Peer into the Playbill

Join us for engaging panels featuring special guests as they explore the themes and issues presented in the 2025 playbill. Artists, directors and scholars will share insights into the creative processes behind the productions and their relevance in today’s world.

In Pursuit of Bears: Shakespeare and Animal Metaphors

“Exit, pursued by a bear” is arguably one of the most famous stage directions in Shakespeare, even more so when one considers that bears were extinct in Britain and much of western and northern Europe at the time The Winter’s Tale was written. This panel discussion includes scholars from both the Shakespearean and environmental perspectives who will consider what bears would have meant to the Elizabethan audience and discuss the broader context of animal metaphors in Shakespeare.