Shakespeare and Community Overview

For more than 400 years, the works of William Shakespeare have engaged communities across the globe with their ageless and versatile explorations of the human experience. His influence on contemporary Western culture is ever-present, providing the foundation for entire industries within the realms of arts and academia that explore his plays and poetry from a contemporary perspective. Today, Shakespeare remains the world’s most produced playwright and critical studies of his works are published on a seemingly daily basis. These pursuits, however, often declaring the “universality” of Shakespeare, have disenfranchised significant segments of society by perpetuating a cultural elitism that belies the notion of accessibility inherent in his works.

Shakespeare mythologized the trials and tribulations of the royal class, but his sympathies were most poignantly expressed through the viewpoints of his characters identified as “commoners”. Their existential struggles, exacerbated under the yoke of tyrannical rule, were reflected ever-upward to a nobility that benefited greatly from these same oppressive systems. Shakespeare was, in essence, a 17th century voice of humanism, arguing for social and political reforms that promoted greater equity for those systematically excluded from these unjust power structures.

Moving forward to the latter half of the 20th century, a movement of practitioners, academics, and activists sought to reinvent exclusionary literary and performance traditions by engaging contributors through a direct, participatory approach to Shakespeare’s works. These pioneers, fostering collaborative work with untapped communities, were at the vanguard of a new approach to performing arts engagement only recently defined as “Applied Shakespeare”. Inspired by the liberatory philosophies of educator Paolo Freire and theatre director Augusto Boal, Applied Shakespeare practitioners explore his works through the lens of social and racial justice, applying Shakespeare through a dialogic framework that mobilizes engagement into collective social action. Programs designed with and for the incarcerated, the differently abled, and those disadvantaged by socio-economic factors (to name a few) explore Shakespeare through their unique lived experience, often resulting in the development of new modes of self-expression and empowerment for participant and practitioner alike.

“Shakespeare and Community” highlights these practices and key figures in the field of Applied Shakespeare in Europe through a series of panel discussions, providing a reflective space wherein the larger community can gain a broader understanding of who Shakespeare “is” and “can be” in the context of a rapidly changing culture.

Key themes underpinning these sessions include:

• What is Applied Shakespeare?
• How might Shakespeare’s works serve as a catalyst for positive social change?
• Is there something intrinsic in Shakespeare’s works that provides the impetus for self-reflection and enhanced creative expression?
• Is Shakespeare a colonizing force in society that marginalizes certain communities? What can be done to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, this harm?
• What is the role of race in his works? Is his use of “othering” characters a racist practice or a commentary on racism?
• What is the academic response to the Applied Shakespeare movement?
• What are the future directions of this work?