Mission

Housed both in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences  and the College of Arts and Architecture but working across colleges and disciplines (particularly the departments of English and Theatre), the SIA Center serves to advance and coordinate various activities and initiatives related to the production and exploration of Shakespeare’s work and that of his contemporaries. Its goal is to advance the study and enjoyment of Renaissance/Early Modern drama and culture, particularly through performance, on campus and in the broader Charlotte community. SIA houses the journal, Shakespeare Bulletin, brings in guest speakers for lectures and colloquia; integrates live performance into campus learning; and provides student scholarships and sponsors special classes, including a summer program in England. The center runs student and faculty gatherings such as the annual Sonnet Slam, and has an affiliated student organization—the UNC Charlotte Shakespeare Society—which mounts staged readings, discussion groups and other events. SIA is actively engaged in community outreach, particularly through area schools, and is dedicated to fostering dialogue between experts in theatre, literature, history, art, psychology, music, education and other areas of art and material culture relevant to the study of Shakespeare’s works.

36 in 6 Project

On April 23rd, 2016, William Shakespeare will have been dead for 400 years. But UNC Charlotte’s Shakespeare in Action Center is bringing him back to life…  In the next six years the university’s Shakespeare in Action Center will mount six events per year, each devoted to one of Shakespeare’s plays, so that by the target date we will have staged—in some form—all 36 plays in the canon.The events will include major productions, staged readings and the performance of selected scenes, alongside public lectures, colloquia and guest appearances. The "36 in 6" project will bridge the university and city of Charlotte communities, drawing graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, civic leaders, school teachers, high school students, retirees, local media and a full range of groups and individuals from the general public. The events will be held in various locations on campus and throughout the area, involving some which will tour local schools. By the end of the project we will have explored in some manner every single play written by Shakespeare and be poised to launch a new and exciting program of research and performance.