Dramatizing Penshurst: "Love's Victory" and the Sidneys
Lead Research Organisation:
Lancaster University
Department Name: English and Creative Writing
Abstract
'Dramatizing Penshurst' brings to life the remarkable literary history of the Sidney family by staging 'Love's Victory' (1617), by Lady Mary Wroth at her home, Penshurst Place. Wroth was the daughter of Robert Sidney and niece of Sir Philip Sidney and Mary Sidney Herbert, who transformed the literary landscape of the 16th and 17th centuries. Penshurst was a crucible for innovation amidst tradition, an experience which the project recreates for members of the public through rehearsals and performances. It inaugurates Penshurst's strategy for the next 25 years to leverage the house's cultural capital, making sustained use of a historic literary text to deepen visitor engagement with the past.
Staging the play 400 years after it was composed disproves Virginia Woolf's view that any sister of Shakespeare could not have written drama. The production, performed by professional actors at Penshurst Place and in the newly-established Marlowe Kit in Canterbury City Centre, will uncover a 'hidden' heritage: the history of Shakespeare's 'sisters' or female contemporary dramatists. The play has almost no recorded stage history. The public will be able to judge its value alongside plays like Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'.
The rehearsals and performances at Penshurst Place will give people a chance to participate for the first time in a historically-informed piece of household theatre. This theatrical tradition was very different from that of the professional city playhouses like Shakespeare's Globe, from which female performers and writers were excluded. The intimate, medieval venue of the Marlowe Kit will recreate the conditions of a 'private' household performance amidst the commercial bustle of the city.
Members of the public of all ages and backgrounds will be invited to contribute actively to the production process by attending free talks, multi-media workshops and open rehearsals leading up to the performances. Those visiting Penshurst and the Marlowe Kit will be able to offer their own perspectives on the script and other Sidney writings by engaging in discussion with the academic leader, the director and the performer-interpreters. The academic leader will talk about the Sidney manuscripts and women's writing from Kent at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone.
Reading or rehearsing scenes in the rooms and historic gardens at Penshurst will offer actors and members of the public a heightened sensory experience that should prompt reflections about how emotions are generated by places and by the past. Visitors to Penshurst and the Marlowe Kit will be encouraged to respond creatively too, using art, music, creative writing. Through such activities, visitors will become co-producers of the performances of 'Love's Victory' and of Penshurst as a living heritage site. The project contributes to Penshurst's and The Marlowe's long-term goals to build awareness of a shared literary past: deeply rooted in the Kentish landscape but with international scope, whose cultural significance continues to the present.
To reach wider publics who are not able to travel to Kent, 'Dramatizing Penshurst' will offer a virtual experience of the co-production process online. A performance of 'Love's Victory' at Penshurst Place will be professionally filmed and made freely available via the project's website. A new on-line exhibition will host edited filmed extracts from the rehearsals, talks, workshops, examples of writing about Penshurst and by the Sidneys and images of the historical sites. People's creative and reflective responses to the live events and Penshurst Place will also feature in the online exhibition. Items will be selected for physical exhibitions at the Marlowe Kit and later at Penshurst Place. The academic advisor will use the archive of materials to offer a Massive Online Open Course to engage a worldwide audience with the writing of Wroth and with Penshurst Place's literary heritage in an accessible way.
Staging the play 400 years after it was composed disproves Virginia Woolf's view that any sister of Shakespeare could not have written drama. The production, performed by professional actors at Penshurst Place and in the newly-established Marlowe Kit in Canterbury City Centre, will uncover a 'hidden' heritage: the history of Shakespeare's 'sisters' or female contemporary dramatists. The play has almost no recorded stage history. The public will be able to judge its value alongside plays like Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'.
The rehearsals and performances at Penshurst Place will give people a chance to participate for the first time in a historically-informed piece of household theatre. This theatrical tradition was very different from that of the professional city playhouses like Shakespeare's Globe, from which female performers and writers were excluded. The intimate, medieval venue of the Marlowe Kit will recreate the conditions of a 'private' household performance amidst the commercial bustle of the city.
Members of the public of all ages and backgrounds will be invited to contribute actively to the production process by attending free talks, multi-media workshops and open rehearsals leading up to the performances. Those visiting Penshurst and the Marlowe Kit will be able to offer their own perspectives on the script and other Sidney writings by engaging in discussion with the academic leader, the director and the performer-interpreters. The academic leader will talk about the Sidney manuscripts and women's writing from Kent at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone.
Reading or rehearsing scenes in the rooms and historic gardens at Penshurst will offer actors and members of the public a heightened sensory experience that should prompt reflections about how emotions are generated by places and by the past. Visitors to Penshurst and the Marlowe Kit will be encouraged to respond creatively too, using art, music, creative writing. Through such activities, visitors will become co-producers of the performances of 'Love's Victory' and of Penshurst as a living heritage site. The project contributes to Penshurst's and The Marlowe's long-term goals to build awareness of a shared literary past: deeply rooted in the Kentish landscape but with international scope, whose cultural significance continues to the present.
To reach wider publics who are not able to travel to Kent, 'Dramatizing Penshurst' will offer a virtual experience of the co-production process online. A performance of 'Love's Victory' at Penshurst Place will be professionally filmed and made freely available via the project's website. A new on-line exhibition will host edited filmed extracts from the rehearsals, talks, workshops, examples of writing about Penshurst and by the Sidneys and images of the historical sites. People's creative and reflective responses to the live events and Penshurst Place will also feature in the online exhibition. Items will be selected for physical exhibitions at the Marlowe Kit and later at Penshurst Place. The academic advisor will use the archive of materials to offer a Massive Online Open Course to engage a worldwide audience with the writing of Wroth and with Penshurst Place's literary heritage in an accessible way.
