From the choice of Michelle Terry, a non-disabled person, to play Richard III at the Globe, to the racist backlash against the announcement that Francesca Amewuda-Rivers would play Juliet opposite Tom Holland’s Romeo in the West End, Shakespeare’s Casting decisions are never far away. From the news. How is it possible that a 550-year-old playwright is still one of our most controversial theatre-makers?
Even in marginalized theatre, Shakespeare is still a hot topic and a seed of hatred. If you need proof, check out the comments sections of our social media ads for our new show English Kings Killing Foreigners, which explores the relationship between Shakespeare and English cultural identity. It has never been clearer to us that Shakespeare himself has a central role in the broader story of who has the right to represent England today.
The question of what “English” means feels particularly pressing at the moment; In a post-Brexit, post-Queen-Elizabeth-II world, and with a general election looming, it is impossible to escape the British discussion about who Britain is and what it represents.
For some people, being British is about compassion, multiculturalism and tolerance, and they see the UK as an inclusive Arcadia. For others, the UK is about tradition, individualism and sovereignty.
What we do know is that Britain has never been monolithic in its identity, and this is evident in the series of Shakespeare’s plays known as The. History. These are 10 dramas that follow the battle within and outside the generations of the British monarchy – think CrownBut with more soliloquy.
History Most focus on the privileged nobility and their internal feuds and doubts, but, at their best, center the experiences of the common people and give them the opportunity to directly challenge the monarchy (essentially putting them back in their place. before leaving).
This is ironic for those who claim Shakespeare as an icon of Englishness, causing an uproar History Show that Englishness and British identity have long been in flux. However, for the most part, they’re boundary-pushing like the last few seasons of The Crown – not necessarily radical.
Shakespeare’s most “English”. HistoryAnd perhaps his most relevant play too when it comes to our relations with our continental neighbors – which is never far from our minds in the 21st century – is Henry V. I (Philip) was staging it at Regent’s Park Theatre. The night of the Brexit referendum in June 2016.
I will never forget how, through tears, the cast fought with France and shouted in front of a tense crowd, “Harry, God for England and St. George”. Exactly three years later, in 2019, Nina and I met on another production of Henry V at the Globe. Amidst the changing political landscape, and realizing the fallout and resonance of the impending national election (in which Brexit will, of course, be a defining issue) there were countless discussions in the rehearsal room about how important it was to tell those stories together in that historic moment. In a multicultural company.
We hoped that by bringing the drama forward we would take back the vision of Britishness that had been co-opted by the Leave campaign. When we fought shouting the name of England, we were fighting for the inclusive progressive England of our dreams.
Yet when we went out to do Henry V, a play that focused on a moment of English victory over France, the audience still cheered the English and criticized the French.
We realized that much of the storytelling work around the play had already been done before we came on stage, in the national psyche and during the Brexit referendum. It wasn’t enough just to be “we” (people of color, with complicated relationships with the British) to do that play; Highlighting British exceptionalism required a more radical rewriting.
And this is where we found the starting point for our new play – The English kings were killing foreigners. We have taken our experiences of staging Shakespeare as people of color to create a darkly comic take on Britain, its theater and its identity politics.
Our aim is to create a space to explore the layered and complex realities of Shakespearean performance and what Englishness means in England today. We’ve seen it treated with rigor and humor, but also with the radicalism missing from Shakespeare’s history and The Crown.
Discussions about Britishness are legitimate but we must have them in strong ways respectfully – and that’s what this show is about.
Nina Bowers and Philip Arditi have performed Shakespeare in many theaters including the Theater Royal and the Globe in Regent’s Park, Stratford. As people of color with family histories of migration they each have a unique relationship with Britishness and English identity. their game, english kings were killing foreigners Runs from 23 April to 11 May at the Camden People’s Theatre.