PPE for Shakespearians: Pandemic, Performance and Education

Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the Shakespeare community hard. Not only were conference meetings cancelled, but also live performances at playhouses and festivals worldwide. Eager to entertain and maintain their loyal fan base, theatre companies with access to a store of pre-recorded productions offered them freely for public home consumption via the internet. At the same time, scholars and teachers scrambled to complete their academic years by converting classroom and lecture hall meetings into virtual educational opportunities. Synchronous and asynchronous teaching models responded to the social distancing needs of twenty-first-century educators and students. If a pandemic could impact the long-dead Shakespeare, then 2020 was the year for it to happen. With videoconferencing the new norm, any classroom, any stage, any ‘on your feet’ Shakespeare delivery method, along with a host of other in-person activities, seemed stretched to their limits.