Performing Restoration Shakespeare
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen's University Belfast
Department Name: Sch of Arts, English and Languages
Abstract
Performing Restoration Shakespeare is an international research project bringing together scholars and artists over 36 months to explore how Restoration versions of Shakespeare were first performed (1660-1714) and how they can be performed today. Given that Restoration productions of Shakespeare integrated drama and music, the project will be jointly led by a theatre scholar specializing in the history of Shakespeare on the stage and a musicologist specializing in theatre music from the 17th and 18th centuries. Research and public engagement will be run in partnership with The Folger Shakespeare Library (Washington, DC), Shakespeare's Globe (London) and The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (Stratford), the world's leading institutions dedicated to academic and public understanding of Shakespeare.
Context. When London theatres reopened in 1660 upon the restoration of the monarchy, few new plays were available. Logically, the patent companies staged works by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. But they did not perform Shakespeare's plays the way that the dramatist's company had done. Women played women's roles in the Restoration. The new indoor theatres were equipped with moveable scenery. Song, music and dance featured more prominently. With few exceptions, the plays were rewritten: King Lear survived; the witches in Macbeth sang and danced; Miranda in The Tempest had a sister.
Most scholarship in this area focuses narrowly on textual adaptation, ignoring the fact that Restoration Shakespeare was a complex theatrical experience that integrated song, music, dance and acting. We will correct this imbalance in knowledge by focusing on the performance dimensions of Restoration Shakespeare. We will sustain that focus by creating a community of scholars and artists, who together will undertake archival study, run studio-based workshops and create public performances of Restoration Shakespeare. In so doing, we will build upon the results of the Folger pilot project we recently led.
Objectives and Public Benefit. Our project seeks to enhance academic, artistic and public understanding of Restoration Shakespeare. Academics and artists will collaborate in research-led creative practice that results in scholarly publication and public performances. Academics will create new methods for investigating historical performances. Artists and arts organizations will expand their repertoires by performing Restoration Shakespeare. The general public will gain a better understanding of how Shakespeare's plays have been staged in different ways at different times. We will achieve these wide-ranging objectives through our research and public engagement events:
2017: Workshop on 'The Tempest' at the Globe, involving scholars, artists and the public.
2018: Scholar-artist workshop on 'Macbeth' at the Folger, culminating in a professional production. The production will be recorded and the creative process will be documented in videos, all accessible to the public. The Folger will strongly invest in the project, making a direct contribution of £258,000 and an indirect contribution of £26,000.
2019: Restoration Shakespeare summer school at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, with participants from UK theatre and music organizations. Parallel outreach will be conducted in the USA with the Folger and Early Music America.
Performing Restoration Shakespeare offers a compelling opportunity to build upon distinctive research in theatre history and musicology to generate new insights into Shakespeare's theatrical afterlife. The project promises to set a new agenda in performing arts research by creative innovative practice-based methods for studying historical performances. More widely, we will engage audiences and build capacity in arts organizations internationally by creating public events and documentary resources. Performing Restoration Shakespeare will make transformative and lasting contributions to knowledge within and beyond academia.
Context. When London theatres reopened in 1660 upon the restoration of the monarchy, few new plays were available. Logically, the patent companies staged works by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. But they did not perform Shakespeare's plays the way that the dramatist's company had done. Women played women's roles in the Restoration. The new indoor theatres were equipped with moveable scenery. Song, music and dance featured more prominently. With few exceptions, the plays were rewritten: King Lear survived; the witches in Macbeth sang and danced; Miranda in The Tempest had a sister.
Most scholarship in this area focuses narrowly on textual adaptation, ignoring the fact that Restoration Shakespeare was a complex theatrical experience that integrated song, music, dance and acting. We will correct this imbalance in knowledge by focusing on the performance dimensions of Restoration Shakespeare. We will sustain that focus by creating a community of scholars and artists, who together will undertake archival study, run studio-based workshops and create public performances of Restoration Shakespeare. In so doing, we will build upon the results of the Folger pilot project we recently led.
Objectives and Public Benefit. Our project seeks to enhance academic, artistic and public understanding of Restoration Shakespeare. Academics and artists will collaborate in research-led creative practice that results in scholarly publication and public performances. Academics will create new methods for investigating historical performances. Artists and arts organizations will expand their repertoires by performing Restoration Shakespeare. The general public will gain a better understanding of how Shakespeare's plays have been staged in different ways at different times. We will achieve these wide-ranging objectives through our research and public engagement events:
2017: Workshop on 'The Tempest' at the Globe, involving scholars, artists and the public.
