive - each student finds their own way into Shakespeare - focussing on speaking, moving and performing rather than reading. Drawing on her rich and varied experience as a teacher, Fiona Banks offers a range of examples and practical ideas teachers can take and adapt for their own lessons. The result is a stimulating and inspiring book for teachers of drama and English keen to enliven and enrich their students'' experience of Shakespeare.Trade ReviewI’m pretty impressed with a new book from Bloomsbury about the Globe’s Education work. In Creative Shakespeare, Fiona Banks describes the ways in which educational practitioners at the Globe bring Shakespeare to life for students of all ages . . . It’s practical and informative . . . give it to all your director/practitioner/teacher friends for Christmas. -- Susan Elkin * The Stage *Creative Shakespeare is not only a book of fantastic teaching ideas: it’s also a great read for anyone who is interested in Shakespeare as theatre and Shakespeare in education . . . Just as the Globe theatre has the potential to bring Shakespeare’s plays to life for its audiences in this very particular way, so these workshop techniques have the potential to lift the text in the classroom from the page in a very powerful way . . . It’s difficult in this short space to convey a sense of the richness of this book and of the depth of experience which has produced it. It’s more than a resource book: it’s a book that every teacher of Shakespeare should read. -- Gary Snapper * Teaching English *An excellent and thorough resource which provides teachers and directors with a battery of exercises to help students and actors discover Shakespeare's work through what must surely be highly enjoyable active learning and exploration. * Drama Resource *A rich mixture of discussion, activities, teaching tips, extracts of text, and commentaries from the Globe Education practitioners. * Drama Magazine *In pedagogy, Fiona Banks’s Creative Shakespeare: The Globe Education Guide to Practical Shakespeare is a rich resource of educational tactics for students of all ages, although elementary and secondary teachers will find it most useful. -- Roland Greene, Stanford University * Recent Studies in Tudor and Stuart Drama *Fiona Banks, a leading member of Globe Education for many years, approaches the teaching of Shakespeare seriously. There is no patronizing, no spoonfeeding, but respect for students and their intellect … Banks expresses the purpose of the book quite clearly, and anyone who has ever been engaged in this sort of work will emphatically agree. -- Arthur Kincaid * The Shakespeare Newsletter *Table of ContentsIntroduction Key Principles and Ideas Context Core Approaches Language: Inside Out Actor, Stage and Audience Performance Learning Through Shakespeare Conclusion References

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Book SynopsisMacbeth is one of the most popular and bloody of Shakespeare''s tragedies. This accessible introduction offers a springboard into the play, taking a hands-on, performance-based approach, exploring the challenges and the rewards it presents to actors, audiences and students. Springboard Shakespeare: Macbeth has a three-part structure: whether you''re watching or reading, Ben Crystal takes you through exactly what you need to know Before, During and After the play. He combines a genuine passion and understanding of Shakespeare with his experience as an actor, giving the reader a clear route to thinking about, understanding and enjoying Macbeth.Trade ReviewHaving Crystal as a companion through the stickier parts of Hamlet and Macbeth is like going to the theatre with an intelligent friend. * The Independent *How different it might have been if we’d had Ben Crystal’s sparky little books to introduce us. My Shakespearean epiphany would have come much sooner...[the books] lead newcomers into the play in question in a gentle, upbeat, unpretentious way. Fresh and slim, they’re about as far as could be from dusty, dry study guides relating to school exams...much better than the average theatre programme...I’d like to see them on sale in theatre bookshops, and/or wherever there’s a production of one of these plays...I’d also recommend them for classroom use. -- Susan Elkin * The Independent on Sunday *A highly worthwhile series, which should prove to be valuable for directors, actors and students…This formula really works. As an experiment, your dedicated reviewer tried out Macbeth in preparation for and following on from the Eve Best production of the Globe. The experience was definitely improved, with some of the tips on words and language proving especially helpful and enlightening… These really are excellent little guides that will prove informative to almost anybody with an interest in the subject. -- Philip Fisher * British Theatre Guide *