Planned Impact
1.The project's use of open rehearsals, workshops, talks and performances of Love's Victory at Penshurst Place and in Canterbury will benefit local, regional and international non-academic communities of visitors by making them active co-creators of the living literary and cultural heritage of Penshurst Place. The virtual dimension of the project's activities will disseminate the on-site experiences in Kent to a much wider public by filming the performances, rehearsals and workshops, A MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) will extend engagement and participation for the following 2 years. These non-academic groups will benefit from the project by
- learning about the significance of the Sidneys as a family of male and female writers
- experiencing the cultural and literary heritage of Penshurst Place at first hand, on site, and virtually through the website and performances
- learning that women as well as men wrote drama in the age of Shakespeare and being able to judge how well women's drama works in performance
- experiencing a different type of historical theatrical tradition from that offered in professional theatres like Shakespeare's Globe
2.The trialling of immersive experiences in the current 'economy of experience' in the heritage industry will be of immediate benefit to the project partner, Penshurst Place, helping the Board of Management to model future explorations of Sidney texts as part of its 25 year policy to leverage Penshurst's cultural and literary heritage to attract new visitors and deepen their engagement with a remarkable historic site.
3. Beyond this, the project's use of literature and performance will suggest new uses of historic buildings across the country, with significant economic, social and cultural benefits.
4. Dramatizing Penshurst will benefit young people in Kent including secondary school students and members of the Marlowe Kit's youth groups, in Canterbury. Young people will benefit by learning about the writing of Wroth and her family, and to Penshurst Place, as parts of their shared Kentish heritage. A level students will use the text and the production process in their Extended Project Qualifications, and Intellectual Vision and Endeavour Programme and to give a unique, comparative perspective on their study of Shakespeare.
5. Adults with particular leisure interests, such as local history, calligraphy, painting, botanical illustration, sewing and art history will benefit from using their interests to engage actively with the script and the production process, so developing a knowledge of Wroth, the Sidneys and Penshurst Place and a heightened sense of the ways the past is recreated in the present. Deborah Croft's art history group, looking at 'English Portraits, Landscapes and Pastoral Scenes', for example, will base their study on Penshurst. Archivists and users of the Kent Library and History Centre will learn about Sidney and Fane manuscripts held there.
6. Kent Adult Education students with creative responses to the play will have the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work on site and on line. For example, those following classes on 'Painting A Story' will be able to exhibit their creative work in the Garden Restaurant at Penshurst Place; calligraphy students will make props for use in the production and for sale to audiences.
7. Regular visitors to Penshurst and local people will benefit from a deeper, more informed visitor experience of Penshurst Place and the family of writers who lived there, so increasing their sense of belonging to its history.
8.The tourist industry in Kent will benefit from an increased number of national and international visitors to Penshurst and to Canterbury as a result of the project's work.
9.Academics working in heritage studies, heritage and museum management, and those studying practice-based theatre research will benefit from its innovative approach to visitor engagement.
- learning about the significance of the Sidneys as a family of male and female writers
- experiencing the cultural and literary heritage of Penshurst Place at first hand, on site, and virtually through the website and performances
- learning that women as well as men wrote drama in the age of Shakespeare and being able to judge how well women's drama works in performance
- experiencing a different type of historical theatrical tradition from that offered in professional theatres like Shakespeare's Globe
2.The trialling of immersive experiences in the current 'economy of experience' in the heritage industry will be of immediate benefit to the project partner, Penshurst Place, helping the Board of Management to model future explorations of Sidney texts as part of its 25 year policy to leverage Penshurst's cultural and literary heritage to attract new visitors and deepen their engagement with a remarkable historic site.
3. Beyond this, the project's use of literature and performance will suggest new uses of historic buildings across the country, with significant economic, social and cultural benefits.
4. Dramatizing Penshurst will benefit young people in Kent including secondary school students and members of the Marlowe Kit's youth groups, in Canterbury. Young people will benefit by learning about the writing of Wroth and her family, and to Penshurst Place, as parts of their shared Kentish heritage. A level students will use the text and the production process in their Extended Project Qualifications, and Intellectual Vision and Endeavour Programme and to give a unique, comparative perspective on their study of Shakespeare.
5. Adults with particular leisure interests, such as local history, calligraphy, painting, botanical illustration, sewing and art history will benefit from using their interests to engage actively with the script and the production process, so developing a knowledge of Wroth, the Sidneys and Penshurst Place and a heightened sense of the ways the past is recreated in the present. Deborah Croft's art history group, looking at 'English Portraits, Landscapes and Pastoral Scenes', for example, will base their study on Penshurst. Archivists and users of the Kent Library and History Centre will learn about Sidney and Fane manuscripts held there.
6. Kent Adult Education students with creative responses to the play will have the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work on site and on line. For example, those following classes on 'Painting A Story' will be able to exhibit their creative work in the Garden Restaurant at Penshurst Place; calligraphy students will make props for use in the production and for sale to audiences.
7. Regular visitors to Penshurst and local people will benefit from a deeper, more informed visitor experience of Penshurst Place and the family of writers who lived there, so increasing their sense of belonging to its history.
8.The tourist industry in Kent will benefit from an increased number of national and international visitors to Penshurst and to Canterbury as a result of the project's work.