2018: Scholar-artist workshop on 'Macbeth' at the Folger, culminating in a professional production. The production will be recorded and the creative process will be documented in videos, all accessible to the public. The Folger will strongly invest in the project, making a direct contribution of £258,000 and an indirect contribution of £26,000.
2019: Restoration Shakespeare summer school at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, with participants from UK theatre and music organizations. Parallel outreach will be conducted in the USA with the Folger and Early Music America.
Performing Restoration Shakespeare offers a compelling opportunity to build upon distinctive research in theatre history and musicology to generate new insights into Shakespeare's theatrical afterlife. The project promises to set a new agenda in performing arts research by creative innovative practice-based methods for studying historical performances. More widely, we will engage audiences and build capacity in arts organizations internationally by creating public events and documentary resources. Performing Restoration Shakespeare will make transformative and lasting contributions to knowledge within and beyond academia.
Planned Impact
Performing Restoration Shakespeare will generate widespread cultural and economic impact through collaboration with the Folger Shakespeare Library, Shakespeare's Globe and The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Leveraging the global prominence of our partners, we will share research outcomes with 2,000,000+ people during the project life cycle. Additionally, the project has potential to deliver lasting cultural and economic impact through targeted stakeholder capacity building and public outreach. Non-academic beneficiaries are (1) theatre/music organizations, (2) performing artists and (3) the general public. Our research and impact activities are designed to evolve in tandem, each strengthening the other.
1. We will benefit theatre and music organizations by demonstrating to them the value of (i) performing Restoration Shakespeare for audiences today and (ii) embedding scholars in the full creative process. Immediate impact will be via scholar-artist workshops on Macbeth culminating in a production at the Folger Theatre. Thus, our research is already shaping the artistic profile of a major classical theatre by virtue of the Folger's decision to produce Restoration Macbeth. More broadly, the production enables the Folger to fulfill its own mission. As its Director of Public Programs affirms: 'To explore Macbeth and its performance history in a collaborative way presents possibilities for other Folger projects. Presenting Restoration Macbeth to audiences makes our collection more available for public understanding and appreciation'. To achieve similar impact on a wider scale, the Restoration Shakespeare summer school will introduce UK theatre/music organizations to a new repertoire and new methods for staging historical works. Outreach to parallel US organization will be undertaken through the Folger and Early Music America. Our goal is to influence arts programming in the long term by building institutional capacity for performing Restoration Shakespeare and for maximizing scholar-artist collaboration. Success will be evidenced by widespread and lasting changes in season planning and creative practice.
2. We will benefit individual artists in three ways: (i) sharing with them our research findings on Restoration Shakespeare; (ii) expanding their repertoire by performing Restoration versions of The Tempest and Macbeth with them; (iii) enhancing their creative process by involving them in scholar-artist collaboration. These benefits will initially be realised through events at the Globe (The Tempest, 2017) and the Folger (Macbeth, 2018). To extend that impact we will collaborate with theatre and music organizations in the summer school and through professional networks (see above), so that institutional changes will cascade down to individuals. Our pilot project confirmed the benefits that our research can deliver to individual artists. As the Folger Theatre's Artistic Director observed, 'Developing a production in a richly different way--with regular and in-depth input from scholars--was an extraordinary experience for individual artists'.
3. We will benefit the general public by enhancing their understanding of Shakespeare's afterlife. Our partners confirm that audiences are unfamiliar with Restoration Shakespeare but are eager to learn about it. We will redress that imbalance by engaging the public in our research via open workshops, public performances, live video recording (Folger-funded), documentaries, and audience enrichment materials distributed via partner organizations to 2,000,000+ people. These outcomes will be realised during the project. To secure lasting public benefit, the recording and video documentaries will be freely accessible to the public beyond the project timeframe. Audience enrichment materials will likewise outlive the project and be a lasting resource for performing arts groups internationally.
