The international academic conference on Shakespeare and Scandinavia (SaS) 8-11 October 2015 is an interdisciplinary exploration of Shakespeare in the North organized by a committee of Nordic and European Shakespeare scholars in collaboration with Kingston University, The Rose Theatre, Kingston-upon-Thames and David Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare.

In the sixteenth century troupes of London actors toured around the Baltic, as Hamlet records. But it was Queen Anne of Denmark who may have been responsible for Kingston’s special Shakespeare and Scandinavia connection. Shakespeare’s Scottish play is believed to have premiered in 1606 at Hampton Court Palace during the state visit of her brother King Christian IV. Then, in 1767, another Danish king, the ‘mad’ young Christian VII, was entertained by David Garrick at his nearby Shakespeare Temple, and applauded his host’s interpretation of the Prince of Denmark. Today, both Kingston University and the Rose Theatre have strong links with Scandinavia.

Shakespeare and Scandinavia will celebrate these Kingston connections, but also the diversity of Shakespeare in study and stage across the Nordic nations. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the plays were widely acted and adapted in the North, and Shakespeare translations of national significance appeared in Finland, Norway and Sweden. Many of Scandinavia’s greatest modern cultural figures, such as Kierkegaard, Ibsen and Sibelius, took inspiration from Shakespeare. In the twenty-first century Nordic Shakespeare combines tradition and appropriation in highly distinctive ways, and acclaimed Shakespeare productions, such as those of the Icelandic ‘Vesturport’ company, perform regularly in the UK.

Shakespeare and Scandinavia will be the first event of its kind ever held in the UK. The conference will draw its inspiration from the rich history of Kingston’s Scandinavian exchanges and historic encounters, but with contributions from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, will aim to reconsider the many Shakespearean connections between the UK and the Nordic countries, from the commissioning of Hamlet up to the present day. On the eve of Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary, Shakespeare and Scandinavia will be a fanfare for the Bard of the North.

The conference will be held at the Rose Theatre, Kingston-upon-Thames, which was opened by Sir Peter Hall in 2008 to be a ‘teaching theatre’ modeled on the Elizabethan Rose playhouse. The conference will include Shakespeare performances at the Rose and in the nearby Hampton Court Palace and Garrick’s Shakespeare Temple.

Confirmed Keynote Speakers:

Prof. Sirkku Aaltonen (University of Vaasa)
Prof. Ewan Fernie (The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham)
Prof. Graham Holderness (University of Hertfordshire)
Prof. Eero Tarasti (University of Helsinki)
Prof. Gary Taylor (Florida State University)

Organizing Committee:

Delilah Bermudez Brataas (Sør-Trøndelag University College), Roy Eriksen (Agder U), Nely Keinänen (Helsinki U), Charles Lock (Copenhagen U), Rupert Nichol (Garrick’s Temple), Claudia Olk (Freie U, Berlin), Anne Sophie Refskou (Kingston U), Martin Regal (University of Iceland), Chantal Schutz (Université Paris 3-Sorbonne Nouvelle), Per Sivefors (Linnaeus U), Frank Whately (Kingston U), and Richard Wilson (Kingston U).

Please forward abstracts of no more than 500 words, and a brief bio (2-3 sentences), to shakespeareandscandinavia2015@gmail.com no later than 31 May 2015.