Shakespeare and Gender in Practice

by Terri Power

Overview

Cross-gender performance was an integral part of Shakespearean theatre: from boys portraying his female characters, to those characters disguising themselves as men within the story.

This book examines contemporary trends in staging cross-gender performances of Shakespeare in the UK and USA. Terri Power surveys the field of gender in performance through an intersectional feminist and queer theoretical lens. In depth discussions of key productions reveal processes adapted by companies for their performances. The book also looks at how contemporary performance responds to new cultural politics of gender and creates a critical language for understanding that within Shakespeare.

This book features:
- First-hand interviews with professional artists
- Case studies of individual performances
- A practical workshop section with innovative exercises

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781137408532
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/02/2015
Series:	Shakespeare in Practice , #2
Edition description:	1st ed. 2015
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Terri Power is the Course Director for the MA in Performing Shakespeare at Bath Spa University, Director and Education and Outreach Manager for the Bristol Shakespeare Festival, and serves as a Specialist Performance Advisor for the Global Virtual Theatre Project. She has published and presented several papers on Shakespeare in practice in academic jourbanals and at international conferences. She is also a professional actor on stage and screen and has worked with Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the RSC, Universal Studios and Disney, among other companies. She has written, produced and directed performance work including Drag King Richard III and Lear 1864: Trail of Tears.
Terri Power is the Course Director for the MA in Performing Shakespeare at Bath Spa University, Director and Education and Outreach Manager for the Bristol Shakespeare Festival, and serves as a Specialist Performance Advisor for the Global Virtual Theatre Project. She has published and presented several papers on Shakespeare in practice in academic jourbanals and at international conferences. She is also a professional actor on stage and screen and has worked with Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the RSC, Universal Studios and Disney, among other companies. She has written, produced and directed performance work including Drag King Richard III and Lear 1864: Trail of Tears.

Table of Contents

Introduction
PART I: IN THEORY
1. Feminist and Queer Theory
PART II: IN PRACTICE
2. Single-Sex Shakespeare Companies: Original Practices
3. Single-Sex Shakespeare Companies: Emerging Companies
4. Gender and Non-traditional Casting
5. Queer and Transgender Performance: Reimaging Gender Through Adaptation and Appropriation
6. Practical Considerations of Gender: The Gender Workshop
PART III: DEBATE AND PROVOCATION
7. A Dialogue with Lisa Wolpe
Annotated Reading List.