1. We will benefit theatre and music organizations by demonstrating to them the value of (i) performing Restoration Shakespeare for audiences today and (ii) embedding scholars in the full creative process. Immediate impact will be via scholar-artist workshops on Macbeth culminating in a production at the Folger Theatre. Thus, our research is already shaping the artistic profile of a major classical theatre by virtue of the Folger's decision to produce Restoration Macbeth. More broadly, the production enables the Folger to fulfill its own mission. As its Director of Public Programs affirms: 'To explore Macbeth and its performance history in a collaborative way presents possibilities for other Folger projects. Presenting Restoration Macbeth to audiences makes our collection more available for public understanding and appreciation'. To achieve similar impact on a wider scale, the Restoration Shakespeare summer school will introduce UK theatre/music organizations to a new repertoire and new methods for staging historical works. Outreach to parallel US organization will be undertaken through the Folger and Early Music America. Our goal is to influence arts programming in the long term by building institutional capacity for performing Restoration Shakespeare and for maximizing scholar-artist collaboration. Success will be evidenced by widespread and lasting changes in season planning and creative practice.
2. We will benefit individual artists in three ways: (i) sharing with them our research findings on Restoration Shakespeare; (ii) expanding their repertoire by performing Restoration versions of The Tempest and Macbeth with them; (iii) enhancing their creative process by involving them in scholar-artist collaboration. These benefits will initially be realised through events at the Globe (The Tempest, 2017) and the Folger (Macbeth, 2018). To extend that impact we will collaborate with theatre and music organizations in the summer school and through professional networks (see above), so that institutional changes will cascade down to individuals. Our pilot project confirmed the benefits that our research can deliver to individual artists. As the Folger Theatre's Artistic Director observed, 'Developing a production in a richly different way--with regular and in-depth input from scholars--was an extraordinary experience for individual artists'.
3. We will benefit the general public by enhancing their understanding of Shakespeare's afterlife. Our partners confirm that audiences are unfamiliar with Restoration Shakespeare but are eager to learn about it. We will redress that imbalance by engaging the public in our research via open workshops, public performances, live video recording (Folger-funded), documentaries, and audience enrichment materials distributed via partner organizations to 2,000,000+ people. These outcomes will be realised during the project. To secure lasting public benefit, the recording and video documentaries will be freely accessible to the public beyond the project timeframe. Audience enrichment materials will likewise outlive the project and be a lasting resource for performing arts groups internationally.
Publications
Eubanks Winkler A
(2018)
"The Intermedial Dramaturgy of Dramatick Opera: Understanding Genre through Performance"
in Restoration: Studies in English Literary Culture, 1660-1700
Fretz C
(2019)
'"marvelous and surprizing conduct": The "Masque of Devils" and Dramatic Genre in Thomas Shadwell's The Tempest'
in Restoration: Studies in English Literary Culture, 1660-1700
Schoch R
'Performing Restoration Shakespeare Today: Staging Davenant's Macbeth'
in Shakespeare Bulletin
| Title | Production of Davenant's Macbeth |
| Description | Full-scale Equity production of William Davenant's Macbeth, directed by Robert Richmond, in the Folger Theatre, Washington DC, from September 4-23, 2018. The cast for this special engagement was led by Helen Hayes Award-winners Ian Merrill Peakes (Macbeth) and Kate Eastwood Norris (Lady Macbeth). The production featured original period music by John Eccles, Matthew Locke, and Henry Purcell, performed by Folger Consort and directed by Bob Eisenstein. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Impact | The Folger's sold-out production was seen by 6,300+ people (120% of capacity, compared to average 95% capacity) and achieved significant economic impact, generating $272,476.85 in box office income. The production attracted national media coverage and prompted the Washington Post (circulation 325,420; readership 1,045,617) to publish a feature article in the novel format of a special 'critics' debate' - a marker of impact on public debate at a citywide and national level. According to the Washington Post, the production of Macbeth offered 'a rare glimpse of a nearly forgotten performance style'. The production was also reviewed by outlets including Broadway World, a leading theatre news website in the US (259K followers on Twitter), which called the decision to stage Davenant's Macbeth 'brave and unique'; the news outlet DCist, which concluded that the Folger's Macbeth, 'the result of a years-long collaboration between scholars and artists', 'is unlike anything the world has seen in ages'; and the theatre guide Theatre Bloom, which highlighted that the production 'is the result of years of research and work to present something unseen by a modern audience'. As a measure of the production's recognition amongst artistic peers, music director Bob Eisenstein was nominated for Best Musical Direction in the Helen Hayes Awards, the awards given annually by the professional theatre community in Washington, DC. Our audience survey (response rate 8%) found that the production of Macbeth had significantly changed public