(in Polish) Shakespeare on Stage: Contemporary British Productions of Shakespeare’s Plays 3700-AL-SOS-OG

The aim of the course is to present students with a representative selection of contemporary British adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, presented at National Theatre, Almeida, Donmar Warehouse, Bridge Theatre, or Shakespeare’s Globe, among others, made by acclaimed British theatre directors (Gregory Doran, Robert Icke, Nichloas Hytner, Yaël Farber, Rupert Goold, Simon Godwin, Phyllida Lloyd, et al.), starring renowned British actors of older and younger generation: Vanessa Redgrave, Harriet Walter, Kenneth Branagh, Jonathan Pryce, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Wishaw, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, Maxine Peake and many others. Stage productions of 8-9 selected plays will be analysed and discussed to reveal major tendencies in stage adaptations of canonical Shakespearian texts by contemporary British directors and theatre companies in the decade between year 2012 and 2022. Students will have a chance to see longer fragments of about 18 recorded performances. Our weekly meetings will consist of two 90-min parts: the first part devoted to in-class viewing of selected fragments of two or three performances, to be followed by 90-min discussion focused on various elements of mise-en-scène (stage design, acting, stagecraft, music etc.), the director’s take on the text (also presented in interviews and “behind-the-scenes” documentaries), comparative analysis of different adaptations of the same play, and theatre reviews of the productions. Analyses of single productions will then lead to more general considerations of contemporary tendencies in British stage adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, such as use of new media and theatre technologies, searching for more immersive forms of theatre, raising social and political issues, or non-traditional casting (color/race-blind casting, gender-blind casting, gender swapping or staging disability).

Type of course

general courses

Course coordinators

Klaudia Łączyńska

Learning outcomes

The student
• has advanced understanding of the terminology in the humanities, particularly in the field of contemporary theatre and drama, and understands its role in culture
• is familiar with methods of analysis and interpretation of dramatic texts and their stage realizations
• expands their knowledge of contemporary trends and directions in literature and culture research, with special emphasis on contemporary British theatre

Skills
The student
• is capable of analysing works of art and source materials using appropriate research tools
• can appreciate the diversity of opinions presented in readings and discussions and use them as a source of inspiration
• is able to recognize and interpret the fundamental problems and phenomena of contemporary times

Social competence
The student
• is ready to explore new research methods
• is committed to lifelong learning; recognizes the role of literature and art in personal development and in the educational process in general

[Wiedza:
Absolwent
• zna w stopniu zaawansowanym terminologię nauk humanistycznych, szczególnie w zakresie studiów nad dramatem i wiedzy o współczesnym teatrze, i rozumie ich rolę kulturze
• zna metody analizy i interpretacji tekstów dramatycznych i ich realizacji scenicznych
• poszerza znajomość współczesnych nurtów i kierunków rozwoju badań nad literaturą i kulturą, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem badań nad współczesnym teatrem brytyjskim

Umiejętności
Absolwent
• potrafi dokonywać analizy dzieł sztuki i materiałów źródłowych za pomocą odpowiednich narzędzi badawczych
• potrafi docenić różnorodność opinii zawartych w lekturach oraz przedstawionych w dyskusjach i wykorzystać je jako źródło inspiracji
• potrafi rozpoznawać i interpretować podstawowe problemy i zjawiska współczesności

Kompetencje społeczne
Absolwent
• jest gotów do poznawania nowych metod badawczych
• jest gotów do podejmowania kształcenia przez całe życie; dostrzega rolę literatury w rozwoju własnym oraz w procesie edukacji w ogóle]

Assessment criteria

The final grade will be a composite of the following partial assessments:
• class participation - 20%
• final essay (approximately 1500 words) submitted and discussed at the end of the semester – 80%

3 absences per semester are accepted.
Final grade based on the essay submitted and discussed at the end of the semester

Bibliography

Primary and Secondary Sources:

Shakespeare’s plays:

1. Julius Caesar
2. The Tempest
3. Hamlet
4. Macbeth
5. Richard III
6. Measure for Measure
7. The Merchant of Venice
8. Twelfth Night
9. Taming of the Shrew

Theatre productions:

1. Julius Caesar (Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy), dir. Phyllida Lloyd, 2012
2. Julius Caesar, dir. Angus Jackson, Royal Shakespeare Company, 2017
3. Julius Caesar, dir. Nicholas Hytner, Bridge Theatre, 2018
4. The Tempest, (Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy), dir. Phyllida Lloyd, 2016.
5. The Tempest, dir. Gregory Doran, RSC, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 2016.
6. Hamlet, dir. Sarah Frankcom, Royal Exchange, Manchester, 2014.
7. Hamlet, dir. Lyndsey Turner, Barbican, London, 2015.
8. Hamlet, dir. Robert Icke, Almeida, 2017.
9. Macbeth, dir. Rob Ashford, Manchester International Festival, 2013.
10. Macbeth, dir. Yaël Farber, Almeida, 2021
11. Richard III, dir. Rupert Goold, Almeida, 2016
12. Richard III, dir. Gregory Doran, RSC, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 2022
13. Measure for Measure, dir. Dominic Dromgoole, Shakespeare’s Globe, 2015.
14. Measure for Measure, dir. Gregory Doran, RSC, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 2019.
15. The Merchant of Venice, dir. Rupert Goold, Almeida, 2015
16. The Merchant of Venice, dir. Polly Findlay, RSC, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 2015
17. The Merchant of Venice, dir. Jonathan Munby, Shakespeare’s Globe, 2015.
18. Twelfth Night, dir. Simon Godwin, National Theatre, 2017.
19. Taming of the Shrew, dir. Justin Audibert, RSC, 2019

Optional readings and secondary sources:

1. Reviews of performances and interviews with playwrights and artists
2. Stephen Purcell, Shakespeare in the Theatre: Mark Rylance at the Globe, 2017.
3. Jami Rogers, British Black and Asian Shakespeareans: Integrating Shakespeare, 1966-2018, The Arden Shakespeare, 2022.
4. W. B. Worthen, Shakespeare, Technicity, Theatre, Cambridge University Press, 2020
5. Margherita Laera (ed.), Theatre and Adaptation: Return, Rewrite, Repeat, Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2014

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 3700-AL-SOS-OG in USOSweb