9.Academics working in heritage studies, heritage and museum management, and those studying practice-based theatre research will benefit from its innovative approach to visitor engagement.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Alison Findlay (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | Professor Findlay changed public understandings of drama by rehearsing and staging Lady Mary Wroth's Love's Victory (c.1614-19) at her ancestral home of Penshurst Place in Kent. This innovative form of literary tourism revealed a lost theatre history, showing that women as well as men wrote performable plays in the age of Shakespeare. Findlay deepened public engagement with Penshurst Place as home to the Sidney family of writers, leading to the creation of a 25 year strategy to exploit its literary heritage. Over 2,800 people from 62 different countries engaged with the research through participation in rehearsals, workshops, talks, performances, an art exhibition, adult learning and online courses. Findlay's research reached nearly 5 million people through media discussion and debate. |
| Exploitation Route | (1) There are many more museums and heritage houses with literary connections that could adapt the immersive tourist experience using performance as a means to attract new visitors, deepen the experience of existing or regular visitors and extend the number of visits. I would be happy to share my experience of working with Penshurst Place to national charities such as English Heritage and the National Trust, or privately owned independent historic houses. (2) Secondary teachers, particularly those on A Level and GCSE courses will be able to make more extensive use of the online materials, once the film is released, in order to offer a gender balance to their teaching of Shakespeare. (3) Adult education centres across the country could use the models of engagement I used via special interest groups (e.g. calligraphy, needlework, woodwork, painting etc.) to formulate suites of complementary courses with a common area of interest centred round a writer or performance. (4) Tourist offices across the country could use the models of blended on-site and online activities at Penshurst to create new models for attracting visitors (including during periods of lockdown). |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/penshurst-place/ |
| Description | Since this was a Follow-on-Funding grant, my activities (grouped together and fully listed in 21 entries the engagement section) have been designed to make non-academic impacts. The major impact on the project partnew, Penshurst Place and Gardens, has been to create a 25 year strategy to exploit its literary heritage. |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Title | Testimony from Mark Bateson (Archivist at Kent History and Library Centre) |
| Description | A testimony from Mark Bateson of Kent History and Library Centre concerning the talk on 6 September |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | A follow up interactive exhibition was held on 4 November 2019 on the topic of Quill Power and handwriting, using Sidney family manuscripts |
| URL | https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/EkIDgek4QVFBjEbgLcMBsC... |
| Description | Project Partner Penshurst Place |
| Organisation | Horniman Museum and Gardens |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | My collaboration with Penshurst Place started well before the award in 2012 and is ongoing. During the period of the award and as a direct outcome of it, I organised, sometimes directed, and hosted the open rehearsals with groups of actors and spoke to members of the public during these, answering and asking questions. I organised and introduced the dress rehearsal and the two performances at Penshurst. I wrote programme notes to the play and designed the programme with the RA Imogen Felstead. I worked with Target TV to edit the filmed record of the performance. I gave the talk and curated and ran the day-long interactive exhibition at Kent History and Library Centre. I wrote and filmed the MOOC and supervised a mentor and learners during its 2 runs. I wrote the article for "Teaching Shakespeare" and was the lead editor (80%) on "Love's Victory", which included supervising the work of my co-editor Philip Sidney. Penshurst Place provided use of the the gardens, their education room as a base for the actors, and 2 rooms in the house for rehearsals and filming for the MOOC and the website. Guides employed by Penshurst at the entrance and on site, directed visitors to the rehearsal area. Staff in the office helped immeasurably with emergency photocopying. Penshurst provided use of the Baron's Hall for 48 hours as a venue for the performance at a token cost of £6,000. They organised contacts and meetings with the media to publicise the performances. They provided rudimentary internet connection in the Buttery for the PI and RA. Their publicity department advertised the MOOC on Penshurst Place and Gardens website. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Most importantly, the Viscount De L'Isle allowed me exclusive access to the unique complete manuscript of "Love's Victory" owned by him. Space and supervision were provided prior to the start of the production process, so that I could scrutinise the manuscript, prepare materials for the MOOC and Library talks and a working script for the actors. Penshurst Place provided use of the the gardens, their education room as a base for the actors, and 2 rooms in the house for rehearsals and filming for the MOOC and the website. Guides employed by Penshurst at the entrance and on site, directed visitors to the rehearsal area. Staff in the office helped immeasurably with emergency photocopying. Penshurst provided use of the Baron's Hall for 48 hours as a venue for the performance at a token cost of £6,000. They organised contacts and meetings with the media to publicise the performances. They provided rudimentary internet connection in the Buttery for the PI and RA. Their publicity department advertised the MOOC on Penshurst Place and Gardens website. |
| Impact | Full details are in 'Engagement Items' numbered as below 1. On-site workshops and rehearsals of "Love's Victory" open to members of the public 30 August 2018-11 September 2018 (some sections filmed for online public engagement via the Dramatizing Penshurst website). (Engagement Item 1) 2. Two ticketed performances of "Love's Victory" in Baron's Hall, Penshurst Place 16 September 2018 (matinee 100 people plus Sidney family guests; evening 92 people). In addition, 1 dress rehearsal was performed free of charge to members of staff at Penshurst Place Saturday 15 September 2018. 3-8 Media and international media radio plus a television interview with BBC South East 14/09/18 9 Films of the open rehearsals 10. A filmed critical introduction to the the film record of the evening performance of "Love's Victory" 11. Professionally filmed and edited record evening performance of "Love's Victory" (Item 12. 'Penshurst Place and the Sidney Family of Writers': a FutureLearn massive open online course. 2 runs May 2020 and October 2020. 13. Art exhibition at Penshurst Place 29 August - 29 September 2018 14. Cinq Port Scribes calligraphy exhibition at Penshurst Place 15. Talk at Kent History and Library Centre, Maidstone, Kent, 6 September 2018 16. Interactive exhibition at Kent History and Library Centre, 4 Novermber 2019 18. Engagement with pupils and teachers in Kent. 21. Short article by PI 'Performing Gender as Research and Teaching', "Teaching Shakespeare" 19 (2020), pp.3-4 The following publications are also outcomes of the collaboration 1. Scholarly edition of "Love's Victory", ed. Alison Findlay, Philip Sidney and Michael Brennan, Revels Plays, Manchester University Press (30 March 2021) |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Project collaborator Marlowe Theatre, Canturbury |
