Guest: Ellie Nichols. The Bard endures for the many attributes of his genius, one of which is his memorable, daring female characters, which Ellie will elucidate through performance and discussion. Shakespeare’s representation of women, and the ways in which his female roles are interpreted and enacted, have become topics of scholarly interest. Strong, attractive, intelligent, and humane women come to life in Shakespeare’s plays. They not only have a clear sense of themselves as individuals, but they challenge accepted patterns for women’s behavior.
Ellie says “My work revolves around gendered communication and how the patriarchy can challenge authentic relationship. As a performer, I the work through Shakespeare’s plays, with a deep dive into the text to reveal what the bard can teach us about female voices, male vices and authentic communication—how do things shift when we say what we mean, and we mean what we say?”
And there are those who say the work of Shakespeare speaks of shamanism. Shakespeare is a visionary artist who utilized the pageantry of theatre to offer a glimpse into the unconscious. The American writer and mythologist Joseph Campbell, believed that artists have taken up the role of the shaman. Both art and shamanism use the realm of metaphor where feeling is expressed and where healing happens.