OCTOBER, 2025. Engendering the Stage in the Age of Shakespeare and Beyond. Edited by Peter Cockett and Melinda Gough (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2025).
Engendering the Stage in the Age of Shakespeare and Beyond steps beyond the myth of the all-male stage, centring feminist, queer, and trans scholars and artists to reveal the deeper complexities of gendered performance on stage today and within the records of theatre history.
Engendering the Stage in the Age of Shakespeare and Beyond centres dialogue between scholars, students, and professional theatre practitioners to rethink gender on the early modern stage and its resonance for casting, staging, and design in contemporary classical theatre. Its scope extends beyond the confines of Shakespeare’s Globe and the myth of the all-male stage to explore the exciting possibilities of gendered performance evident on the stages of Europe and in the work of less-famous playwrights.
Women and queer and trans artists and artisans were central to the theatres of early modern Europe, and this book’s collaborative exploration of this historical evidence opens exciting new avenues for theatrical production and research. It mobilizes shared insights by scholars and theatre practitioners who hold deep investments in gender equity in their respective workplaces and explores Two-Spirit and trans histories typically excluded in both theatre history studies and present-day performance repertoires.
Engendering the Stage in the Age of Shakespeare and Beyond offers provocations arising from a five-day Performance as Research (PaR) workshop at the Stratford Festival. Featuring guest artist and actor commentary, a poem, a zine, scholarly essays and reflections, and three specially commissioned visual art pieces, the book adapts to print form the open and exploratory spirit of the workshop itself, inviting readers to embrace the possibilities of trans-disciplinary, provisional knowledges and knowledge dissemination that are central to PaR methodologies.
Buy the book from University of Toronto Press, or recommend to your library!
Testamonials
| “This book is an energizing and pathbreaking collection in so many ways. It’s an incredibly generous, open example of how to combine cutting-edge scholarship in early modern studies with ethical practice: how to be reflective and reflexive in trans-inclusive work, how to set a collection of essays in genuine conversation with one another, and how to do decolonial early modern scholarship that isn’t just ‘writing about racism.’ I’m so enthused by having read it, and I know scholars and students alike will be too – it’s an essential addition to any classroom working with early modern texts or with dramatic texts more broadly.” Kit Heyam, Award-Nominated Writer, Historian, Heritage Practitioner, and Educator |
| “Engendering the Stage in the Age of Shakespeare and Beyond is a powerful, deeply thoughtful, care-filled volume that will become a must-read for anyone interested in Performance as Research, early modern or otherwise. Cockett and Gough are unflinchingly honest about the complexities of the PaR process, and the book’s most urgent contribution to knowledge is its ability to face that complexity head-on. This volume lovingly examines what worlds we can make together when artists and scholars are willing to trust one another, be real with one another, fight fairly with one another, and build learning communities together. A glorious read.” Kim Solga, Professor of Theatre Studies, Western University |
| “Engendering the Stage in the Age of Shakespeare and Beyond is a transformative collection of essays, interviews, and artwork. Its contributors challenge the methods of early modern PaR and demand a more ethical, inclusive, and accountable scholarship. The rewards of such rigour are considerable: the work contained in this volume demolishes the myth of the all-male early modern stage with panache.” Will Tosh, Director of Education (Higher Education and Research), Shakespeare’s Globe |
| “This collection is essential reading for anyone invested in troubling dominant narratives of the early modern stage, especially where gender is concerned. The authors write with passion, vulnerability, and deep insight, acknowledging mistakes and misunderstandings, while offering practical advice for artists, educators, and researchers seeking a more equitable future. A model for future PaR scholarship.” Marlis Schweitzer, Professor, Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance, York University, and Co-producer/Co-creator of the Shaking Up Shakespeare Podcast |