Creating gender equity in the workplace of Shakespeare’s plays.
Shakespeare’s plays are constructed for a 450 year-old business model.
This business model is outdated, inequitable, and in most other industries would be considered unacceptable, if not illegal.
If it were not for the universal renown and veneration of this single English-language playwright the gender inequity rooted in the process of enacting his plays would be in question.
The 50/50 Shakespeare Project™ offers an equitable alternative.
PEOPLE
PROCESS
The 50/50 Shakespeare Project™ does not claim to artistically improve Shakespeare’s plays. The project aims to improve gender equity in the workplace of Shakespeare practitioners.
We achieve this by responsibly adjusting the gender identification of certain characters, reallocating some text and action to achieve gender equity throughout the plays, and rebalancing the power dynamic imbedded in the text and structure of the plays that exists because of the standard business model of early modern English drama. Finally we consult leading academics to ensure our adaptations are authentically in the spirit of Shakespeare's work.
We also retain all his famous lines.
PRODUCTION
SUMMER 2023: "HAMLET 50/50" @ Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival
Directed by Vanessa Morosco
Adapted by Vanessa Morosco & Peter Simon Hilton
