Tuesday 6 March 2018

‘Ethical Leadership Workshops’ Paper to be delivered at the ‘Applying Shakespeare Symposium’ at The Shakespeare Institute in Stratford upon Avon



I have been invited to present at the upcoming Applying Shakespeare Symposium at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon.  My presentation will examine and details my work in 'Ethical Leadership' using the play, The Robben Island Shakespeare.
Through the words of William Shakespeare & former South African political prisoners, the aim of the workshop is to inspire the participants to create a pathway to ethical leadership.  The participants will analysis and speak selected Shakespearian texts and texts from the play, The Robben Island Shakespeare as well as create their own new pieces of writing on their views of ethical leadership. 

This will be the first opportunity that I have had to speak about these workshops having delivered several in South Africa and the United Kingdom over the past three years.

One of the key aspects of the workshop is to examine the ability of Shakespeare & the former political prisoners to educate and spark debate around the subject of ethical leadership.  The purpose of the workshop is to come to a group definition of the practices of ethical leadership, briefly share some of Shakespeare’s lessons on Leadership, and offer some applications for leadership development.

Workshop Outcomes:
  • The participants will explore how the theme of leadership is portrayed and explored in a selection of Shakespeare’s plays and in interviews with a selection of former political prisoners from Robben Island.
  • The participants will examine the current situation of their own behaviour around leadership and of those currently in leadership roles.
  • The participants will make positive changes in their own behaviour around leadership.
  • The participants will create pieces of new writing with a focus on young people’s perceptions of ethical leadership.



'Applying Shakespeare' symposium

The 'Applying Shakespeare' symposium is an opportunity for practitioners and scholars to come together to consider the uses of applied Shakespeare, sharing best practice and considering the impact of new and existing projects.
Shakespeare’s work continues to occupy a unique position within contemporary education, performance and popular culture.  Applied theatre is an umbrella term for a range of performance forms, often in non-theatrical spaces and with an agenda of personal or social change. When these two fields combine, the results can be transformative for those involved. 
Speakers include Dr Sue Jennings, Kelly Hunter, Ben Spiller and Phil Novis as well as papers on topics such as Robben Island Shakespeare, Shakespeare with autistic children and broadcast representations of applied Shakespeare.
There will be short performances from Open Access Arts and Blue Apple Theatre.
This event is organised in collaboration with Guildford School of Acting, University of Surrey, and the Centre for Cognition, Kinesthetics and Performance, University of Kent.