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Book SynopsisWho really wrote the plays of Shakespeare?Trade Review‘A major contribution to the greatest literary puzzle of all. This is a revealing, scrupulous, carefully documented historical work. It devastates the crumbling claims for the man of Stratford, and offers a realistic and persuasive case for a credible candidate.’ * Dr John Spiers, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of English Studies, University of London *‘Casson and Rubinstein reveal remarkable discoveries in the margins of Henry Neville’s books, in his letters and handwriting, linking him to the works of Shakespeare. This documentary evidence shifts the ground: in our search for Shakespeare we should look to Neville.’ * Greg Thompson, award-winning theatre director and Entrepreneur in Residence, University College, London *‘With meticulous and jaw-dropping discoveries, all the pieces of the authorship puzzle have been slotted into place – and the fit is impeccable.’ * John O’Donnell, Monash University, Melbourne *

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Book SynopsisStephen Guy-Bray is Professor and Head of the Department of English at the University of British Columbia, Canada.Martin Wiggins is a Fellow of The Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK.Table of ContentsIntroduction A Note on the Text Further Reading Edward II

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Book SynopsisHamlet remains the most-studied of all Shakespeare''s great tragedies. This collection of newly-commissioned essays gives readers an overview of past critical views of the play as well as new writing about the play from today''s leading scholars. The range of perspectives offered makes the book an invaluable companion to anyone studying the play at an advanced level. The final chapter on learning and teaching resources is particularly useful as a guide for further study.Trade ReviewI’m very impressed by this series. I think its success lies in part in the general editors’ wise selection of volume editors who are both intellectually open-minded and capable of assembling strong, diverse teams of contributors. * Studies in English Literature *Table of ContentsSERIES INTRODUCTION NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS TIMELINE Introduction ANN THOMPSON 1. The Critical Backstory JOHN LEE 2. Performance History LOIS POTTER 3. Hamlet: The State of the Art NEIL TAYLOR 4. New Directions: Hamlet and Gender CATHERINE BELSEY 5. New Directions: Hamlet, Cinema, the World MARK THORNTON BURNETT 6. New Directions: Being Hamlet Not Being Hamlet FRANK McGUINNESS RESOURCES ANN THOMPSON NOTES REFERENCES INDEX

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Book SynopsisWhat does it mean to teach Shakespeare with purpose? It means freeing teachers from the notion that teaching Shakespeare means teaching everything, or teaching Western Civilisation and universal themes. Instead, this invigorating new book equips teachers to enable student-centred discovery of these complex texts. Because Shakespeare's plays are excellent vehicles for many topics history, socio-cultural norms and mores, vocabulary, rhetoric, literary tropes and terminology, performance history, performance strategies it is tempting to teach his plays as though they are good for teaching everything. This lens-free approach, however, often centres the classroom on the teacher as the expert and renders Shakespeare's plays as fixed, determined, and dead. Teaching Shakespeare with Purpose shows teachers how to approach Shakespeare's works as vehicles for collaborative exploration, to develop intentional frames for discovery, and to release the texts from over-determined interpretatioTrade ReviewThompson and Turchi describe techniques for moving us away from teacher-centered historical expertise toward a collaborative and participatory model of learning that puts Shakespearean language and performance at the center of the classroom experience … It’s innovative, practical, and generous; I hope it will be read widely and put to use. * Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 *Teaching Shakespeare with Purpose is not just a practical guide but an argument for the continued relevance of Shakespeare survey courses … Each chapter grounds the teaching theory in practical examples from a model class. The chapters are full of helpful activities including model close readings, themes, and questions from the plays selected (each chapter relies on a different one to model the pedagogy discussed). This approach is advantageous since it provides value for readers who may only have time to read a chapter or two. As well, the pedagogical process described is adaptable to any set of plays. Thompson and Turchi discuss framing, guided questions, entry points, and close readings that allow any teacher the structure she needs to get started on designing her Introduction to Shakespeare course while preserving an individual’s pedagogical strengths and the freedom to pick any of the plays … As someone working on an ‘Introduction to Shakespeare’ class for the first time, this book was a must read if only for the way that it helped put the task of design, teaching, and assessment, in perspective. However, the authors demystify and clarify the purpose of all of the aspects of an introductory course in a way that is not overbearing. Their argument is always student-centered and asks us to make choices about how we approach any aspect of the play (be it the history, the language, or the writing assignments we pick) in order to enhance the experience for the students. In this way, they have given readers a good model not just for the teaching of an ‘Introduction to Shakespeare’ course but other literature courses as well. * This Rough Magic *Table of ContentsChapter One: Introduction: The Realities of the 21st Century Chapter Two: Finding Your Purpose and Putting It into Action: Framing Chapter Three: ‘Ancient English’: Shakespeare’s Language Chapter Four: Embodiment: What Is It (Not)? Chapter Five: History: What Time Are You Thinking About? Chapter Six: Writing Assignments with a Purpose Chapter Seven: Assessment with a Purpose Chapter Eight: The Tyranny of Resources Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWritten specifically for GCSE students by academics in the field, the Methuen Drama GCSE Student Editions provide in-depth explanatory material alongside the play texts frequently studied at Key Stage 4. Whether for use in the classroom or independent study, these editions offer a fully comprehensive and lightly glossed play text with accompanying notes specifically directed towards readers of this age, which unravel essential topics and challenge all students to delve further into literary analysis. In Simon Stephens''s multi-award-winning stage adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, based on Mark Haddon''s novel, Christopher''s investigation into the death of the neighbour''s dog tears his world apart and confronts him with the struggle to survive when everything feels foreign.In addition to some on-page explanatory notes and the play text itself, this edition contains sub-headed analyses of themes, characters, context and dramatic devices, as well asTrade ReviewTrue to the original novel, Simon Stephens's version drips with ideas * Evening Standard *Table of ContentsConcise critical commentary, focusing upon key speeches/events; language; dramatic technique Expanded sections on theme, dramatic technique, characterisation and context Close reading of selected passages Press reviews including up-to-date reviews Words of actors and directors who have been involved in the play Playwrights' own words (annotated) Short extracts from critical writings on the playwright Extensive activities involving other works by the playwright

