Performed around the globe, Shakespeare continues to be transformed by actors, directors, and diverse communities who make the plays their own. In this course, we will concern ourselves with these essential questions: How did Shakespeare collaboratively stage the plays with actors four centuries ago? How do actors and directors today perform and transform Shakespeare’s texts? And what generative themes transcend different performance choices? Students will critically read select plays and take on the acting challenges of Shakespeare through work on a sonnet, a monologue, and then a final scene. This course fulfills the Dramatic Literature requirement for Lang Theater majors and minors and is an Acting Elective opportunity for students.