Shakespeare's Cultural Capital ― His Economic Impact from the Sixteenth to the Twenty-first Century

Shakespeare is a cultural phenomenon and arguably the most renowned playwright in history. In this edited collection, Shellard and Keenan bring together a collection of essays from international scholars that examine the direct and indirect economic and cultural impact of Shakespeare in the marketplace in the UK and beyond. From the marketing of Shakespeare’s plays on and off stage, to the wider impact of Shakespeare in fields such as education, and the commercial use of Shakespeare as a brand in the advertising and tourist industries, this volume makes an important contribution to our understanding of the Shakespeare industry 400 years after his death.

Professor Dominic Shellard is the vice-chancellor of De Montfort University, Leicester, UK and an expert on post-war British Theatre. He is the author of nine books and the leader of the British Library Theatre Archive Project. He authored the Arts Council England project Economic Impact Study of UK Theatre and An Economic Impact Study of Welsh National Opera within Wales.

Dr Siobhan Keenan is a reader in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature at De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. She has published widely on early modern theatre history and is the author of several books, includingTravelling Players in Shakespeare’s England (Palgrave Macmillan, 2002) andActing Companies and Their Plays in Shakespeare’s London.