A special theatre workshop, organised by The Freud Museum in partnership with Bournemouth University’s Centre for the Study of Conflict, Emotion and Social Justice (CESJ), and The Faction. Doors open at 5:30pm
Shakespeare’s underperformed late play, Pericles, is the subject of this summer’s theatre workshop with the Faction and Bournemouth University’s CESJ. Inspired by Freud’s fascination for Shakespeare and following the success of our 2023 event on the topic of shame in Macbeth, this workshop will address the theme of displacement, both in terms of geography and language. Pericles is set in multiple locations around the Mediterranean. The play not only invites exciting psychoanalytical interpretations – the dynamics of shame, gender, jealousy and violence being central to the play – but it is also strikingly resonant in the current context of conflict in the Middle East and the plight of refugees and migrants crossing the Aegean Sea and the English Channel.
Scenes from the play will be performed both in the language(s) of the places in which they are set, and in the ‘original’ Shakespearean English. By sharing the uncanny experience of this two-fold ‘distancing’, we will explore the nature of identity and the limit(ation)s of language in the context of Shakespeare’s play, Freud’s own experience as a refugee, and the current refugee crisis. The audience will have the chance to watch an interdisciplinary team of artists and academics as they lead a live rehearsal workshop and will be able to interact and ask questions during the event. The workshop will engage with the “babble of tongues” and the question of how people from radically different backgrounds overcome barriers of communication. Pericles offers us a manual of reconciliation in a highly fractured world.
Click here to view Stepped in Blood, a documentary based on the 2023 workshop on Macbeth
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Speakers:
Candida Yates is Professor Emerita of Culture and Communication, Bournemouth University. She is an interdisciplinary scholar and applies a psychosocial approach to culture, politics and society and has published widely in that field to explore emotion and affect in the public sphere. She supervises PhD students and taught on the Political Masters Programmes at Bournemouth University and was Co-Director of the BU Centre for the Study of Conflict, Emotion and Social Justice. She is an Executive member of the UK Association for Psychosocial Studies and a Founding member of the British Psychoanalytic Council Scholars Network and is an Inaugural Academic Associate at the Freud Museum. She is Joint-Editor of the Routledge book series: Psychoanalysis and Popular Culture.
Mark Leipacher is Artistic Director of the Faction. He is a director, writer and lecturer. Mark founded the company and has been multi award nominated for his work. His writing includes CATCHING THE LIGHT published by Oberon books. Mark is currently leading on the PERICLES project working with artists from Syria, Libya, Turkey and Lebanon.
Roman Gerodimos is a Professor of Global Current Affairs at Bournemouth University. Roman’s research focuses on drivers of, and barriers to, engagement – with the self, with others, with public space and with the world at large. He is the author and co/editor of four books, including Interdisciplinary Applications of Shame/Violence Theory (Palgrave Macmillan). In addition to his academic work, Roman writes, directs and produces short films and documentaries, including Stepped in Blood on psychoanalysis and theatre. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Katakouzenos House Museum in Athens.
Tom DeRose is Research Manager at the Freud Museum London. His research focusses on the cultural and philosophical aspects of Freudian theory. His most recent publication is ‘Freud’s Changing Views on Sadomasochism’, published in, ed. Akhtar and Crilley, ‘The Joy of Torment’ (Karnac, 2024). His is currently writing chapters on Freud’s theory of Anxiety and Psychoanalysis and the detective novel.
Eva Makri is a Research Associate at Solent University. Her research interests broadly focus on the psychosocial aspect of the work environment and how it relates to identity, meaning and mental health and wellbeing. She is also exploring the creative use of qualitative methodologies to capture deeper insights into narratives, relationships, experiences, and perspectives.
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Tickets: £30
Freud Museum Members and Patrons receive 20% off the standard ticket price on all events, courses, conferences and On Demand programming.
Tickets include a glass of wine on arrival.
A limited number of £15 bursary tickets are available for those under financial hardship. Priority will be given to UK unemployed and PIP/ESA claimants. Please email [email protected] to apply for a bursary.
The purpose of this event is to raise funds for the Freud Museum London, which receives no regular Government income. We are grateful to you for supporting our independent museum as generously as possible.
This event is generously sponsored by the Centre for Conflict, Emotion and Social Justice (CESJ) at Bournemouth University.
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Please note this event is taking place in the garden. If the event cannot be held outdoors due to the weather, it will take place on the first floor of the museum which unfortunately does not currently have step-free access.
