Bri Webber

Bri Webber

Shakespeare Institute
Doctoral researcher

Contact details

PhD title: ‘Can you afford to be an individual?’: Shakespearean epitext and the politics of performance under Thatcher
Supervisors:  Professor Michael Dobson (Primary), Professor Ewan Fernie (Secondary)
PhD Shakespeare Studies

Qualifications

  • MA English Literary Studies, Durham University
  • BA English Literature, Durham University

Research

My research explores how the Royal Shakespeare Company’s epitexts (programmes, posters, and financial reports) reflect the ideological and economic pressures of Thatcherite Britain. Focusing on the tension between the creatives and the institutional framing that surrounded them, it examines how the RSC’s dependence on public and private sponsorship shaped the way performances of dissent were framed. The project ultimately investigates the extent to which theatrical productions can be radical while remaining within neoliberal systems of ideology.