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Book SynopsisThe surviving works of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides have been familiar to readers and theatregoers for centuries; but these works are far outnumbered by their lost plays. Between them these authors wrote around two hundred tragedies, the fragmentary remains of which are utterly fascinating. In this, the second volume of a major new survey of the tragic genre, Matthew Wright offers an authoritative critical guide to the lost plays of the three best-known tragedians. (The other Greek tragedians and their work are discussed in Volume 1: Neglected Authors.) What can we learn about the lost plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides from fragments and other types of evidence? How can we develop strategies or methodologies for reading' lost plays? Why were certain plays preserved and transmitted while others disappeared from view? Would we have a different impression of the work of these classic authors or of Greek tragedy as a whole if a different selectioTrade ReviewWright’s insightful analysis of nearly 200 fragmentary dramas by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides will lead readers to re-assess not only their dramatic output, but the nature of Greek tragedy itself. -- Ian C. Storey, Professor Emeritus of Classics, Trent University, CanadaThe book will be of interest to all those working on Greek tragedy. * Revue des Etudes Anciennes (Bloomsbury Translation) *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction 1. Aeschylus 2. Sophocles 3. Euripides 4. Unfamiliar Faces 5. Lost Tragedies in Performance Bibliography and Abbreviations Index

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a comparative study of the history, performances and politics of the FTP by drawing and exposing further links between American modernism and its European counterparts.

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Book SynopsisThisbook examines the 100 or so families who lived in Shakespeare'sparish and demonstrates how their interests, work and connections formed part of the background environment that Shakespeare probably borrowed from as he reworked existing stories.

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Book SynopsisRevises current thinking about how genre operates in early modern theatre

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Book SynopsisHow to Do Things with Dead People studies human contrivances for representing and relating to the dead. Alice Dailey takes as her principal objects of inquiry Shakespeare''s English history plays, describing them as reproductive mechanisms by which living replicas of dead historical figures are regenerated in the present and re-killed. Considering the plays in these terms exposes their affinity with a transhistorical array of technologies for producing, reproducing, and interacting with dead thingstechnologies such as literary doppelgängers, photography, ventriloquist puppetry, X-ray imaging, glitch art, capital punishment machines, and cloning. By situating Shakespeare''s historical drama in this intermedial conversation, Dailey challenges conventional assumptions about what constitutes the context of a work of art and contests foundational models of linear temporality that inform long-standing conceptions of historical periodization and teleological ord

