The independent charity responsible for caring for the Shakespeare family homes in Stratford-upon-Avon is sharing the personal perspectives on Shakespeare’s work, life and times from individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community as part of its Proud Shakespeare initiative. Activities include a new audio artwork inspired by William’s sister, Joan at Shakespeare’s Birthplace and an exploration of the Sonnets at the pride event in Leamington.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) has partnered with individuals with lived experience, including members of its own Proud Shakespeare group, to develop a special series of activities reflecting the continued impact of LGBTQIA+ communities to celebrate this month’s Warwickshire Pride.
Starting at Shakespeare’s Birthplace, visitors will be invited to explore the personal reflections of Bristol-based artist, Dr Rosie Poebright that explores new perspectives of the concept of gender and identity in the Tudor period.
“When I had the opportunity to explore the archives 5 years ago, I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for. I knew I wanted to find the voice of women from the past. But, as history has, at times, been written from a very narrow point of view I struggled to find the perspective of women, queer voices or something that spoke from a working-class narrative.”
“What I did find was a piece by a Puritan writer from Shakespeare’s lifetime raging about women wearing traditional men’s clothes and this, along with the discovery that Joan Hart, William Shakespeare’s sister, was left her brother’s clothing sparked an idea that I’ve been working on ever since.”
Said Dr Rosie Poebright, lead artist from Splash & Ripple.
Indeed, this experimental sound piece delves into the artist's personal reflections on gender nonconformity after their experience exploring the SBT collections in 2019 as part of a project to welcome people with different perspectives into the archive.
The sound piece, entitled It Ever Was focuses on the exploration of gender norms and societal expectations through Dr Poebright’s lived experience, using the inspiration they found in the SBT collections as a catalyst. Audiences will be able to experience this for themselves at Shakespeare’s Birthplace from Friday 16 August.
“As someone who identifies as butch and non-binary, the idea that Joan was left this collection of clothing from William really sparked an idea in my head that I couldn’t shake. What could have Joan’s story been with her brother’s clothes? I’m excited to share this with visitors to do the same.”
Visitors will start their experience outside of Joan Hart’s Cottage, the entrance to the current Birthplace experience. This is the property that Joan lived in for many years, outliving her famous brother.
For those unable to visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace during the week, the audio will have a permanent place on the Proud Shakespeare pages of the SBT website, allowing audiences, wherever they may be, to listen to it throughout the year.
“As Rosie notes in the audio, not much is known about Joan as a woman in her own right, except that when William died, he left her all of his clothes. In this first year of our exploration of the Women Who Made Shakespeare it is an exciting opportunity to explore new narratives about someone who was important to William in her own right.”
Said Jenny Shufflebotham, audience development manager at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
“Opening our spaces to audiences from different backgrounds and exploring new stories relating to Shakespeare is an important part of the Trust’s work. So, it has been an insightful process collaborating with Rosie on this piece of audio. Giving them the space to explore our collections to unearth fresh perspectives on objects relating to Joan Hart and women in the past means we can offer our audiences a different way of experiencing the Shakespeare family homes.”
Proud Sonnets at Warwickshire Pride
Alongside the audio artwork in the Birthplace Garden the Proud Shakespeare group have been exploring what Shakespeare’s sonnets mean to them as part of their stand for Warwickshire Pride, which takes place on Saturday 17 August in Leamington.
During the day, the team will have a washing line activity called “Let me compare thee to...” where they will be asking visitors to share their own personal reflections of love, beauty and belonging, inspired by one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines from the sonnets.
Members of the Proud Shakespeare team will also be sharing their own personal perspectives on their favourite sonnets. Visitors can chat to the team and pick up special postcards with the selected Sonnets.
“We can’t wait to welcome people to our colourful stand to speak with the Proud Shakespeare group. This year, we’ll be delving deep into the sonnets, exploring Shakespeare’s work and what it means to individuals today. It is a great opportunity to share ideas and for us to share more about what we do.’’
Commented Jenny, who also supports the Proud Shakespeare group, comprised of staff and volunteers across the SBT with lived experience of or allies of LGBTQIA+ community.
It Ever Was – an audio experience by Dr Rosie Poebright will be available for visitors to Shakespeare’s Birthplace from Friday 16 August. For more information on the project and to listen to a special online version visit http://shakespeare.org.uk/proud.
Warwickshire Pride takes place on Saturday 17th August 2024 from 11:00 at the Pump Room Gardens in Leamington Spa. For more information visit www.warwickshirepride.co.uk.