On Friday May 9, faculty, students, alumni, colleagues, family, and friends gathered to celebrate the release of Professor Emeritus Don Hedrick’s new book Shakespeare and Fun: The Birth of Entertainment Value — a long-awaited publication after many years of intellectual labor.
In honor of its publication, the Department of English and the Program in Theatre co-sponsored a gathering that joined erudition with performance, theory with practice.
Associate Professor and fellow Renaissance scholar Kara Northway set the stage for the book’s debut, highlighting its significance to the field:
Shakespeare and Fun offers a timely response to the latest historical investigations of what English theatergoing was like in the late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-centuries. Scholars such as Callan Davies and Christopher Highley have found new archaeological and archival evidence of entertainment districts surrounding the several purpose-built theater buildings that existed in early modern London. Given the proximity of the theaters to recreational activities in their neighborhoods, including animal-baiting, gambling, eating, and sports, the performances of Taming of the Shrew, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night and other works took on additional meanings. As Don Hedrick argues in his book, the dialogue and actions in these plays can be productively reinterpreted to reveal how Shakespeare maximized their competitive entertainment value for his audiences.
The Agas Map of Early Modern London, a rich digital humanities project hosted by an extensive project team, brought these “entertainment districts” to life.
It was then time to enjoy some of the scenes from Shakespeare which inspired Don’s book, so all could appreciate the type of “extra” fun that Don explores in the book’s chapters.
Faculty members Anne Longmuir and Mark Crosby first read a scene between Feste and Orsino from Twelfth Night.
Krista Danielson (MA ’20), alum and instructor, next read from a pamphlet that compared theatres and brothels.
A scene between Titania and Bottom from A Midsummer Night’s Dream followed, with assistance from Anne Longmuir and Mark Crosby.
The final reading came from the complicated conclusion to The Taming of the Shrew, as Katherine (read by Anne Longmuir) offers both submission and spirited rejoinder to her betrothed Petruccio (read by Mary Adeyemo, MA ’26) and father Baptista (read by Krista Danielson).
Along the way, Don shared key concepts from his book, including the many meanings of “fun,” then and now.
Refreshments, conversation, and laughter followed, as the event came to a close.
Many thanks to all who joined us and contributed to the event — especially our partner in fun, Shannon Skelton of K-State Theatre, pictured below, camera in hand.
— Karin Westman, Department Head
K-State English 
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