Shakespeare: Print and Performance (FutureLearn)

As part of Shakespeare400, learn about Shakespeare in print and performance around the world, from early modern times to today. Why do we continue to read and perform Shakespeare’s works around the world today? How were his plays performed and printed 400 years ago, and how has our conception of Shakespeare changed over the centuries?

As part of the Shakespeare400 consortium of events, marking 400 years since his death, King’s College London has partnered with Shakespeare’s Globe and the British Library to explore how Shakespeare’s works continue to delight audiences around the world.

Join academics, curators, publishers, actors, musicians and theatre directors, as we find out more about Shakespeare’s early modern world and consider his construction as a global icon today.

Go behind-the-scenes at The Globe

We will take you on to the stage of the Globe Theatre, to find out about performance practices both in the present day capital and in Early Modern London.

We’ll meet practitioners at the Globe and we’ll step into the world of the early modern actor to examine the processes and conditions that were at the heart of the Shakespearean playhouse.

Explore rarely-seen priceless manuscripts

The British Library has given us exclusive access to some some priceless manuscripts and early printed texts in their archives. We’ll also discover how the early modern book trade shaped the journey of Shakespeare’s text from stage to page.

Share your own insights with other learners

‘Global Shakespeares’ is one of the key themes which we will explore on the course. When you join Shakespeare: Print and Performance, you will become part of a diverse international learning community, and we will draw on everyone’s experiences of Shakespeare to enrich our discussion.

What topics will you cover?

Performing Shakespeares

Early Modern Print

Shakespeare in Print Today

Global/Local Shakespeares

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to…

– Reflect on Shakespeare as a global cultural icon

– Discuss early modern performance practices and the development of the theatre industry

– Investigate how the print industry developed in early modern England

– Discuss early modern literary culture and the ‘instability’ of the early modern play text

– Evaluate the impact of editorial policy on the way in which Shakespeare is read and performed today

– Explore Shakespeare in performance around the world today