CLT380H1

Staging Britishness from Shakespeare to the BBC

This course explores various approaches to the artistic staging of national identity and history in Britain from the sixteenth century to the present day. Students will examine evolving ideas of what can constitute a national stage or theatre in a "kingdom" that has historically been anything but united. Subjects to be explored might Shakespearean drama; coronations and investitures; newspapers, television, and radio; the role of the BBC in the four nations; arts festivals, national exhibitions, and the amateur pageant play; revisionist stagings of Shakespeare’s history plays; challenges to ideas of Britishness in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in contemporary culture. (Offered in alternate years.)