Researcher Roz Symon has brought William Shakespeare’s work into the modern day through differing formats of education. By creating easier access to historical work, Roz hopes to inspire today’s population and help reignite interest in Shakespearean fiction.
My research focuses on making Shakespeare accessible to everyone, regardless of background or education, by creating art with asylum seekers. Instead of traditional theatres, I take Shakespeare into local libraries, using craft materials and personal stories to explore new meanings in King Lear that resonate with our lives today. Inspired by a number of movements, including the Bauhaus, I break King Lear into manageable themes and invite participants who have experienced displacement to connect their own stories to the text. This community-based approach allows us to reimagine our relationship with Shakespeare.
Passionate about Shakespeare and well aware not everyone has access to his work, I make art with asylum seekers as a way of modelling encounters anyone can enjoy, regardless of age, background, level of education, and proficiency in English. Removing Shakespeare from theatres and schools, I situate him instead among craft materials in local libraries – places to which everyone has access, including those with no fixed address. Using people’s innate creativity, listening to their stories, is teaching me what King Lear can mean to us in the 21st century.
My approach reimagines who can engage with Shakespeare, offering new perspectives that go beyond the theatre. This work demonstrates that Shakespeare’s plays can be adapted and revitalized by anyone, giving them new life. My art-led practice uses Shakespeare as an invitation to creativity, and people’s creativity as a route into his plays. Working with asylum seekers from 17 different countries has been transformative, showing how powerful shared stories can be in bringing people together across divides.