Sarah McCourt

Department: Drama
Discipline: Drama

Project Summary

An exploration of the process of adapting Shakespeare for performance by small English touring companies, 2006-2010. The smaller touring companies I am studying (Filter Theatre, Frantic Assembly, Headlong, The Pantaloons, Platform 4, Kneehigh and Red Shift) are experienced adapters or devisors and have developed distinctive artistic practices that appeal to their regular audiences. This makes the application and reception of these practices of particular interest when applied to adapting Shakespeare. The popular followings already enjoyed by these companies provide new insights into the cultural mediation of Shakespeare.

 The research has involved interviews with the following practitioners to whom I am grateful for their input: Simon Godwin (Director of Headlong Theatre Company's production of A Winter's Tale), Jonathan Holloway, Artistic Director of Red Shift Theatre Company (Much Ado About Nothing), Ferdy Roberts and Ollie Dimsdale Artistic Directors of Filter Theatre (Twelfth Night), Simon Plumridge (Director of Platform 4's The Tempest), Stephen Purcell Artistic Director of the Pantaloons (Macbeth) and Ned Grujic from Lestretaux la Pleine Lune & Thomas Marceul from naxos theatre (collaboration - Hamlet: The end of a childhood).

Supervisory Team

Professor Kate Newey

Dr Anna Harpin

Wider Research Interests

Having initially trained in Performance Art, I have continued to follow my interest in the use of media in performance, which also informs my PhD thesis, particularly in working on case studies of Filter Theatre's Twelfth Night and Frantic Assembly's Othello.  My work as an actor and theatre maker has also informed my research interests in Applied Theatre, since this is the area in which I mainly work.  Additionally, I have presented papers on Autobiographical Theatre based on evaluations of my own work on Monstrous Love.

Authored Publications/Reports

Sarah McCourt (2012) Review of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Teaching Shakespeare, 1, 16