PROGRAMME DETAILS FOR THE 190TH SEASON 2013/2014

10 DECEMBER 2013
EMILY OLIVER

MA IN SHAKESPEARE STUDIES, SHAKESPEARE INSTITUTE.
INTERNATIONAL COURSES LEAD PRACTITIONER, SHAKESPEARE BIRTHPLACE TRUST.

SHAKESPEARE UNDER SOCIALISM

The lecture examines the relationship between politics and Shakespeare performance in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
In many ways, the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 was the worst thing that could have happened to East German theatre. It precipitated an economic downturn and significant funding cuts, but also a perceived decline in theatre's political relevance. The lecture analyses the shifting relationships between politics and performing Shakespeare in East Germany prior to this event. It situates actors and directors in their economic, political and cultural contexts, considering the impact of theatre censorship and public funding on performance practice. Drawing on a wide range of case studies from Berlin as well as more peripheral towns and cities. It examines just how subversive Shakespeare performance behind the Iron Curtain could be.

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