| Organisation | Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | I gave an interview which was filmed, prior to the commencement of the award, to publicise awareness of Lady Mary Wroth as a local female writer, a "sister" dramatist to Christopher Marlowe. I introduced and directed the on-our feet reading of "Love's Victory" in the Marlowe Kit in May 2018 (Item 17) I invited school pupils, teachers and local academics to a private screening of the film of "Love's Victory" on 6 December 2018. I introduced Penshurst Place, the author and the play to the audience before the screening. (Item 19) I ran workshops in local schools in Canterbury in 2018 and 2019 (Item 18) |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Marlowe Theatre provided a professional to film the interview and arranged broadcast of this to 42 schools. They provided the venue, the large hall in the Marlowe Kit, as a venue for the reading in May 2018 and for the film screening in December 2018 free of charge. In addition, the Marlowe Kit provided professional staff support to prepare the venues, guide members of the public, set up the projection facilities and screen and ensure these were operating smoothly. Sadly, Andrew Dawson, the associate director with whom I worked, reported in January 2021 that 'Since writing the initial letter to support Alison Project "ShakespeareShakespeare's Sisters" there have been seismic shifts at The Marlowe in the wake of the pandemic and a new strategic management of The Marlowe. I am unable to comment on forthcoming plans for The Marlowe Kit or the theatre as I am no longer involved with the management of either and the initial projection regarding visitor number were based on two years when the opening has been greatly affected by closure due to the pandemic." Nevertheless, my research has had "a vital impact in influencing agencies involved in shaping policy on culture (the Business Improvement District and the CouncilCouncil's Cultural Strategy) and in helping to forge further links between the theatre and higher education institutions.initiatives at the levels of city council and county council level." Andrew Dawson's signed Testimony can be found at https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/EkIDgek4QVFBjEbgLcMBsCYBRDgSyhf04C4gxXM-FZrBkg?e=tUfbSQ |
| Impact | 1. Filmed interview with Alison Findlay at the Marlowe Kit, broadcast to 42 local schools. 2. On-our-feet reading of the complete Penshurst Manuscript text of "Love's Victory" 18 May 2018 with c.20 pupils, teachers and the Associate Director (Andrew Dawson) and Education officer (Joanna Labon) of the Marlowe Kit. (Engagement Item 17) 3. Private Screening of the film recording of "Love's Victory" 6 December 2018 with an invited audience of 20 school pupils, teachers and local researchers from Kent University. (Engagement Item 19) |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | 1. A series of open rehearsals of Love's Victory at Penshurst Place in which members of the company rehearsed sections of the text in the gardens of Penshurst Place and in Baron's Hall when the weather was wet. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Approx 150 visitors to Penshurst Place and Gardens in Kent (mainly tourists) were invited to watch and comment on on-site rehearsals of Lady Mary Wroth's 'Love's Victory' on 31 August-2 Sept. (music rehearsal and first read through); 5-7 September; 11-14 September. A few members of Kent Adult Education study groups and calligraphers from the Cinq Ports Scribes who had contributed to the art exhibition and to making props for the production also attended rehearsals. Members of the team of Guides to Penshurst Place also observed some parts of rehearsals. Of the 126 people who completed feedback from the open rehearsals at Penhurst, 74% of people had never heard of Lady Mary Wroth before; 75% said it had expanded their knowledge of Shakespearean theatre; 74% said it had changed their understanding of women's writing. Visitors forged new connections with the site, testifying 'I never realised it was such a literary hub' or that 'It was absolutely fascinating. I had no idea that there were female writers during Shakespeare's time,' and 'above all, it has made me aware of the criminal waste of women's creativity, enforced by the male-centred, professional stage'. The interactive, inclusive nature of the open rehearsal process, which mimicked that of early modern household theatre, made a strong impact on visitors. Individuals commented that it was 'fascinating to see creative process of work [in] building and bringing to life of the play' and enjoyed the '"organic" rehearsal in an organic setting,' which made them feel 'drawn in' as 'part of rediscovering this play.' Local visitors said the experience 'left me uplifted' while international visitors from Australia and California thought the rare opportunity to 'bring pages to life' from a 'written history' was 'wonderful'. The Project Partner, Viscount de L'Isle and the Penshurst Estate, noted that Findlay's research 'brought home the possibilities of engaging more with the Estate's literary heritage on site,' and 'inaugurated a new the formulation of a 25-year strategy (first drafted in 2017) based on leveraging Penshurst's cultural capital in order to develop and grow the business.' Subsequent collaboration has allowed the Estate to 'explore the ways in which the Sidneys' literary heritage affords a new approach to attracting visitors to the house and the gardens' and has helped guides to 'deepen their understanding of the literary contexts of the house' enabling them to 'focus on the theme of Penshurst's cultural heritage in their interactions with visitors to the State Rooms.' It has provided a model for engaging with visitors 'both on site and through publicity channels with a view to driving visitor numbers and event income.' Details of the engagement activities after the initial week are detailed in the 'Dramatizing Penshurst Programme of Events (are in the shared folder in the URL here and below. https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/Documents/Research%20Fish%20Documents?csf=1&web=1&e=lACFBU An example of the open rehearsal can be seen at http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/rehearsals-loves-victory/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/Documents/Research%20F... |
| Description | 10. 2018 Critical Introduction to the Filmed performance of Love's Victory at Penshurst Place |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The critical introduction to the filmed performance of "Love's Victory" was created and edited in 2018. Lancaster University failed to resolve the legal issues surrounding the release of the film until 16 December 2021 when the University gave up and refused me permission to release it. I therefore staged and filmed another production and remade the Critical Introduction in September 2022, releasing it in December 2022. . The original 2018 recording is still available on this link but has now been placed on the project website. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020,2021,2023 |
| URL | https://vimeo.com/517576961 |
| Description | 11. A filmed record of "Love's Victory" performed at Penshurst Place for non-commercial online public broadcast public access |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The evening performance of the production of Lady Mary Wroth's Love's Victory, staged in Baron's Hall, Penshurst Place, where it was probably first performed 400 years ago, was recorded for a global audience as detailed in the grant bid, using 5 cameras and 14 track individual microphones for optimum sound. The performance was filmed and edited by Target Television. In spite of some inadequacies in the performance itself, the film is an excellent documentary record of that performance, making the play accessible to a non-specialist audience. It was ready on 6 December 2018 for online non-commercial broadcast in broadcast quality 1080p film, via Lancaster University's e-stream web server. However, Lancaster University prevented me from releasing the film because of a legal dispute with the director of the stage performance, who will not give his permission to release the film. I informed the University about this in November 2018. The University did not engage the stage director on a contract so it entered into lengthy negotiations using their solicitors (from which I was excluded since September 2019). By September 2021 the stage director had still not engaged legal advice to negotiate with the University or agreed to release the film. The legal dispute was the cause of delay in publishing the film and the MOOC. On 16 December 2021 the Vice Chancellor refused to let me publish the film because of a perceived risk. Since none of this was my fault, I therefore requested that the University cover the cost of a new production and film to replace the 2018 one.. The new production was staged and filmed at Penshurst Place on 27 September and editing is now complete. It was released for free open public access on 19 December 2022. (see URL below) A copy of the 2018 film which I was not allowed to release can be found on vimeo (Password AHRC1) https://vimeo.com/517534082 https://estream.lancaster.ac.uk/View.aspx?id=8235~4s~thtazzqk Please contact me a.g.findlay@lancaster.ac.uk to arrange temporary access. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2018,2022 |
