Theater professor invited to present at Shakespeare conference
Dr. Kevin Ewert, associate professor of theater, was invited to present at the 34th Biannual International Shakespeare Conference held last month in England.
Ewert presented a paper titled “The Thrust Stage is Not a Direct Link to Shakespeare” at the conference hosted in Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon by The Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham.
Ewert’s paper was critical of The Royal Shakespeare Co.’s marketing of its four-year, $173 million renovation of its Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
The RSC argued in its materials that the stage it was constructing – one on which the audience surrounds the stage on three sides and which was used in Shakespeare’s day – would be “the right space to present the work of Shakespeare.”
Ewert countered in his paper that the stage is only one part of the theatrical equation and that there is no one “right” kind of stage on which to perform any type of theater, even Shakespeare.
He argued that changing a theatrical space does not automatically change actor training and methodology, directorial preferences, modern design practice, use of technical elements or audience expectations that make up the whole theater experience.
The International Shakespeare Conference is an invitation-only gathering of leading Shakespeare scholars held every other year.
Ewert is the director of the theater program at Pitt-Bradford, where he teaches Introduction to Theater, Play Analysis, Movement and Stage Combat, Basic and Advanced Acting, and Shakespearean Performances. In addition, he directs the student production each semester.
He lives in Bradford with his wife and son.
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