New Places: Shakespeare and Civic Creativity

New Places: Shakespeare and Civic Creativity documents and analyses the different ways in which a range of innovative projects take Shakespeare out into the world beyond education and the theatre. Mixing critical reflection on the social value of Shakespeare with new creative work in different forms and idioms, the volume triumphantly shows that Shakespeare can make a real contribution to contemporary civic life. Highlights include: Garrick's 1769 Shakespeare ode, its revival in 2016, and a devised performance interpretation of it; the full text of Carol Ann Duffy's A Shakespeare Masque (set to music by Sally Beamish); a new Shakespearean libretto inspired by Wagner; an exploration of the civic potential of new Shakespeare opera and ballet; a fresh Shakespeare-inspired poetic liturgy, including commissions by major British poets; a production of The Merchant of Venice marking the 500th anniversary of the Venetian Jewish Ghetto; and a remaking of Pericles as a response to the global migrant crisis.

Paul Edmondson is Head of Research at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, a Trustee of the British Shakespeare Association, and Honorary Fellow of The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, UK

Ewan Fernie is Chair, Professor and Fellow at The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, UK.

Contributors: Shaul Bassi, Sally Beamish, Silvia Bigliazzi, Hester Bradley, Katharine Craik, Michael Dobson, Carol Ann Duffy, Tobias Döring, Paul Fiddes, David Fuller, Graham Holderness, Jenny Lewis, Sinead Morrissey, Richard O’Brien, Micheal O’Siadhail, David Ruiter, Lawrence Sail, Katherine Scheil, Michael Symmons.