| URL | https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/loves-victory-2022/ |
| Description | 12. 'The Sidneys of Penshurst' Massive Online Open Course' 2 runs (28 May and 5 October 2020) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A FutureLearn MOOC (massive online open course) entitled 'Penshurst Place and the Sidney Family of Writers', lasting for 4 weeks in each run (May 2020 and October 2020) broadened and deepened public understanding of the work of Lady Mary Wroth and the early modern family coterie amidst which she wrote (a family of male and female writers preceding that of the Wordsworth-Shelley circle by some 200 years). Due to delays caused by Lancaster University's failure to secure intellectual copyright for the filmed production of "Love's Victory" the MOOC had to be redesigned, but when it ran, it engaged over 1,400 participants from 62 countries (including the UK, USA and Canada, France, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Japan, Australia and NZ, Russia, India, China, Africa and South America). Learners engaged in an ongoing dialogue with tutors and other learners, with 96% stating they had gained new knowledge. One remote participant praised it as 'a fascinating course - I have learned so much during the past four weeks' and even those close to Penshurst said their perceptions had changed signficantly: 'I have learnt a lot about an estate local to me and its inhabitants and cannot wait until it opens again to visit the sites mentioned.' A first week on the family and Penshurst Place, the gardens and pastoral writing provided 'a great introduction to writers I knew nothing about'. Participants deepened their knowledge by comparing the work of male and female Sidney in weeks devoted to 'The Sidneys and Love', 'Household Theatre' and 'The Sidneys and Religion'. Learners said they had 'a better understanding of the Sidney family and their influence on early English literature' and that 'this type of drama written by women for private performance in the household was completely new and I have really enjoyed it'. Participants observed that 'very imaginative' creative writing exercises shared by the group enhanced appreciation of the 'very interesting and gripping plot' of "Love's Victory". In addition, many learners appreciated costume design or blocking a scene as new creative engagements which 'certainly make you read the play'. One observed she 'really enjoyed trying this! ... having to think about staging it was a challenge'. One teacher said 'the course provided me with a fantastic backdrop against which to base some of my teaching this year on the Early Modern period' offering 'vital reaction and counter-commentary to the expected male strategies and performances of wooing'. The course is not live at present (though it will run again when the film of "Love's Victory" at Penshurst can be incorporated). Learners so far have praised the combination of 'great source material and terrific videos' with one commenting that this changed his experience: 'I felt connected to the material and it is because of the use of video and text, but also in the fine delivery of the information.' The course is not live at present though it is still displayed on the FutureLearn website https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/sidneys-of-penshurst Samples of the videos for the MOOC are available at https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/EuFG6BVSKuxOubV_-RiLv58BgHBY0JPApnv0NBB9o5VVLw?e=hb73Xa The FutureLearn URL is below. For access to the full course please email T.Ellis@lancaster.ac.uk |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/sidneys-of-penshurst |
| Description | 13. Calligraphy and Art Exhibitions |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Findlay changed the ways adult specialist interest groups understood their local history and environment by using innovative ways of engaging learners and specialists. Collaborating with Kent Adult Education service, she engaged over 60 adult students directly and indirectly in the celebration of Wroth's work at Penshurst Place. They created artworks which reflected their deeper understandings of painting, art history, botanical illustration, collage and calligraphy, influenced by the work of Wroth. The artworks were exhibited in the Garden Restaurant at Penshurst Place from 29 August to 30 September 2018, enabling further reach to local audiences, and are now exhibited electronically on the Shakespeare and His Sisters web resource. http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/painting-the-play-liz-chapman/ Adult students of calligraphy employed their new understanding by creating pages for a 'Book of Fortunes', a crucial prop which featured prominently in the 2018 productions. http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/making-the-book-of-fortunes-calligraphy-using-sixteenth-and-seventeenth-century-styles-els-van-den-steen/ Els Van Steen created the Book of Fortunes, an elaborate prop from which characters have to 'draw' leaves or fortunes, especially for the production. http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/book-of-fortunes-for-loves-victory-by-els-van-den-steen/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020,2021 |
| URL | http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/ |
| Description | 14. Cinq Port Scribes exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Members of the Cinq Ports Scribes (a Kent-based group of professional calligraphers) drew on new understandings of Wroth's love sonnets to create a decorative 'Crown of Sonnets' for exhibition in the Baron's Hall during September 2018. Their styles of decoration gave visual form to the moods, metaphors and symbolism of Wroth's poems. Pocket versions of the 14 sonnets in the collection were printed and sold as souvernirs of Wroth to those who attended the performances of "Love's Victory" at Penshurst on 16 September 2018. Photographs of the Crown of Sonnets are displayed on the Shakespeare and His Sisters website to give enduring access to these interpretations of Wroth for global audiences.http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/crowne-of-sonnets-dedicated-to-love/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/crowne-of-sonnets-dedicated-to-love/ |
| Description | 15. Talk at Kent History and Library Centre |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Findlay got the agreement of the Viscount De L'Isle to exhibit examples of Robert Sidney's letters, including that with a crucial watermark matching that on the Penshurst Manuscript of Love's Victory and other archival material relating to Penshurst and to Lady Rachel Fane. She and Kent scholar Dr Marion O'Connor gave a talk at the Kent History and Library Centre about these materials and early modern women's writing in Kent (10 participants including Mark and Sarah). Mark Bateson, the archivist commented: 'We have done talks that combined or evolved into document workshops before, but I can't remember one that so intimately shared and broke open the texts of original archival documents and manuscripts so effectively it was inspiring to see it done in our search room, whither we always hope audience will return as readers in their own right!' He also praised the academic presenters' pitch to a non-academic audience 'Not all of them rise to it, but I think Alison and Marion did so brilliantly.' Attendees commented 'Tonight has been a real eye-opener!' It 'shed a lot more light on private performances within households,' and revealed new 'information that can be obtained from bindings and watermarks' A testimonial from Mark Bateson is in the shared folder at URL below |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/Documents/Research%20F... |