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Book Synopsis‘Enchanting’ - Simon Russell Beale ‘Remarkable’ - James Shapiro‘Wonderful . . . compulsively readable’ - Nicholas HytnerWhy do the collected works of an Elizabethan writer continue to speak to us as if they were written yesterday?When Robert McCrum began his recovery from a life-changing stroke, described in My Year Off, he discovered that the only words that made sense to him were snatches of Shakespeare. Unable to travel or move as he used to, McCrum found the First Folio became his ‘book of life’, an endless source of inspiration through which he could embark on ‘journeys of the mind’, and see a reflection of our own disrupted times.An acclaimed writer and journalist, McCrum has spent the last twenty-five years immersed in Shakespeare’s work, on stage and on the page. During this prolonged exploration, Shakespeare’s poetry and plays, so vivid and contemporary, have become his guide and consolation. In Shakespearean he asks: Why is it that we always return to Shakespeare, particularly in times of acute crisis and dislocation? What is the key to his hold on our imagination? And why do the collected works of an Elizabethan writer continue to speak to us as if they were written yesterday?Shakespearean is a rich, brilliant and superbly drawn portrait of an extraordinary artist, one of the greatest writers who ever lived. Through an enthralling narrative, ranging widely in time and space, McCrum seeks to understand Shakespeare within his historical context while also exploring the secrets of literary inspiration, and examining the nature of creativity itself. Witty and insightful, he makes a passionate and deeply personal case that Shakespeare’s words and ideas are not just enduring in their relevance – they are nothing less than the eternal key to our shared humanity.Trade ReviewShakespearean is a remarkable book, an illuminating and personal journey that takes us to the heart of Shakespeare’s art and influence. From his account of the plays’ quintessential Englishness to his exploration of what he shrewdly terms their 'negligent ambiguity,' McCrum’s insights are hard-earned and deeply rewarding -- James ShapiroI can’t think of anything better than listening to Robert McCrum talk about Shakespeare. And this enchanting book is the next best thing - like a gentle chat with a genuine expert. -- Sir Simon Russell BealeRobert McCrum beautifully connects Shakespeare to ourselves in a way I’ve not come across before. I love his curiosity. He seems to live each day as if he’s talked to Shakespeare on the phone that morning. So far, it's the best thing that has happened during lockdown.' -- Michael Grandage, Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, 2002-2012Shakespearean is a brilliant, wise, elegant and profoundly moving book . . . Beautifully written, inspired and inspiring: a captivating portrait of Shakespeare and ourselves -- Joanna Kavenna, author of The Ice MuseumIf you ever had any doubts about the relevance of Shakespeare to the modern world, read this book! -- Henry Marsh, author of Do No HarmWonderful and inexhaustibly fascinating -- Richard EyreWonderful . . . a beautiful personal testament to why Shakespeare continues to matter so much. It is crammed with original insights, and springs equally from a deep knowledge of Shakespeare’s own world and a totally persuasive conviction that his plays speak to our own world, and our own selves, as cogently as they did to the Elizabethans. It is compulsively readable and I loved every page of it. -- Nicholas Hytner, theatre directorReading Shakespearean was a joy . . . by far the most accessible and erudite contemporary critique evoking with wit and profound insight that conscious (and subconscious) acknowledgement of the degrees to which Shakespeare‘s work continues to influence our cultural and political lives. It is also an essential entertaining book for anyone who like me shares a love of the great man’s plays and sonnets. -- Don Boyd, film directorMcCrum writes brilliantly about writing . . . there is much here to stir the blood * The Times *Engaging and animated . . . McCrum guides us rather like someone walking through a gallery . . . McCrum's Shakespeare for "times of disruption" is a welcome participant in the contemporary conversation -- Rowan Williams, New Statesman'Excellent . . . the winning combination of McCrum's own insights and sparkling language lifts Shakespearean to the must-read list . . . an ambitious and exhilarating ride * Daily Mail *A beguiling mix of memoir, literary criticism and biography * iNews *

