SMT sponsored research by Jane Kingsley-Smith into Shakespeare’s sonnets. She is hosting an event on 4th October 2023 at 7pm in London.
Drawing on research by leading Shakespeare scholars Jane Kingsley-Smith and Duncan Salkeld for the Black Lives in Shakespeare’s England Project, Candace Scarborough has created ‘blak mistrys,’ a dance film that explores the identity of the ‘Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare’s Sonnets as a Black woman and her possible connections to Black Luce, the notorious Clerkenwell madam.
Set to a haunting original musical score by Elizabeth de Lise, the film follows the ‘blak mistrys’ through sixteenth century London. Using a blend of contemporary and historical dance themes inspired by the Sonnets and the historical records, ‘blak mistrys’ investigates the relationship between historical memory and imagination.
A discussion and Q&A with Candace Scarborough, Jane Kingsley-Smith and Duncan Salkeld will follow the film screening.
UPDATE: this event has had to be canceled due to the train strikes.
Find out more about this project
Find out more about small research grants from the Southlands Methodist Trust to the University of Roehampton community here.
