Shakespeare in a Divided America

How can Shakespeare continue to provide lessons for today and tomorrow? Staged in theaters across the country, read by almost every student, and valued across ideologies, Shakespeare's plays are rare common ground in the United States. Two experts on the Bard — Public Theater Artistic Director (and Aspen Institute Harman/Eisner Artist in Residence) Oskar Eustis and author, professor, and Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro — explore our most produced and impactful dramatist’s work in context with some of the themes of this 2022 Aspen Ideas Festival.

This conversation was part of the 2022 Aspen Ideas Festival.

Speakers:
Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director, The Public Theater

Erika Mallin, Executive Director, Arts Program, Aspen Institute

James Shapiro, Professor of English, Columbia University; Shakespeare Scholar in Residence, The Public Theater

Now in its 18th year, the Aspen Ideas Festival is the Aspen Institute’s signature summer public event. Among the key themes explored at this year’s festival are conversations around the concepts of Heat, Power, Connection, Trust, Money, and Beauty.

From June 25-July 1, 2022 more than 300 leaders and innovators gather in the Rocky Mountains to engage in deep and inquisitive discussion of the issues that shape our lives and challenge our times, spanning politics, business, science, the arts, education, and more. #AspenIdeas

For more information about the Aspen Ideas Festival, visit https://www.aspenideas.org