Food for Thought with Prof. Holly Dugan
Lunch and discussion with Prof. Holly Dugan
Friday, December 6th 2013 @ 12pm
714 21st Street, UHP Club Room at the Foggy Bottom campus
“The Famous Ape”: Shakespeare, Theatre History, and simian performers
My title comes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which cryptically references a “famous ape” about which we know very little. My research focuses on this absence in the historical record about animal performers, particularly simian “actors” in the sixteenth century that were trained to mimic and perform human behavior. Here, I’ll present some of my archival research on these animals in order to open up broader questions about performance and animal/human boundaries, especially in relationship to more contemporary versions of Hamlet’s “famous ape,” (such as Crystal the capuchin, star of the Hangover: Part II and Night at the Museum).
We’ll provide lunch, you bring your questions! Seats are limited to 20 so sign up now.
