Shakespeare Academy

Applications for the Shakespeare Academy 2026 on “Shakespeare and Truth” are now open!

The next Shakespeare Academy will take place from 23.-26 April in Bochum. Submit your applications through this link by February 1. Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to send them to academy@shakespeare-gesellschaft.de. Flyer Shakespeare Academy 2026

What is the Shakespeare Academy?

The Shakespeare Academy is an English-language student workshop that has been taking place in the run-up to the annual conference of the German Shakespeare Society (DSG) since 2019. It aims to introduce students of all levels to Shakespeare and the afterlife of his plays across different media, as well as to sharpen the expertise of those already in the know. Accordingly, the format not only contributes to the revitalisation and growth of the DSG. As future researchers, teachers, or theater professionals, our Academy alumni also shape the academic, didactic, and cultural engagement with Shakespeare in the German-speaking intellectual landscape. At the heart of the programme each year are two intense workshop days in Weimar or Bochum, followed by a joint attendance of the Shakespearetage. In this way, the Shakespeare Academy wishes to make the experience of an academic conference more accessible and approachable. Having engaged with the conference topic during the workshop days and being surrounded by a group of peers, participants are supposed to feel less out of place and learn that they are welcome in the sphere of Shakespeare scholarship.

What does the Shakespeare Academy do?

Each year, we pick a different Shakespeare play as our focus text to consider various aspects of the chosen conference topic. As the Shakespeare Academy aims to bring together students from different universities and places of residence, both our introductory and debrief sessions take place virtually, while for the actual workshop, the group eventually comes together at the conference venue. In line with the overarching theme, the participants are invited to work in groups to explore the play’s early modern context, selected adaptations, as well as possible ways of performing it on stage or working with it in the classroom. The workshop ends with informal presentations, in which each group shares its findings with the other participants.

The Call for Applications for the Shakespeare Academy 2026 on the topic of “Shakespeare and Truth”, including information on the schedule and the selected play, will be published on this page and circulated via various channels in fall 2025. Teachers and other educational professionals who would like to make the Shakespeare Academy known among their students are cordially invited to contact the organising team at academy@shakespeare-gesellschaft.de.

Past Shakespeare Academies

Shakespeare Academy 2025 A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Shakespeare and Popular Culture

Shakespeare Academy 2024 The Merchant of Venice: Diversity and Community

Shakespeare Academy 2023 The Tempest: Pages and Stages in/of Shakespeare

Shakespeare Academy 2022 Pericles: Odysseys in and of Shakespeare

Shakespeare Academy 2021 Richard II: Staging Politics in and with Shakespeare