Shakespearean Performance in Dublin and Belfast

Funded by: IRCHSS

Participants

Shakespearean Performance in Ireland, 1660-1904.

This project is creating a record of performances of Shakespeare's plays in Dublin and Belfast, from the Restoration to the foundation of the Abbey Theatre.

It has the following objectives:

• - To stimulate new research on the place of Shakespeare in the development of Irish theatre, and on the importance of Ireland to the development of Shakespearean performance, publishing, and editing internationally.
• - To consider how Shakespearean performance was used to enact, extend, and/or challenge British rule in Ireland between 1660 and 1900.
• - To contribute to debates within the contemporary Irish theatre about Shakespearean performance, by retrieving a historical tradition of performance of his plays in such theatres as Smock Alley.
• - To aid in the development of new approaches to the teaching of Shakespeare in Ireland, with particular emphasis on performance.

Its research outputs will include:

• - The publication of an annotated bibliography of material on Shakespeare and Ireland.
• - The publication of a production history of Shakespearean performance in Dublin and Belfast, 1660 to 1904
• - The hosting of a national conference on Shakespearean performance and Irish education, with contributions from practitioners, educators, and leading international scholars.

The project runs from December 2008 to October 2010, and is funded by the IRCHSS Research Development Initiative.