| Description | 16. An interactive exhibition of manuscripts at the Kent History and Library Centre |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 'Writing Family History: The Sidneys of Penshurst' was a day-long interactive exhibition held on 4 November 2019 at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone as part of the Festival of Social Science (with £500 funding from the ESRC). I gave informal talks at 10.30 am and at 2.30 pm introducing the social value of writing or 'Quill Power' for (i) making one's mark and asserting one's identity (ii) communicating information across space and across time (iii) influencing or persuading others (iv) expressing emotions (vi) creating something new. I then introduced a range of Sidney manuscripts: maps, account books and letters, not normally accessible to the public but available to view at close range in the Search Room. In addition Dr Sarah Wolfson made a short online film about the letters of Dorothy Sidney, examples of which were on display. To cover technical difficulties with projecting the online film, I conducted a spontaneous live group reading of an extract from Love's Victory using photographs of the manuscript through which brave volunteers were pleased to find reading seventeenth-century italic hand easier than they had expected. For two readers, this and 'Alison's explanation of the relationship between Mary Wroth and William Sidney,' clearly showed how family relationships were shaped by writing. My talk also discussed maps and watermarks and styles of early modern handwriting. The talks, and supplementary exhibition boards with information about the Sidneys and their manuscripts, guided visitors in free-flow through the exhibition. Questions and exercises on each table encouraged them to engage actively with the manuscripts. Computer access to online screening of the film of Lady Mary Wroth's play Love's Victory 1617 and to the MOOC (massive online open course) was available in one corner of the room for people to sample. Participants enjoyed this 'variety of methods of presentation - talks, videos and original documents' for understanding the ways writing makes history. In order to deepen people's understanding of the physical process of handwriting, a practice that is becoming more unfamiliar to young people (Barton and Lee 2013:26; Williams and Beam 2019), the exhibition also included calligraphy classes on early modern handwriting led by calligraphy expert Els van Den Steen in a neighbouring room in the building The exhibition was attended by 41 people through the day and was well received, with comments like. 'Excellent talk by Prof Alison Findlay and I thoroughly enjoyed calligraphy practical'. The event changed at least some people's perceptions of their regional and literary history with one commenting it was 'fascinating to learn about the Sidney family and how important they were in society'. Visitors were inspired by the examples of agency, creativity and diplomatic engagement in the manuscripts, noting the juxtaposition of 'political news, and domestic' details 'e.g. quinces' and 'writing by the Sidney ladies', which made them think differently about seventeenth-century writing. The 'Map of Penshurst' made manifest 'how we claim territory, record our claims and attach our history to it'. By the end of the workshop, participants left with an enhanced sense of the values and purposes of writing: to 'express oneself'; to 'order our thoughts, and convey feelings or information'; to 'reify' emotions'; to make things 'stick in the memory better'. The physical process of writing in the calligraphy exercises recreated awareness of 'Careful thought before committing something to paper; thoughts of the recipient and the possible effect on them of what we write', and awakened a poignant sense of regret that 'Writing is sadly, a dying art perhaps. A letter is always a joy to receive'. It was disappointing that only one young person (Jack Gray 29 years) attended, but heartening that he found the event 'extremely fascinating and enlightening' with 'a great selection of things to read, especially Rachel Fane's manuscript and the sonnets', and he said 'the story of the Sidneys highlights the many powers of theatre'. Selected photographs and materials used in the exhibition are found in a folder in the URL. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/Documents/Research%20F... |
| Description | 17. On-the-feet Reading of Love's Victory at Marlowe Kit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On 18 May 2018, a group of local Canterbury residents (15 youths, the Marlowe Theatre Director and Liaison Officer) performed an interactive script-in-hand reading of Love's Victory in the medieval Hall of the Marlowe Kit (the outreach centre of the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury). The reading was directed by Findlay who shared her insights into female playwrights before and during the reading. Afterwards, the group testified to being newly aware of a changed gender-balance in their regional theatre history, previously dominated by Christopher Marlowe. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020,2021 |
| URL | http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/reading-shakespeares-sister-loves-victory-at-the-m... |
| Description | 18. Workshops and talks with Young People at Penshurst and in Schools in Kent |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Impact on young people in Kent began at Penshurst Place. Its reputation as an award-winning family-friendly venue, meant that young visitors witnessed the workshops and online rehearsals. Several of them gave written feedback and two of them tried reading the lines of Venus and Cupid, directed by the actor playing Cupid. Young people also took part in the reading and subsequent screening at the Marlowe Kit The majority of impact on young people was, however, through schools. In preparation for the project in 2017 and from 2018-2020 more than 450 pupils and teachers attended research-informed workshops and talks on the Penshurst Manuscript of Love's Victory, bringing new feminist perspectives to texts determined by the National Curriculum. Workshops in Canterbury in Nov. 2017 piloted engagement with the A level curriculum (Love's Victory and Hamlet at Archbishop's School) and with Extended Project Qualifications (talk to 120 pupils at Simon Langton Girls' School. These were followed by class visits to Penshurst on April 17 and 4 June 2018. A trainee teacher commented that reading 'To Penshurst' aloud as a group in the gardens 'gave fantastic insight' and help 'to understand influences on the pastoral'. With advice from Findlay, A level students at Simon Langton Girls' School designed creative and analytical workshops on Venus and on costume design which they shared with their younger peers (Year 11 pupils) at an Intellectual Vision and Engagement (IVE) day on 11 July (2018). The results of these workshops, designs for costumes for Venus and for the shepherdess Dalina, are shared with a wider audiences on the Shakespeare and His Sisters digital platform. Findlay launched the IVE day with a 90 minute workshop on women's writing in the C16th and C17th centuries, where she and students collaboratively explored the question of how women's creativity has been (and perhaps continues to be) influenced by the legacy of Eve. On 18-19 October 2018 Findlay led further workshops in Archbishop's School (14 Year 12 students + 1 teacher), Simon Langton Boys School (15 Year 13 students + 2 teachers) and gave a lecture to 120 Year 12 students at Simon Langton Girls School. Year 12 students commented 'I like the way women are in a position of power.' 