perceptions of Restoration Shakespeare: - while 75% of respondents had come to the performance with little or no prior knowledge of Restoration adaptations of Shakespeare, 83% stated afterwards that they had acquired a better understanding of them - 58% declared having acquired a better understanding of how Shakespeare's works can be adapted - nearly half of respondents expressed a desire to see more Restoration plays (48%) and to learn more about Restoration theatre (46%) Qualitative comments submitted as part of the survey further highlighted both the project's impact on the public understanding of Restoration Shakespeare and the appetite for more such productions and scholar-artist collaborations in the future. Audience members told us that 'the extensive work that went into this production was evident and transformed the play'; that they 'appreciated learning about this international movement to revisit the [Restoration] period'; and that we should 'please stage more Restoration Shakespeare' and '[d]o more of this'. |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/ael/Research/Arts/ResearchImpact/PerformingRestorationShakespeare/Even... |
| Title | Public performance of 3 scenes from Shadwell's Tempest |
| Description | Public performance of 3 scenes from Shadwell's Tempest (1674) in the Globe's Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in London. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | According to Globe box office figures, the public performance were attended by 128 paying members of the public, and 64 comps. We carried out an audience survey (33 respondents) and its results point to changing perceptions of Restoration Shakespeare as a result of our event, including greater awareness and a more favourable opinion of Restoration adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. 76% of respondents felt encouraged to go find out more about Restoration Shakespeare -- with comments providing some further examples of specific intentions such as watching a Restoration play and studying Restoration theatre at postgraduate level -- and 92% stated that they had learnt something new about Shakespeare's performance history. |
| URL | http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/education/events/research-events/public-workshops |
| Description | Our archival and practice-based research on Restoration Shakespeare has created immediate, international and lasting impact outside academia by engaging and collaborating with three communities of non-academic beneficiaries: theatre and music producers; individual performing artists; and the general public (ie, audiences for theatre and music). (1) The pilot workshop at the Folger Shakespeare Library in 2014, led by Schoch, inspired a professional production of a Restoration adaptation of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure - starring Derek Jacobi - performed on 1 October 2016 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington D.C.). The production attracted a positive review in the Washington Post (circulation 325,420; readership 1,045,617). Both the Folger's and the Napa Valley Shakespeare Festival's online programme notes specifically referenced Schoch's workshop as the inspiration for the production (2) Our workshop and public performance at Shakespeare's Globe in 2017 increased the public understanding of Shakespeare, targeting three types of non-academic beneficiaries: general public, theatre and music artists, professional theatre companies. Our participants' survey (response rate 17.19%) found that the workshop had markedly changed public perceptions of Restoration Shakespeare: - the proportion of those with a 'somewhat positive' or 'very positive' view of Restoration Shakespeare had more than doubled (from 40% to 93%) - not a single participant had retained their previously negative (27%) or neutral (33%) view of Restoration Shakespeare - 93% said that the workshop had taught them something about 'the performance history of Shakespeare's plays' - 77% felt encouraged to 'find out more about Restoration Shakespeare' Qualitative feedback gathered in break-out groups further underlined this positive impact on public attitude, behaviour, and knowledge. One member of the public commented: '[I learnt] that the "new" works were not necessarily "lesser" but insights into a theatre practice that was different from Shakespeare's.' Another told us that he 'had vastly underestimated the sheer degree of spectacle with which the masques would have traditionally been performed.' Further increases in public understanding have been achieved through Schoch's podcast and blog post on Restoration Shakespeare, disseminated internationally by project partner Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. (3) The project influenced artistic programming at a major classical theatre in North America. The Folger Theatre's decision to stage Davenant's Macbeth as part of its 2018-19 season in Washington D.C. in September 2018 was entirely the result of the project research. The Folger's sold-out production was seen by 6,300+ people (120% of capacity, compared to average 95% capacity) and achieved significant economic impact, generating $272,476.85 in box office income. According to the Washington Post, the production of Macbeth offered 'a rare glimpse of a nearly forgotten performance style'. Our audience survey (response rate 8%) found that the production of Macbeth had significantly changed public perceptions of Restoration Shakespeare: - while 75% of respondents had come to the performance with little or no prior knowledge of Restoration adaptations of Shakespeare, 83% stated afterwards that they had acquired a better understanding of how Shakespeare's plays were