The project aims at examining how the reception of Shakespeare reflects the regional specificity of Post Communist countries after 1989. There is no other canonised oeuvre like Shakespeare’s, the most intensely translated and performed playwright, that could be used as a touchstone of social attitudes, historical awareness, cultural memory in the region. Therefore the project has the potential to reach a broad spectrum of society (theatre practitioners, critics, academics, general audiences). The previous research and conference activities have either been insufficient to account for the unique cultural heritage and historical experience that we share in the region, or conducted by scholars based elsewhere. There has been a number of individual investigations presented on international platforms including conferences in Bratislava (2013, 2016, 2018), Budapest (2018), Bucharest (2016, 2018), Brno (2016), Gdansk (2017), and several volumes published, but not specifically focused on the region in this particular time period. Furthermore, there is no institutional basis supporting this kind of organised research, a gap which we are trying to counteract by establishing a network, relying on existing academic connections. We also aim at integrating the results of isolated studies focused on national histories, languages, and traditions, to foster an increased awareness of Central European identity. In this way we can also counteract processes of disintegration and fragmentation tangible in the European context by strengthening regional ties.

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