The Bard in the Borderlands
Overview
For several decades, Chicanx and Indigenous theatermakers have been repurposing Shakespeare’s plays to reflect the histories and lived realities of the US–Mexico Borderlands and to create space to tell stories of and for La Frontera.
Celebrating this rich tradition, The Bard in the Borderlands: An Anthology of Shakespeare Appropriations en La Frontera brings a wide range of Borderlands Shakespeare plays together for the first time in a multi-volume open-access scholarly edition. This anthology celebrates the dynamic, multilingual reworking of canon and place that defines Borderlands Shakespeare, and it situates these geographically and temporally diverse plays within the robust study of Shakespeare’s global afterlives. We offer a critical framework for understanding the artistic and political traditions that shape these plays and the place of Shakespeare within the multilayered colonial histories of the region. Borderlands Shakespeare plays, we contend, do not simply reproduce Shakespeare in new contexts but rather use his work in innovative ways to negotiate colonial power and to envision socially just futures.
The Shakespeare appropriations in this anthology draw on Borderlands traditions, folklore, and performances to center historical and contemporary forms of resistance and resilience in the region. They draw on Borderlands arts and ideas, incorporating, for example, the Mexican ballad form known as the corrido, the folktale of La Llorona, the celebration of Día de los Muertos, and the political construct of Aztlán.
The Colectiva aims to facilitate the teaching of Borderlands Shakespeare by making Borderlands texts accessible and widely available. Each play is accompanied by a critical introduction to provide you and your students with a historical and cultural context for these exciting dramatic works.
Overview
For several decades, Chicanx and Indigenous theatermakers have been repurposing Shakespeare’s plays to reflect the histories and lived realities of the US–Mexico Borderlands and to create space to tell stories of and for La Frontera.
Celebrating this rich tradition, The Bard in the Borderlands: An Anthology of Shakespeare Appropriations en La Frontera brings a wide range of Borderlands Shakespeare plays together for the first time in a multi-volume open-access scholarly edition. This anthology celebrates the dynamic, multilingual reworking of canon and place that defines Borderlands Shakespeare, and it situates these geographically and temporally diverse plays within the robust study of Shakespeare’s global afterlives. We offer a critical framework for understanding the artistic and political traditions that shape these plays and the place of Shakespeare within the multilayered colonial histories of the region. Borderlands Shakespeare plays, we contend, do not simply reproduce Shakespeare in new contexts but rather use his work in innovative ways to negotiate colonial power and to envision socially just futures.
The Shakespeare appropriations in this anthology draw on Borderlands traditions, folklore, and performances to center historical and contemporary forms of resistance and resilience in the region. They draw on Borderlands arts and ideas, incorporating, for example, the Mexican ballad form known as the corrido, the folktale of La Llorona, the celebration of Día de los Muertos, and the political construct of Aztlán.
The Colectiva aims to facilitate the teaching of Borderlands Shakespeare by making Borderlands texts accessible and widely available. Each play is accompanied by a critical introduction to provide you and your students with a historical and cultural context for these exciting dramatic works.
Cover Illustration: Celeste De Luna, Healing Borderland Hand, 2022 (linocut print)
Volume 1
The plays collected in the first volume focus on adaptations of two of the most frequently taught Shakespeare plays, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet.
They include:
- The Language of Flowers by Edit Villarreal
- Kino and Teresa by James Lujan
- The Tragic Corrido of Romeo and Lupe by Seres Jaime Magaña
- Hamlet, El Príncipe de Denmark by Tara Moses
- Ofélio by Joshua Inocéncio
- ¡O Romeo! by Olga Sanchez Saltveit
One student was deeply moved when she realized that The Language of Flowers was “telling a story that is often seen in the border.” “I have seen this [story] in my personal life,” she wrote, “and I hope to see more of this [kind of work] in the future.”
Volume 2
The plays collected in the second volume reimagine Shakespeare’s comedies and tragicomedies to create opportunities for collective critique, laughter, and liberation.
The plays featured in Volume 2 include:
- The Merchant of Santa Fe by Ramón A. Flores and Lynn Knight
- Invierno by José Cruz González
- Measure for Measure | Medida por medida by Bernardo Mazón Daher
- La Comedia of Errors by Lydia G. Garcia and Bill Rauch
COMING SOON
Volume 3 will be published in 2025.
