Teaching Shakespeare plays alongside counterparts that feat. characters of color in repertory is not only possible, but historically representative! A quick thread here to amplify Horacio Sierra’s arguments made in a recent post for @16cjournal. 1/5

For example, nearly 70% of just the Lord Strange’s players known repertory from just 1 decade (1580s to early 1590s) feat. Mediterranean, non-white figures, cultures, and locales. 2/5

These include (“titles” = lost plays, see @lostplaysdb): Battle of Alcazar, “Bendo and Richardo,” “Brandimer,” Comedy of Errors, “Constantine,” “Cosmo,” Friar Bacon & Friar Bungay, Jew of Malta, John of Bordeaux, Knack to Know a Knave, Looking Glass for London and England, 3/5

“Machiavelli,” Massacre at Paris, Orlando Furioso, “Pope Joan,” “Sir John Mandeville,” “The Spanish Comedy,” The Spanish Tragedy, “Tamar Cham 1 & 2,” “Titus & Vespasian,” Titus Andronicus, “Zenobia.” 4/5

Critical editions exist for all extant plays. In what ways could you curate a syllabus that spoke to your research strengths while drawing from these plays? #blackplays #brownplays #earlymoderntwitter #Shakespeare #criticalracestudies #blacklivesmatter 5/5