performed during the Restoration - 58% declared having acquired a better understanding of how Shakespeare's works can be adapted - nearly half of respondents expressed a desire to see more Restoration plays (48%) and to learn more about Restoration theatre (46%) Qualitative comments submitted as part of the survey further highlighted both the project's impact on the public understanding of Restoration Shakespeare and the appetite for more such productions and scholar-artist collaborations in the future. Audience members told us that 'the extensive work that went into this production was evident and transformed the play'; that they 'appreciated learning about this international movement to revisit the [Restoration] period'; and that we should 'please stage more Restoration Shakespeare' and '[d]o more of this'. (4) The project released six video documentaries comprising a Restoration Shakespeare overview, an introduction to Macbeth, and the 'tracking' of scholars, directors, actors, and musicians through the research and creative process leading up to the Folger production of Macbeth. The video documentaries are hosted on the YouTube channels of our project and the Folger Shakespeare Library and they have so far attracted 5,000+ total combined views. In addition, social media posts related to the Folger's production of Macbeth or 'Performing Restoration Shakespeare' generated a combined 5,409 engagements (engagement = a like, comment, or share on Facebook; a reply, retweet, or favourite on Twitter; a like or a comment on Instagram). (5) In July 2019, the project staged a Restoration Shakespeare showcase in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe. This event pitched the Restoration Shakespeare repertoire to representatives of UK theatre/music companies, and demonstrated to them the value of embedding scholars in the entire rehearsal and creative process. Following the success of this event, the summer 2019 issue of the Folger Shakespeare Library's Folger Magazine (circulation: 20,000) published an article telling the project's story, starting with its roots in a pilot workshop in 2014. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Economic |
| Description | Production of Macbeth with the Folger Shakespeare Library and Folger Theatre, Washington DC |
| Organisation | Folger Shakespeare Library |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This professional production of Davenant's Macbeth at the Folger Theatre arose from a scholar-artist 'laboratory' and academic consultancy work as part of the project 'Performing Restoration Shakespeare'. Intellectual input was provided by project staff and by UK and US scholars recruited by the project. Project researchers actively shaped the creative process in rehearsal and conducted consultations with individual actors and directors. The project made a financial contribution of $250,000. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Folger Shakespeare Library made direct and indirect contributions totaling £284,000, covering expenses associated with the professional production of Macbeth, artist fees, travel and housing, creative team, stage management, tech support, publicity, marketing, Folger staff seconded to the project, facilities use, and stipends for three US scholars to participate in the workshops. |
| Impact | professional production of Macbeth at the Folger Theatre in September 2018 |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Public Workshop on Restoration adaptations of Shakespeare's Tempest |
| Organisation | Shakespeare's Globe |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | In collaboration with Shakespeare's Globe in London, we held a 4-day scholar-artist workshop on Thomas Shadwell's operatic adaptation of The Tempest from 10-13 July 2017. Through a combination of archival study and reflective creative practice, we investigated how Restoration Shakespeare can be performed today in a way that understands the historical context of this distinctive performance genre and then uses that understanding to create meaningful performances for contemporary audiences.The research team of 30 comprised 15 scholars (including Globe research staff), most of whom were selected by us, and 15 performing artists (actors, singers, instrumentalists). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Globe research staff actively contributed to the workshops and shared with us their expertise on the indoor performance space of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. The Globe also hired professional actors, musicians, and singers; made available to us reherasal spaces and the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse; and advertised and ticketed the public performances. |
| Impact | The collaboration culminated in public performances of three scenes from Shadwell's Tempest, over two days. Professor Richard Schoch was the co-director of this practice-based research output, along with Professor Amanda Eubanks Winkler (Syracuse University, USA). The event has also set up a network of academics and performing artists interested in producing and performing Restoration Shakespeare for 21st century audiences. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Scholar-Artist Workshop with Lazarus Theatre |
| Organisation | Lazarus Theatre Company |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Following the 2018 Macbeth production at the Folger Theatre in Washington, DC, the project decided to pursue research questions that arose at the Folger in an intensive manner through a scholar-artist workshop with Lazarus Theatre Company in London. A member of the research team served as lead scholar and workshop facilitator. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Lazarus Theatre Company provided professional actors for the workshops. |
