“Making Things Look Disconcertingly Different”: In Conversation with Declan Donnellan

Nicole Fayard

doi:10.18778/2083-8530.19.08

Authors

Nicole Fayard University of Leicester, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/2083-8530.19.08

Keywords:

Declan Donnellan, Cheek by Jowl, Shakespeare in Europe, Translation, Direction, Archetypes, Brexit

Abstract

In this interview acclaimed director Declan Donnellan, co-founder of the company Cheek by Jowl, discusses his experience of performing Shakespeare in Europe and the attendant themes of cultural difference, language and translation. Donnellan evokes his company’s commitment to connecting with audiences globally. He keeps returning to Shakespeare, as his theatre enables the sharing of our common humanity. It allows a flesh-and-blood carnal interchange between the actors and the audience which directly affects individuals. This interchange has significant consequences in terms of translation and direction.

Author Biography

Nicole Fayard, University of Leicester, UK

Nicole Fayard is Associate Professor of French at the University of Leicester. Her research interests focus on the politics of the performance, translation and remediation of Shakespeare in France and Europe, with particular reference to cultural memory and transnational identities. Her numerous publications in this field include The Performance of Shakespeare in France since the Second World War: Re-Imagining Shakespeare (Mellen 2006) and Comparative Drama: Over His Dead Body (2016) co-edited with Erica Sheen. Her other research interests focus on the history and politics of gender violence and trauma, social movements and feminist activism in contemporary France. She published Speaking Out. Women Healing From the Trauma of Violence in 2014.

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