The plays in this volume include:
- El Henry by Herbert Siguenza
- Marqués: A Narco Macbeth by Stephen Richter and Mónica Andrade
- I-DJ by Gregg Barrios
- Rough Magic by Andrew Siañez-De La O
Radio Clips:
Radio Interview with Lauren Gilger, “‘The Bard in the Borderlands’ celebrates, critiques Shakespeare through a Chicano lens,” The Show (KJZZ Phoenix), August 26, 2024
Radio Interview with Tony Diaz, “Bards of the Borderlands,” Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say, August 21, 2023
Radio Interview with Norma Martinez, “Diversifying Shakespeare to reflect the experiences of the U.S.–Mexico borderlands,” Fronteras (Texas Public Radio), March 31, 2023
Radio Interview with David Brown, “New anthology reimagines the works of William Shakespeare in the U.S.–Mexico borderlands,” Texas Standard, March 24, 2023
Podcast Interviews:
Podcast Interview with Elena Foulis, “Shakespeare Fronterizo,” Latin@ Stories, November 14, 2022
Podcast Interview with John Yargo, “The Bard in the Borderlands,” New Books Network, April 30, 2023
In the Media
News Stories:
Russell Contreras, “Shakespeare border movement expanding with new book,” Axios, August 15, 2024
Sam Boykin, “Repurposing Shakespeare,” A&M-SA Today, April 4, 2023
Russell Contreras, “Reimagining Shakespeare through Latino and Indigenous lenses,” Axios, February 21, 2023
Marina E. Franco, Russell Contreras y Astrid Galván, “Shakespeare en la frontera: cómo nuevas puestas en escena reimaginan sus obras con foco latino,” Telemundo, February 21, 2023
Emma Utzinger, “Bridging the Gap,” Trinity University News, February 8, 2023
University Communications, “University Receives Prestigious Mellon Grant for Borderlands Shakespeare Project,” Texas A&M University-San Antonio News, January 25, 2023
Jeremiah Gerlach, “Shakespeare is Here: Trinity researchers examine Shakespeare as told from the U.S.-Mexico border,” Trinity University News, October 10, 2022
Event Recordings:
Video Livestream, “GCAC’s Latino Bookstore’s Texas Author Series- September! The Bard in the Borderlands & Ito Romo,” September 8, 2023
Roundtable conversation with Ruben Espinosa, Adrianna M. Santos, Katherine Gillen, Kathryn Vomero Santos, and Jesus Montaño, “The Bard in the Borderlands: Race, Language, and Coloniality,” Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, February 15, 2021
Blog Posts:
Katherine Gillen, Adrianna M. Santos, and Kathryn Vomero Santos, “La Comedia of Errors and the Possibilities of Comic Endings en La Frontera,” The Sundial, August 6, 2024
Andrea Zamora Chavez, “Art, Activism, and Access: An Interview with Katherine Gillen, Adrianna M. Santos, and Kathryn Vomero Santos,” The Sundial, February 28, 2023
Katherine Gillen, Adrianna M. Santos, and Kathryn Vomero Santos, “An Ofrenda to Shakespeare’s Afterlives: Día de los Muertos,” Shakespeare & Beyond, October 25, 2022
Katherine Gillen, Adrianna M. Santos, and Kathryn Vomero Santos, “Collection Connection: ‘Ramón and Julieta’ by Alana Quintana Albertson,” The Folger Spotlight, November 8, 2022
Katherine Gillen, “Language, Race, and Shakespeare Appropriation on San Antonio’s Southside: A Qualities of Mercy Dispatch,” The Sundial, August 19, 2020
In the Media
Radio Clips:
Radio Interview with Lauren Gilger, “‘The Bard in the Borderlands’ celebrates, critiques Shakespeare through a Chicano lens,” The Show (KJZZ Phoenix), August 26, 2024
Radio Interview with Tony Diaz, “Bards of the Borderlands,” Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say, August 21, 2023
Radio Interview with Norma Martinez, “Diversifying Shakespeare to reflect the experiences of the U.S.–Mexico borderlands,” Fronteras (Texas Public Radio), March 31, 2023
Radio Interview with David Brown, “New anthology reimagines the works of William Shakespeare in the U.S.–Mexico borderlands,” Texas Standard, March 24, 2023
Podcast Interviews:
Podcast Interview with Elena Foulis, “Shakespeare Fronterizo,” Latin@ Stories, November 14, 2022
Podcast Interview with John Yargo, “The Bard in the Borderlands,” New Books Network, April 30, 2023
News Stories:
Russell Contreras, “Shakespeare border movement expanding with new book,” Axios, August 15, 2024
Sam Boykin, “Repurposing Shakespeare,” A&M-SA Today, April 4, 2023
Russell Contreras, “Reimagining Shakespeare through Latino and Indigenous lenses,” Axios, February 21, 2023
Marina E. Franco, Russell Contreras y Astrid Galván, “Shakespeare en la frontera: cómo nuevas puestas en escena reimaginan sus obras con foco latino,” Telemundo, February 21, 2023
Emma Utzinger, “Bridging the Gap,” Trinity University News, February 8, 2023
University Communications, “University Receives Prestigious Mellon Grant for Borderlands Shakespeare Project,” Texas A&M University-San Antonio News, January 25, 2023
Jeremiah Gerlach, “Shakespeare is Here: Trinity researchers examine Shakespeare as told from the U.S.-Mexico border,” Trinity University News, October 10, 2022
Event Recordings:
Video Livestream, “GCAC’s Latino Bookstore’s Texas Author Series- September! The Bard in the Borderlands & Ito Romo,” September 8, 2023
Roundtable conversation with Ruben Espinosa, Adrianna M. Santos, Katherine Gillen, Kathryn Vomero Santos, and Jesus Montaño, “The Bard in the Borderlands: Race, Language, and Coloniality,” Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, February 15, 2021
Blog Posts:
Katherine Gillen, Adrianna M. Santos, and Kathryn Vomero Santos, “La Comedia of Errors and the Possibilities of Comic Endings en La Frontera,” The Sundial, August 6, 2024
Andrea Zamora Chavez, “Art, Activism, and Access: An Interview with Katherine Gillen, Adrianna M. Santos, and Kathryn Vomero Santos,” The Sundial, February 28, 2023
Katherine Gillen, Adrianna M. Santos, and Kathryn Vomero Santos, “An Ofrenda to Shakespeare’s Afterlives: Día de los Muertos,” Shakespeare & Beyond, October 25, 2022
Katherine Gillen, Adrianna M. Santos, and Kathryn Vomero Santos, “Collection Connection: ‘Ramón and Julieta’ by Alana Quintana Albertson,” The Folger Spotlight, November 8, 2022
Katherine Gillen, “Language, Race, and Shakespeare Appropriation on San Antonio’s Southside: A Qualities of Mercy Dispatch,” The Sundial, August 19, 2020