| Impact | Developmental workshop, so not a formal research output |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Blog posts on Restoration Shakespeare |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Blog post about Restoration Shakespeare on the official blogs of Shakespeare's Globe and the Folger Shakespeare Library, intended to inform members of the public and Globe subscribers (1) about Restoration Shakespeare, (2) about our scholar-artist workshop and public performance at the Globe in July 2017, and (3) our professional production of Macbeth at the Folger in September 2018. See: https://blog.shakespearesglobe.com/post/162443230278/performing-restoration-shakespeare https://shakespeareandbeyond.folger.edu/2018/06/05/how-restoration-playwrights-reshaped-shakespeare-plays/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://blog.shakespearesglobe.com/post/162443230278/performing-restoration-shakespeare |
| Description | Documentary videos |
| 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 project released six video documentaries. The videos, produced professionally by Blue Land Media, are entitled 'What is Restoration Shakespeare', 'Restoration Macbeth', 'Directing Restoration Macbeth', 'Acting in Restoration Macbeth', 'Music for Restoration Macbeth', and 'Scholar-Artist collaboration on Restoration Macbeth'. The video documentaries are hosted on the YouTube channels of our project (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClEKPqW_t0RxeseroPOHr-g) and the Folger Shakespeare Library (https://www.youtube.com/user/FolgerLibrary) and have attracted 5,000+ total combined views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClEKPqW_t0RxeseroPOHr-g |
| Description | Press coverage and reviews of Macbeth production |
| 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 | Our production of Macbeth and collaboration with the Folger attracted wide press coverage (interviews, feature articles, reviews), including in the Washington Post (circulation: 325,420; readership 1,045,617), Washington City Paper (circulation: 46,000), the leading theatre news website Broadway World (259K followers on Twitter), and the news outlet DCist, and Metro Weekly. The project's investigators were interviewed by the Washington Post and DC Metro Theater Arts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/ael/Research/Arts/ResearchImpact/PerformingRestorationShakespeare/Even... |
| Description | Project Twitter account and website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In order to help us engage with the academic community as well as with the general public, we have created a project website and set up the project Twitter account @prshakes which currently has 650+ followers. In order to maximise our reach, our activities have also been promoted, and continue to be promoted, via our partners' Twitter accounts, both of which have a very substantial following: @FolgerLibrary (29K followers) and @The_Globe (216K followers). Our tweets generated 68k impressions in July 2017 (the time of our workshop at the Globe) and 100k impressions in August and September 2018 (the time of the Macbeth production); |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019,2020 |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/ael/Research/Arts/ResearchImpact/PerformingRestorationShakespeare/ |
| Description | Public scholar-artist workshops on The Tempest |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Our scholar-artist workshop at the Globe, which was designed to explore how Restoration adaptations of Shakespeare can be made attractive to 21st century audiences, was attended by 15 performing artists and more than 100 members of the public, most of whom had had no prior experience of Restoration Shakespeare. Most of the artists and audience members reported that they had learnt something about Restoration adpatations of Shakespeare's plays as a direct result of the activity, and that they felt encouraged to engage with them further. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Restoration Shakespeare Showcase |
| 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 | In July 2019, the project staged a Restoration Shakespeare showcase in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe. This event pitched the Restoration Shakespeare repertoire to representatives of UK theatre/music companies, and demonstrated to them the value of embedding scholars in the entire rehearsal and creative process. Following the success of this event, the summer 2019 issue of the Folger Shakespeare Library's Folger Magazine (circulation: 20,000) published an article telling the project's story, starting with its roots in a pilot workshop in 2014 (Folger Magazine, Summer 2019, pp. 14-17). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Shakespeare Unlimited Podcast |
| 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 | Podcast on Restoration Shakespeare for the 'Shakespeare Unlimited' podcast series produced by the Folger Shakespeare Library, USA. To date, there have been 13,600 listens to the podcast. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.folger.edu/shakespeare-unlimited/restoration-schoch |
| Description | Theatre History Podcast #70, November 8, 2018 |
| 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 | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Project Co-I interviewed by Michael Lueger for Theatre History Podcast #70, November 8, 2018. This podcast interview was all about our Macbeth production at the Folger Theatre in Sep 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://howlround.com/restoring-alternate-version-shakespeares-works |