Through an embedded critique of the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival’s 2023 production of Hamlet 50/50, this article documents and interrogates the 50/50 Shakespeare Project’s adaptation process of equally distributing lines and status between male and female characters. Specifically, this article examines how the adaptation and production of Hamlet 50/50 reinterprets Hamlet’s characters, themes, and performance potentials while claiming to remain authentic to Shakespeare’s world. Ultimately it argues that the 50/50 Shakespeare Project’s emphasis on gender equity not only reimagines Hamlet for modern audiences and performers, but also invites a deeper conversation about the role of stylistic and historical matching in modern adaptations of Shakespeare’s texts.
New Solutions to Old Problems: Gender Equity and the 50/50 Shakespeare Project
We're thrilled to share "New Solutions to Old Problems: Gender Equity and the 50/50 Shakespeare Project," an in-depth analysis of our 2023 production of Hamlet 50/50, written by our own Jennifer Birkett and published by Johns Hopkins University Press.
Take a fascinating deep dive into this world premiere production, which was adapted by Vanessa Morosco and Peter Simon Hilton and directed by Vanessa Morosco. Jenny's insights into the innovative 50/50 approach are not to be missed.
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