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Book SynopsisSupernatural elements are of central significance in many of Shakespeare's plays, contributing to their dramatic power and intrigue. Ghosts haunt political spaces and internal psyches, witches foresee the future and disturb the present, fairies meddle with love and a magus conjures a tempest from the elements. Although written and performed for early modern audiences, for whom the supernatural, whether sacred, demonic or folkloric, was part of the fabric of everyday life, the supernatural in Shakespeare continues to enthrall audiences and readers, and maintains its power to raise a range of questions in contemporary contexts.This edited collection of twelve essays from an international range of contemporary Shakespeare scholars explores the supernatural in Shakespeare from a variety of perspectives and approaches, generating new knowledge and presenting hitherto unexplored avenues of enquiry across the Shakespearean canon.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Shakespeare and the supernatural – Victoria Bladen and Yan BrailowskyPart I: Embodying the supernatural1 Shakespeare’s political spectres – Victoria Bladen 2 ‘Rudely stamped’: supernatural generation and the limits of power in Shakespeare’s Richard III – Chelsea Phillips 3 Digital puppetry and the supernatural: double Ariel in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Tempest (2017) – Anchuli Felicia KingPart II: Haunted spaces4 Demons and puns: Revisiting the ‘cellarage scene’ in Hamlet – Pierre Kapitaniak5 Performing the Shakespearean supernatural in Avignon: a challenge to the Festival – Florence MarchPart III: Supernatural utterance and haunted texts6 Prophecy and the supernatural: Shakespeare’s challenges to performativity – Yan Brailowsky7 Puck, Philostrate and the locus of A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s topical allegory – Laurie Johnson 8 ‘Strange intelligence’: Transformations of witchcraft in Macbeth discourse – William C. CarrollPart IV: Magic, music and gender9 Music and magic in The Tempest: Ariel’s alchemical songs – Natalie Roulon10 From Prospero to Prospera: transforming gender and magic on stage and screen – Katharine Goodland Part V: Contemporary transformations11 ‘I’ll put a girdle round the earth in forty minutes’: representing the supernatural in film adaptations of A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Gayle Allan12 Ophelia and her magical daughters: the afterlives of Ophelia in Japanese pop culture – Yukari YoshiharaIndex

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Book SynopsisThe aesthetic exception theorises anew the relation between art and politics. It challenges critical trends that discount the role of aesthetic autonomy, to impulsively reassert art as an effective form of social engagement. But it equally challenges those on the flipside of the efficacy debate, who insist that art’s politics is limited to a recondite space of ‘autonomous resistance’. The book shows how each side of the efficacy debate overlooks art’s exceptional status and its social mediations. Mobilising philosophy and cultural theory, and employing examples from visual art, performance, and theatre, it proposes four alternative tests to ‘effect’ to offer a nuanced account of art’s political character. Those tests examine how art relates to politics as a practice that articulates its historical conjuncture, and how it prefigures the ‘new’ through simulations capable of activating the political life of the spectator.Trade Review'Starting with a seemingly simple question ‘Can art be political?’, this book opens a Pandora’s box that reveals the paradoxical nature of the relationship between art and life, the impossibility of taxonomy of political theatre, on the one hand, and its potential as a hermeneutical tool, on the other, and when it comes to postdramatic theatre and theory – nothing is anymore as it seemed before … The depth of analysis is impressive, whenever we feel we have reached a conceptual stable ground, Fisher probes further and invites us to question deeper!'Silvija Jestrovic, University of Warwick'Fisher is a joy to read! He writes with clarity and urgency but without oversimplification and gratuitous polemic. He draws on the whole toolkit of interdisciplinary thought and covers a vast terrain in contemporary theatre, but he never relies on jargon and avoids any form of superficiality … with cautious optimism, [he] takes the lead of key artists and heads out towards new horizons of possibility, en route, he has revitalized our understanding of both politics and aesthetics.'Nikos Papastergiadis, University of Melbourne -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction The horizon of the aestheticPart I The aesthetic exception1 The paradox of the aesthetic exception2 Crossing the threshold3 The institution of art: critical and theoretical reflectionsPart II Political art after the communicative turn4 The classical debate revisited: Sartre, Brecht, Adorno5 Art of the communicative turn: Habermas and the political6 What is the proper way to display a US flag? – the work of “dissensual speech” in artPart III Taxonomy of the political theatre7 Foundational problems and problems of foundation8 Displacement effects: Althusser’s “Brecht” and the theatre of the conjuncture9 Activist theatre of the conjuncture: the case of Janam and the street theatre in India10 The “closure” of the political theatre and the critique of post-dramatic reason11 The political theatre redefined12 The theatre of the planetary conjuncture: Milo Rau’s Congo Tribunal13 On taxonomic strategiesIndex

