Introduction

The "Fixing Shakespeare" Appropriations in Performance Cluster

Authors

Deb Streusand University of Texas at Austin

Abstract

What would it mean to "fix Shakespeare" by adapting his works? The three essays that follow engage with the "Fixing Shakespeare" adaptation series, put on in Austin, Texas by local theatre company The Rude Mechs. The series so far comprises playwright Kirk Lynn's adaptations of King John, Timon of Athens, and Troilus and Cressida. By "fixing" these plays, the Rude Mechs seek, as their website proclaims, to "make Shakespeare's least produced plays useful again" (Rude Mechs 2013). Kathryn Van Winkle, Loren Cressler, and Kristin Perkins each address one of these productions, tackling such questions as what does it mean to make a play "useful" by adapting it, and how does one go about doing so? When adapting a Shakespeare play, what, if anything, does the playwright "owe" to Shakespeare? What are the risks of reshaping Shakespeare's plots and characters with the goal of speaking to contemporary concerns? Is Shakespeare broken? Can his works be "fixed?" If so, did Lynn and the Rude Mechs succeed in fixing them?

Author Biography

Deb Streusand, University of Texas at Austin

Deb Streusand is a Postdoctoral Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin. Her scholarly work was recently published in Shakespeare Bulletin. In addition to her Ph.D., she holds an MFA in Shakespeare and Performance. She is a director, dramaturg, and actor who has been Artistic Director of Rosedale Shakespeare since 2015.