'Lady Mary Wroth is excellent at creating a dramatic relationship as we see Venus as a god which would have made the play interesting as many saw God as male'; 'Makes a change from Shakespeare; fresh and new'; and 'I have enjoyed today's session and have learnt that Shakespeare was not the only powerful playwright'. Findlay and Year 13 students researched same-sex relationships of love and friendship between men and between women, comparing classically-influenced seventeenth century viewpoints and their dramatizations in the text with the students' current experiences. Students' remarked on those between women: 'I think rivalry doesn't change, no matter what age it is really'; and on those between men: 'they seem to iron out their differences very easily'. Ongoing impact with schools in Kent will be possible online once I have permission to release the film and rehearsals and workshops online. It is regrettable that Lancaster University did not grant this during the period of lockdown when asynchronous access to suit teachers and pupils would have been particularly useful. The URL showing photographs, reading and activity with Archbishop's Comprehensive School is given in the URL below and the others can be found on neighbouring pages on the Shakespeare and His Sisters website at http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/simon-langton-boys-school/ and at http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/love-and-friendship-in-loves-victory/ and http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/costume-designs-for-loves-victory/ and |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| URL | http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/archbishops-school-canterbury/ |
| Description | 19. Film Screening of the filmed performance Love's Victory on 6 December 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A non-commercial screening of the filmed performance of Love's Victory at the Marlowe Kit (the new outreach venue of the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury) was offered to local schools at 4.30 pm on 6 December 2018. The grant bid had originally planned to hold a performance here, and the Marlowe Theatre were keen to support this but the venue was not ready by mid-September. The director of the theatre performance (Martin Hodgson) refused to invite the company to reconvene for a later performance and subsequently refused to have a public launch of the film, so Findlay arranged a private screening of the filmed performance instead. She introduced this to the pupils and teachers and gave them each a programme of the performance with details of the play and the venue. Due to parents' evenings, Archbishop's School in Canterbury were the only school that were able to attend but were joined by 2 local academics from Kent University. The school pupils (aged 16-17) were enthusiastic about what they had learned from the performance having done workshops in school on the play with Alison Findlay earlier in 2018 in the run up to receiving the grant. The event therefore felt very worth while in terms of engaging younger members of the public and linking the play to their A level studies of Shakespeare. Student comments included 'It has shown me the full extent of how tragedies can affect you [young people] and the audience'; 'I really liked it - to watch a play in this lovely place'; 'It taught me how they would do certain things like soliloquies at the time'; 'The historical appearance of Penshurst Place really impacted [on] the play. I think it would be great to see more plays performed there' and 'It shows that women could write plays of a similar quality to Shakespeare himself. It's fascinating to know that Shakespeare isn't the only master of this kind'. Full feedback and photograph can be found via the URL below. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/Esnz0ggol1FFnpyizkICFb... |
| Description | 2. Two premiere public performances of a professional production of Lady Mary Wroth's play "Love's Victory" at Penshurst Place in Kent |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 2 public performances of Lady Mary Wroth's play 'Love's Victory' were premiered 400 years after it was written in a fully-costumed production with professional actors and musicians in Baron's Hall, Penshurst Place (16 September 2018). The performances attracted audiences of 100 (matinee sold out) and 92 (evening) along with additional 'guests' from the Sidney family and Penshurst Place. Most of these were from the Kent region and London but one came from Switzerland . Findlay, in a hand-made Jacobean costume, worked front of house welcoming spectators to this piece of theatre-history-making, giving them questionnaires and pencils to encourage feedback. In collaboration with the RA, she wrote and designed a printed programme (copy available at the URL below). This and printed copies of a collection of Wroth's 'Crown of Sonnets' decorated by local calligraphers were sold at the entrance. Philip Sidney formally greeted spectators and Findlay gave short introductions to the performances. A series of still photographs can be seen in the folder (marked by the URL). Feedback on the production was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. The performances changed public understanding of Penshurst as a literary household making the public 'More aware of literary history' (Jess Astley). Spectators noted how the staged play 'added to the historical context': and for those who knew of Penshurst's 'strong links with culture and local history', the production 'has added a theatrical past' (anon). One spectator thought it 'Remarkable to hear the play performed where perhaps it was last performed 400 years ago' while another felt 'it really brought it to life'. Members of the public learnt about Wroth and, more broadly, became aware of the existence of women writers as Shakespeare's contemporaries: 'I was very impressed. The play was absolutely on a par with the likes of Shakespeare and Marlowe' or 'It has expanded my knowledge of female playwrighting in the period and I plan to see more female playwrighting from the period'. The performances also expanded public knowledge of the types of theatre venue and performance in early seventeenth-century England. Members of the audience remarked 'I have a much greater understanding of the scale of domestic performances and their quality.' and 'I live locally and know the place well. I had no idea that she had been a significant writer. It [the production] has revealed the role of women in domestic theatre'. Perhaps as important as anything, spectators found the play enjoyable to watch, commenting 'It was great!' or 'It was all brilliant' (Lynn Proudfoot) and 'It was so exciting to see so many female characters on stage'. The play's extensive use of music also made an impact: 'Excellent [performance of] music using authentic instruments'. A recording of the evening performance can be seen via the vimeo link. The password is AHRC1. A more extensive selection of public feedback can be found in the folder marked |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://vimeo.com/517534082 |
