About

Kingston Shakespeare Seminar ran from 2013 to 2019. It was created by Richard Wilson,  Sir Peter Hall Professor emeritus of Shakespeare Studies at Kingston University.

The event archives are being developed by the Shakespeare and Philosophy project and the symposia series is continued by ShiP (Shakespeare in Philosophy at Garrick’s Temple).

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The Kingston Shakespeare Seminar has been created to realize the director Sir Peter Hall’s vision for the Rose Theatre, Kingston-upon-Thames as a world centre for Shakespeare study and performance.

KiSS brings leading international Shakespeare scholars to the Rose, which Sir Peter Hall developed to be a ‘teaching theatre’. Here Sir Peter directed Dame Judi Dench in a celebrated production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. More recently, Trevor Nunn directed the John Barton and Peter Hall adaptation The Wars of The Roses at the Rose. But KiSS also commemorates Kingston’s historic connection with Shakespeare, which goes back to David Garrick – who lived here, and built the beautiful Shakespeare Temple beside the Thames – and to the first performances of some of Shakespeare’s greatest plays at nearby Hampton Court Palace.

Seminars are held in the Gallery at the Rose Theatre, Kingston-upon-Thames – see directions – unless otherwise announced. Seminars are free and open to the general public.

Alongside the seminars we organise playreadings and conferences.

An off-shoot of KiSS is Kingston Shakespeare Seminar in Theory or, simply, KiSSiT, which holds work-in-progress seminars as well as one-day conferences usually focused on post-graduate and early career academics.

We also collaborate with Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare (in nearby Hampton) to organise symposia on Shakespeare and philosophy.

You may also follow KiSS and KiSSiT on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, SoundCloud and Pinterest.

The seminar series is part of The London Graduate School.