Scheller-Wolf, Lauren Tara
(2022)
Language, relatability, and ease of access: bringing the works of Shakespeare to a wider audience.
Undergraduate Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
This is the latest version of this item.
Abstract
The works of William Shakespeare are one of the pillars of the Western theatrical canon and bear a great deal of cultural significance in our modern world. However, many people today struggle to understand these more than 400-year-old stories, finding the plays intimidating and believing that Shakespeare is not something they will be able to connect with or understand. This paper explores three key barriers which often make Shakespeare inaccessible to members of the public (Language, Relatability, and Ease of Access) as well as the strategies four Shakespearian theatre companies have developed to overcome these barriers. These companies are the Shakespeare Youth Festival (Los Angeles), Flute Theatre (London), Shakespeare Behind Bars (Kentucky and Michigan), and Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks (Pittsburgh). These strategies were tested and put into practice through The Shakespeare Exploration Project, a tabling project designed to make the works of Shakespeare more accessible to the public.
This research offers the following conclusions: in order to make Shakespeare more accessible for all, it is necessary to lean into the large emotions of Shakespeare’s characters, focus on the rhythms inherent in Shakespeare’s verse (specifically iambic pentameter), and make the theatre space itself into a welcoming and accepting environment where participants and audience members feel free to be themselves and explore. The lessons learned through this research will be useful for any theatre practitioner attempting to make their work more accessible and open to all.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Scheller-Wolf, Lauren Tara | LTS22@pitt.edu | LTS22 | |
|
| ETD Committee: |
| Title | Member | Email Address | Pitt Username | ORCID |
|---|
| Thesis Advisor | Walker, Bria | bria.walker@pitt.edu | | | | Committee Member | Downs, Gianni | | | | | Committee Member | George, Kathleen | | | | | Green-Rogers, Martine | | | |
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| Date: |
24 April 2022 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
24 February 2022 |
| Approval Date: |
24 April 2022 |
| Submission Date: |
10 April 2022 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
149 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Theater Arts
David C. Frederick Honors College |
| Degree: |
BPhil - Bachelor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Undergraduate Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Shakespeare, Theatre, Accessibility, |
| Date Deposited: |
24 Apr 2022 16:38 |
| Last Modified: |
24 Apr 2022 16:38 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/42570 |
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Language, relatability, and ease of access: bringing the works of Shakespeare to a wider audience. (deposited 24 Apr 2022 16:38)
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