Not Minding the Gap: Intercultural Shakespeare in Britain

Authors

  • Varsha Panjwani Boston University (London)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1515/mstap-2017-0004

Keywords:

Braisian (British Asian), Shakespeare, mixed-heritage, identity, intercultural, Tribe Arts, Tara Arts, Phizzical, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Cymbeline, Darokhand

Abstract

The article takes issue with the perceived space/gap between the multiple identities of mixed-heritage groups, as most of these people often pick and choose elements from all of their identities and amalgamate them into a cross-cultural whole. In recent years, such mixed-heritage groups in the U.K. have increasingly found cultural expression in Shakespeare. Focusing specifically on a number of recent Shakespearean productions, by what I term Brasian (my preferred term for British-Asians as it suggests a more fused identity) theatre companies, the article demonstrates how these productions employ hybrid aesthetic styles, stories, and theatre forms to present a layered Braisian identity. It argues that these productions not only provide a nuanced understanding of the intercultural map of Britain but are also a rich breeding ground for innovative Shakespeare productions in the U.K.

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Author Biography

Varsha Panjwani, Boston University (London)

Varsha Panjwani is Lecturer at Boston University (London) and is an honorary Research Associate at the University of York where she was a Lecturer at the department of Theatre, Film, and Television from 2009-13. Varsha’s research focuses on the way in which Shakespeare is deployed in the service of diversity theatre and films. As well as publishing widely in leading international journals such as Shakespeare Survey and in edited collections such as Shakespeare, Race and Performance, she has won prestigious research grants from the Society of Theatre Research and Folger Shakespeare Library. In addition to her individual research, she is one of the Principal Investigators of the multi-grant-winning project ‘Indian Shakespeares on Screen’ (2014-16). Varsha is also an academic consultant for a number of Braisian (British-Asian) theatre and film companies.

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Published

2017-06-30

How to Cite

Panjwani, V. (2017). Not Minding the Gap: Intercultural Shakespeare in Britain. Multicultural Shakespeare: Translation, Appropriation and Performance, 15(30), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1515/mstap-2017-0004

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