Department of English Publications
Title
Shakespeare’s Property Ladder: Women Directors and the Politics of Ownership
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2017
First Page
104
Last Page
121
URL with Digital Object Identifier
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199687169.013.42
Abstract
Shakespeare ‘owners’ in the British cultural marketplace have long been the powerful male actors, artistic directors, and theatre reviewers who function as arbiters of ‘good’ acting, directing, and interpretation of Shakespeare. This chapter excavates the conservative political framework that has historically limited the experiences of women directing Shakespeare in the UK. How does an unspoken but deeply entrenched and gendered sense of who knows Shakespeare well enough to advocate on ‘His’ behalf determine what opportunities do, or do not, come women’s way? What does that powerful sense of knowledge and ownership reveal about the gendered expectations that still accrue to the work of women directors of Shakespeare? Is the landscape shifting, and if so how? What strategies might feminist directors such as Katie Mitchell use to make way for women’s engagement with Shakespeare on feminism’s own terms, and to build a critical consensus around the legitimacy of their work?
Notes
From The Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Performance. Ed. James C. Bulman. New York: Oxford UP, 2017.