Interpreting Shakespeare: a Modern Retrospective

Course dates & times

Wednesday evenings on 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October and 5 November 2025
7pm–9pm

About the course

This six-week evening course will explore how the brilliant works of Shakespeare still inform our understanding of the world today.

With course tutor Lucinda Dawkins, Director at SCRUM Theatre, Creative Associate of Cheek by Jowl, and Associate Director at Krymov Lab London, take a journey through the many ways that Shakespeare has been interpreted since his time through to the modern day, whether as a political weapon, a tool for social change, or a voice for revolution.

The course will be a mixture of lecture-based teaching, with presentations from the tutor, breakout discussion groups and a Q&A with special guests.

Who is the course for?

• Anyone aged 18 and over wanting to gain a deeper understanding of Shakespeare and his plays
• For all levels of experience and familiarity with Shakespeare

What can I expect?

A mix of lecture-based teaching, with presentations from the tutor, breakout discussion groups, a Q&A with special guests and group activities. During the sessions you will also watch clips from performances of Shakespeare's plays and listen to music inspired by his work.

Between each session, there will be optional material available if you would like to investigate the themes of the session further.