29 August 2012

Arts Café returns with a look at Shakespeare's influences

Dundee Arts Café returns for the 2012/13 season next week when actors and academics will come together to explore Shakespeare's influences.

Dr Jodi-Anne George, from the University of Dundee's School of Humanities, will discuss the medieval mystery and morality plays that inspired the Bard at The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum on Tuesday, 4th September.

Short scenes from these early dramas will be performed by members of the JOOT Theatre Company at the event, entitled 'Negotiating the Past: Shakespeare's Medieval Inheritance', which takes place at 6pm.

Dr George is a Senior Lecturer in English, with a wide range of research interests including Old and Middle English, medieval drama and religious poetry. She has published widely on these subjects, and teaches them to both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

"Because Shakespeare contributed so enormously to the English language and to what we know as drama today, there is a tendency to overlook the tradition he followed in," she explained.

"Really, to get to know Shakespeare, it is necessary to dig deeper into history and look at both his contemporaries and predecessors. These playwrights helped to shape Shakespeare and inspire some of the greatest work ever written."

Dundee Arts Café is a programme of talks showcasing arts research and developments taking place locally. The series is organised by the Universities of Dundee and Abertay, and Dundee City Council's Leisure & Culture department.

These events enable members of the public to relax and discuss the arts, from English to History, Philosophy to Architecture, and Fine Art to Product Design, with some of the leading names carrying out work in these areas in Dundee.

The events last one hour, and speakers talk passionately about their work for 30 minutes before the floor is opened up to an informal discussion with the audience. All talks take place in The McManus Café, Albert Square, Dundee.

'Negotiating the Past: Shakespeare's Medieval Inheritance' takes place at 6pm on Tuesday, 4th September. This event is free, and open to all. Limited seating means visitors are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment.

For more information about the event and Dundee Arts Cafe please visit www.DundeeArtsCafe.co.uk.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277