Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen

Edel Semple is Lecturer in Shakespeare Studies at University College Cork, Ireland.Ronan Hatfull is Lecturer and Senior Associate Tutor in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Warwick, UK.

• Notes on Contributors Acknowledgements Note on the TextIntroduction: Shakespeare and his Social Circle on the Stage and Screen, 1998-2023, Edel Semple (University College Cork, Ireland)Part One: Author1. Shakespeare Regrets: Redefining the Heritage Biopic in All Is True, Clara Calvo (University of Murcia, Spain)2. ‘I’ll Drown my Book’: Imagining Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play, Austin Tichenor (Reduced Shakespeare Company, USA)3. ‘Scarce…a Blot in his Papers’: Shakespearean Inspiration on Screen, Judith Buchanan (University of Oxford, UK)4. Interview on Co-writing and Performing in Bill (dir. Richard Bracewell, 2015), Laurence Rickard (BAFTA-winning comedy writer and actor) in conversation with Ronan Hatfull and Edel Semple5. ‘The Thing is, You’re a Douche’: Fourth Wave Feminist Representations of Shakespeare in Emilia and & Juliet, Gemma Allred (University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland)Part Two: Family6. Shakespeare’s Dead, Long Live his Widow! One-woman Plays about Anne Hathaway, Edel Semple (University College Cork, Ireland)7. Interview on Playing Sue Shakespeare in Upstart Crow (BBC, 2016-2021), Helen Monks (writer, actor, and comedian) in conversation with Ronan Hatfull and Edel Semple8. Father Shakespeare: Grieving for Hamnet on Stage and Screen, Katherine Scheil (University of Minnesota, USA)9. Shakespeare and Son in All Is True and O’Farrell’s Hamnet, Paul Franssen (Utrecht University, the Netherlands)10. Interview on Writing the Play Shakespeare’s Sister (2015), Emma Whipday (Newcastle University, UK; playwright) in conversation with Ronan Hatfull and Edel SemplePart Three: Theatre11. Imagining the Formative Presence of Early Modern Women in Shakespeare’s Circle, Naomi J. Miller (Smith College, USA)12. ‘That’s Power’: Representations of Performance in Shakespearean Biofiction, Stephen Purcell (University of Warwick, UK)13. Reverse Engineering Shakespeare: TNT’s Will as Repertory Studies Criticism, Aaron Proudfoot (University of Connecticut, USA)14. Enter Burbage: The Origin Story of an Acting Superhero in Craig Pearce’s Will, Michael D. Friedman (University of Scranton, USA)15. #Sharlowe: Connecting Shakespeare and Marlowe in Only Lovers Left Alive, Upstart Crow, and Will, Ronan Hatfull (University of Warwick, UK)Part Four: Afterlives16. More ‘Shakespeare’ than Shakespeare: The Notion of ‘Uber-Shakespeare’ in The Lego Movie Benjamin Broadribb (The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, UK)Afterword: Global Shakespearean BiofictionsRamona Wray (Queen's University Belfast, UK)Index

In a post-Barthesian/Foucauldian world, the Author remains a figure of desire for many critics, writers, actors and other artists. The Shakespeares – including Anne, Hamnet and Susanna as well as William – are multifaceted fictional characters in their own right, embodying complex ideas about family, identity, art, business and more. Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen is an indispensable guide to the rich world of Shakespeare-adjacent fictions, bringing together academics and artists to explain – and trouble – the irresistible appeal of Shakespeare’s gappy biography and the diverse ways in which Shakespeare and his contemporaries are deployed to speak to today’s concerns.