| Description | 20. Talks to Pupils and Teachers in Manchester |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The PI gave two live talks to c.100 A Level Pupils from Altrincham Girls Grammar School, St Ambrose School and Sale Bous Grammar School on 26 September 2019. Mrs Helen Cleary, organiser of the event and Assistant Vice-Principal of AGGS remarked 'An understanding of context is a vital component of the new A level specification so this was also extremely useful to the students. Students in both lectures said how interesting, informative and accessible the material was. It was also helpful comparing the plays to Love's Victory a play by Mary Wroth, a contemporary of Shakespeare's. By looking at themes such as love and the fear of female sexuality were presented, students could begin to explore ideas of how gender power struggles of the time were used to fight against but also reinforce the status quo. Ideas highly relevant for our time too!.' Teachers including Sharon Lewis (from St Ambrose College) welcomed having a recording of the lecture in addition to the talk so that pupils and staff could use for revision purposes. They noted that my work on Love's Victory 'will provide more content for A03 to teach and deliver to students - getting them to look at it from a different angle'. My research has changed perceptions of gender, theatre, and the environment amongst A-level students, who reported 'I like the way women are in a position of power' and 'It allowed us [two males], to have a new feminist perspective on the play [Othello] which was refreshing and useful'. Female pupils were inspired to learn of Wroth in 'a time when we only learn of male playwrights' (Jessica Taylor). Others said that engaging with a play 'by a female author shows different perspectives and opinions on themes [i.e conventions] of the time' (Kira Platt) and welcomed the chance 'to view Shakespeare's heroines as brave individuals rather than simply wives / daughters.' (Harriet Barnes). More than one pupil noted that the comparisons made them realise 'how ahead of his time Shakespeare is' in depictions of gender and that his 'exploration of jealousy may, in fact, have been more feminist than that of female writers of the time'. Another 17 year old pupil made really insightful comparisons between Wroth's and Shakespeare's dramatizations of female agency and plot, noting Wroth's presentation of 'being in love and wooed' illuminated female desire in 'wanting to actually pursue their love' in Othello; and, further, 'how easily the situation in Othello could have been resolved through the friendship and direct communication' (Ariella Basger) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://wp.aggs.trafford.sch.uk/2019/09/27/shakespeare-lectures/ |
| Description | 21. Prince's Trust North West Partnership Leading Teachers of English |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The PI was invited by the Prince's Trust to share her expertise and practice-based methods with 15 Leading Teachers of English at a training day on 25 June 2019. The session demonstrated the value of using Wroth's female-authored play in teaching a selection of Shakespeare's plays in school, particularly at A level, followed by discussion. Participants found the lecture as 'refreshing and invigorating' and 'fascinating and very useful'; one teacher praised the discussion as 'fabulous; Alison was inspiring and empowering and gave me the courage to share and build into our curriculum'. Participants will go on to cascade the ideas across schools in the North West, thus broadening the impact on other practitioners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/EnNBCo6au41Dne_ScK8MDK... |
| Description | 22. Sidelights on Shakespeare |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Findlay gave a workshop using Love's Victory to 40 educators (in HE and schools and prisons) at a symposium on 'Shakespeare and Education: Teaching Early Modern Drama) at Warwick University on 4 May 2019. She extended the impact of this small event how to teach Shakespeare alongside women's drama by publishing an article in the BSA's magazine "Teaching Shakespeare" 19 (summer 2020), pp.3-4, circulation approximately 1,000 people). At a time when an understanding of gender representation has become more relevant than ever, educators felt that the adoption of Findlay's research would continue to contribute to that goal. The article can be accessed here: https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/EoRjwAu3zRdHjM7I362AyUsB2TKRj2XHc0r8r3h8BBuebA?e=U7CSKs |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/hrc/seminars/sos/prog/ |
| Description | 3. Radio 4 Today Programme Interviews |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | On Thursday 13 September BBC Radio 4's 'Today' Programme broadcast a 4 minute interview with the PI by David Sillitoe, including an extract of Act 3 Scene 3 read by 4 female actors in the production. This reached 3.8 million people. It was also aired separately on BBC Radio Kent, Shropshire and the World Service, and there were mentions of the play of BBC Wales and BBC Radio Three on Saturday morning. The interview can be heard on the shared folder https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/Documents/Research%20Fish%20media?csf=1&web=1&e=Lt9keJ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45433726 |
| Description | 4. BBC Radio 5 Live interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A 16 minute interview with Dotun Adebayo on Radio 5 live Friday 14 September 'Up All Night' was also broadcast across every BBC local radio station at the same time - from Shetland to Cumbria, Kent to Teesside. I do not know the total number of people this reached but it was really enjoyable to talk about and read a section of the play with the R5 live team. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/EnlqMt8iMCdKjM7Pla2sQ1... |
| Description | 5. Article in Daily Telegraph newspaper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | An article by Victoria Ward on the forthcoming production of Love's Victory, citing Findlay's research, appeared on 15 September 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/Documents/Research%20F... |
| Description | 6 Front page article in Dutch primary broadsheet newspaper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | An article about the staged production at Penshurst appeared on the front page of Die Volkskrant Dutch daily broadsheet (equivalent of The Times) https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/komedie-van-de-zus-van-shakespeare-na-400-jaar-eindelijk-opgevoerd~bfb6d56b/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/komedie-van-de-zus-van-shakespeare-na-400-jaar-eindelij... |
| Description | 7. Regional newspaper article Kent and Sussex Courier |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Kent and Sussex Courier (14/9/2018 circulation of 48,000) and the Kent Messenger (circulation of 44,000) discussed Findlay's research on the Kent-born playwright. A pdf can be seen in the shared folder. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://livelancsac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/findlaya_lancaster_ac_uk/EnlqMt8iMCdKjM7Pla2sQ1... |
| Description | 8. Specialist Media Online Articles |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | I provided photographs and an interview for Elizabeth Oliver, editor of Printed Pearls, online literary magazine. and 'printed pearls' http://printedpearls.com/lady-mary-wroth-and-the-literary-world-of-penshurst-place?platform=hootsuite. The performance was also reviewed by the Fortnightly Review, by Anthony Howell available at http://fortnightlyreview.co.uk/2018/09/loves-victory-penshurst/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://printedpearls.com/lady-mary-wroth-and-the-literary-world-of-penshurst-place?platform=hootsuit... |
| Description | 9. Online Films and questions on the open rehearsals of Love's Victory on site at Penshurst Place |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Three groups of short extracts from the rehearsals of Love's Victory were filmed by the RA and edited along with questions by the PI to engage an online audience with the rehearsal process of the play in Baron's Hall and in the gardens at Penshurst Place. The films are: (1) First Readthrough of the Play in the Nutgarden at Penshurst Place (2) The Rollercoaster of Love - rehearsals inside Baron's Hall http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/rollercoaster-of-love/ (3) Riddles and Love Although the films of the rehearsals were ready to broadcast in November 2018 to a global online audience, Lancaster University refused me permission to broadcast them due to its legal problems with the director of the stage performance (whom they have not engaged with a contract). They have been uploaded onto the project's website ready for release to the public and can be viewed now by members of UKRI at the sites below with the password Blocked1 (case sensitive) http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/rehearsals-loves-victory/ http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/rollercoaster-of-love/ http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/riddles-of-love/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020,2021 |
| URL | http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespeare-and-his-sisters/rehearsals-loves-victory/ |