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisHow are great turning points in history experienced by individuals?As Britain pulls away from Europe great British writers come together to give voice to their innermost feelings. These writers include novelists, writers of books for children, of comic books, humourists, historians, biographers, nature writers, film writers, travel writers, writers young and old and from an extraordinary range of backgrounds. Most are famous perhaps because they have won the Booker or other literary prizes, written bestsellers, changed the face of popular culture or sold millions of records. Others are not yet household names but write with depth of insight and feeling.There is some extraordinary writing in this book. Some of these pieces are expressions of love of particular places in Europe. Some are true stories, some nostalgic, some hopeful. Some are cries of pain. There are hilarious pieces. There are cries of pain and regret. Some pieces are quietly devastating. All are passionate.Conceived as a love letter to Europe, this book may also help reawaken love for Britain. It shows the unique richness and diversity of British cultures, a multitude of voices in harmony.Contributors include:Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Philip Ardagh, Jake Arnott, Patricia Atkinson, Paul Atterbury, Richard Beard, Mary Beard, Don Boyd, Melvyn Bragg, Gyles Brandreth, Kathleen Burke, James Buxton, Philip Carr, Brian Catling, Shami Chakrabarti, Chris Cleave, Mark Cocker, Peter Conradi , Heather Cooper, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Roger Crowley, David Crystal, William Dalrymple, Lindsey Davies, Margaret Drabble, Mark Ellen, Richard Evans, Michel Faber, Sebastian Faulks, Ranulph Fiennes, Robert Fox, James Fox, Neil Gaiman, Evelyn Glennie, James Hanning, Nick Hayes, Alan Hollinghurst, Gabby Hutchinson-Crouch, Will Hutton, Robert Irwin, Holly Johnson , Liane Jones, Ruth Jones, Sam Jordison, Kapka Kassabova, AL Kennedy, Hermione Lee, Prue Leith, Patrick Lenox, Roger Lewis, David Lindo, Penelope Lively, Beth Lync, Richard Mabey, Sue MacGregor, Ian Martin, Frank McDonough, Jonathan Meades, Andrew Miller, Deborah Moggach, Ben Moor, Alan Moore, Paul Morley, Jackie Morris, Charles Nicholl, Richard Overy, Chris Riddell, Adam Roberts, Tony Robinson, Lee Rourke, Sophie Sabbage, Marcus Sedgwick, Richard Shirreff, Paul Stanford, Isy Suttie, Sandi Toksvig, Colin Tudge, Ed Vulliamy, Anna Whitelock, Kate Williams, Michael Wood, Louisa Young

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Book SynopsisWilliam Shakespeare understood power: what it is, how it works, how it is gained, and how it is lost. In The Hollow Crown, Eliot A. Cohen reveals how the battling princes of Henry IV and scheming senators of Julius Caesar can teach us to better understand power and politics today. The White House, after all, is a court-with intrigue and conflict rivalling those on the Globe's stage-as is an army, a business, or a university. And each court is full of driven characters, in all their ambition, cruelty, and humanity. Henry V's inspiring speeches reframe John F. Kennedy's appeal, Richard III's wantonness illuminates Vladimir Putin's brutality, and The Tempest's grace offers a window into the presidency of George Washington. An original and incisive perspective, The Hollow Crown shows how Shakespeare's works transform our understanding of the leaders who, for good or ill, make and rule our world.

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Book SynopsisThe 1590s were black years for England. The queen was old, the succession unclear, and the treasury empty after decades of war. Amid the rising tension, William Shakespeare published a pair of poems dedicated to the young Earl of Southampton: Venus and Adonis in 1593 and The Rape of Lucrece a year later. Although wildly popular during Shakespeare's lifetime, to modern readers both works are almost impenetrable. But in her enthralling new book, the Shakespearean scholar Clare Asquith reveals their hidden contents: two politically charged allegories of Tudor tyranny that justified--and even urged--direct action against an unpopular regime. The poems were Shakespeare's bestselling works in his lifetime, evidence that they spoke clearly to England's wounded populace and disaffected nobility, and especially to their champion, the Earl of Essex.Shakespeare and the Resistance unearths Shakespeare's own analysis of a political and religious crisis which would shortly erupt in armed rebellion on the streets of London. Using the latest historical research, it resurrects the story of a bold bid for freedom of conscience and an end to corruption which was erased from history by the men who suppressed it. This compelling reading situates Shakespeare at the heart of the resistance movement, and sees him correctly identifying the factors that would before long plunge the country into civil war.

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