Shakespeare on the Prairie

The Shakespeare Club of Aberdeen, South Dakota

Authors

  • Lysbeth Em Benkert Northern State University

Abstract

Cluster: “Shakespeare Readings, Societies, and Forums.” Edited by Matt Kozusko, Christy Desmet, and Robert Sawyer. 

The Shakespeare Club of Aberdeen, South Dakota — a prairie town with fewer than 25,000 residents — has been meeting for 106 years. The group's carefully preserved records reveal many similarities with other women's clubs in the U.S., but also some key differences. While the Shakespeare Club has throughout its history studied Shakespeare and other figures from high culture, the group's emphasis on charity work, both locally and globally, and its interest in texts from popular culture, among other characteristics, suggest that over the years, the club has provided its members with a connection to the wider world and helped them to feel that what they themselves do matters to the world.

Author Biography

Lysbeth Em Benkert, Northern State University

Lysbeth Em Benkert is currently an Associate Professor of English at Northern State University, where she teaches courses in Shakespeare, early modern women writers and eighteenth century literature. She has also served as the dramaturge for several campus productions of Shakespeare's plays.

Issue Cover text: B&L, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2006. Image: 18th century actress in a shepherdess costume tips her hat.

Downloads

Published

2006-09-01

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2006): Fall/Winter

Section

Notes