Contemporary Readings in Global Performances of Shakespeare

A concise guide to global performances of Shakespeare, combining methodologies of dramaturgy, film and performance studies, critical race and gender studies, and theories of cultural exchange.

This companion to contemporary global performances of Shakespeare guides students from critical methodologies through big pictures of global Shakespeare to case studies that employ these methodologies. Intended for use in the classroom, it employs a site-specific lens to examine global performances of Shakespeare onstage and onscreen.

As well as featuring methodological chapters on modernist adaptations, global cinema, multilingual productions and Shakespeare in translation, the volume includes short histories of adaptations of Shakespeare in Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Arab world, India, the Slavic world, Iran, Afghanistan and the Farsi-speaking diaspora. It uses these micro-historical narratives to demonstrate the value of local knowledge by analysing the relationships between Shakespeare and his modern interlocutors.

Finally, thematically organized case studies apply the methodologies to analyse key productions. These chapters showcase the how of global Shakespeare studies: how do minoritized artists and audiences engage with Shakespeare? And how do we analyse the diverse and polyphonic performances with an eye towards equity and social justice?

Alexa Alice Joubin is Professor of English, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Theatre, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Cultures at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., USA. She is the inaugural recipient of the bell hooks Legacy Award.