Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept of English, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-99).

Shakespeare at Winedale is one of the most unique and extensive Shakespeare-through-performance programs in the nation, yet it has not received much critical attention. This report suggests that Shakespeare at Winedale's innovations deserve closer attention, as they can provide insights on what can be possible with a "total immersion" performance approach with Shakespeare. The report examines: 1) the cultural and historical elements that came together to create the program, including the story of how program founder James Ayres first brought students out to Winedale; 2) the unique pedagogical advantages of the Winedale setting and the learning opportunities it invites; 3) an attempt to place Shakespeare at Winedale somewhat in context of both the cultural currents of the time and the growing acceptance in the academy of the performance approach; 4) a description of Winedale's emphasis on play as an approach to the text; 5) Ayres's idea of the "second play" that is possible through the sense of community fostered at Winedale. The report is aimed primarily at teachers interested in new insights into the value of the performance approach, but also at any students and teachers of Shakespeare. / text

This thesis investigates the cultural uses and implied signifying practices of the work of actors who are popularly and frequently described as 'Shakespearean.' Though ubiquitous figures within culture, there is a dearth of criticism which questions what qualities are invoked in the use of the term ‘Shakespearean’ and what implicit judgements of value or taste, class or cultural function are at work in its attribution. Although works such as Carol Chillington Rutter’s Clamorous Voices have analysed the figure of the female Shakespearean, moreover, the male Shakespearean remains largely an unexplored site of meaning and definition. It is this focus on the body of the actor which represents my original contribution to knowledge. Indeed, despite the preponderance of actor-based studies in Film Studies or, indeed, Theatre Studies, Adaptation Studies has been slow to locate the body as an adaptive site; concentrating instead upon themes, authors, the work of directors or, more recently, the influence of production factors. My thesis argues for the Shakespearean actor as a site of adaptation, positing it as a conduit for the transferable commdity value which is ‘Shakespeare’ and thereby considering the differences which may occur in the production of meaning as the Shakespearean actor moves between cultural hierarchies: from ‘high’ to ‘low’, or mainstream culture. An essential part of this thesis and an aspect which further argues for its contribution to this field is, therefore, analysis of popular cultural texts which have largely been ignored by adaptation critics. Although figures such as Richard Burt have recognised the value of popular or counter-cultural texts for an understanding of Shakespeare’s far-reaching and often surprising influence, the more tangential work in the Shakespearean actor’s filmography provide equally valuable ground to mine. An understanding of a Shakespearean actor’s cultural function is thus served by critiquing their mainstream films as well as their more documented Shakespearean oeuvre. By focusing on the implicitly multidirectional possibilities of adaptation as a process, I explore what values the ‘Shakespearean’ holds in contemporary culture and whether these maintain a popular perception of the Shakespearean actor as a representative of conservatism, elitism and ‘high’ culture. Or, whether the Shakespearean actor contains the potential for subverting some of the associations which Shakespeare’s legacy has accrued over time.

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