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  • Chapter 13 - What Is the History of Actors of Color Performing in Shakespeare in the UK?

  • Edited by Ayanna Thompson, Arizona State University
  • Book:
    The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Race
    Published online:
    09 February 2021
    Print publication:
    25 February 2021, pp 190-207

  • Summary

    This essay traces the history of Shakespearean actors of color in the UK from the early modern period to the present day. Looking at archival traces such as advertisements and reviews as well as at archival lacunae, this chapter considers the methodologies of and challenges to excavating the performance histories of actors of color. Addressing the socio-historical contexts for the racialized genealogy of Shakespearean performance, including the British and American histories of slavery, British imperialism, Windrush, and Brexit, this chapter explores the range of roles available to actors of color over the years; critical discussions of embodiment, enactment, and staging; and the development of an "unofficial black canon" in British theatre and film alongside more recent attempts to expand this repertoire with renewed attention to dramatic genre, casting practice, and performative setting.