Donovan Sherman, Ph.D. '11, gives a lecture on Shakespeare and Stoicism

UC Irvine welcomes back alumnus Donovan Sherman, who will be giving a talk on the connections between Stoicism and Shakespearean performance. Sherman, an associate professor of English and director of graduate studies at Seton Hall University, published The Philosopher’s Toothache: Embodied Stoicism in Early Modern English Drama (Northwestern, 2021), which delves into the philosophical and theatrical practices of Stoicism during Shakespeare’s time.

Sherman’s talk will explore how the principles of Stoicism were embodied in the performance practices of early modern English drama. He will discuss how actors of the time incorporated Stoic practices into their performances, and how these practices contributed to the emotional power and impact of the plays.

Following his talk, Sherman will engage in a conversation with Professor Julia Lupton, co-director of UCI’s New Swan Shakespeare Center, on the intersections between Stoicism, Shakespeare, and performance.

Sherman received his Ph.D. in Drama from UCI in 2011 and has since then dedicated his research to the study of early modern performance, philosophy, and drama. He is the author of several scholarly essays and books, including Shakespeare and Virtue: A Handbook (Cambridge, 2022) and Early Modern Liveness: Mediating Presence in Text, Stage, and Screen (Bloomsbury/Arden Shakespeare, 2023).

The event will take place on Thurs., April 27 at 5 p.m. in the Contemporary Arts Center Colloquial Room (CAC 3rd Floor). This event is co-sponsored by UCI Illuminations and the UCI New Swan Shakespeare Center. To learn more, visit https://illuminations.uci.edu.