Name: Will Tosh: Straight Acting
Start: 2024-07-03T19:00:00+01:00
End: 2024-07-03T20:00:00+01:00
Location: Blackwell's Bookshop

Join Will Tosh as he talks about his new book Straight Acting
About this Event

We are delighted to be welcoming Head of Research at Shakespeare's Globe, scholar of early modern literature and culture, to the shop on Wednesday 3rd July at 7pm as he discusses his alternative biography of Shakespeare seen through the lens of queer Elizabethan England, .

Was Shakespeare gay? Certainly, Shakespeare's early work was profoundly influenced by the queer culture of the time - much of it integrated into mainstream society - from a relentless schooling in Latin to a less formal education on the streets of London, and beyond.

Taking a closer look at the gender-bending homoeroticism of the early comedies and astonishingly queer literary scene that nurtured Shakespeare's sonnets, Will Tosh tells a story of artistic development and of personal crisis, of Shakespeare as a young man and as we have never before seen him. Straight Acting is a fresh, surprising portrait of Shakespeare's England, revealing its deeply queer nature, a heritage that we have forgotten but that powerfully and fundamentally shaped the life and career of the world's most famous playwright.

Will Tosh is Head of Research at Shakespeare's Globe, London. He is a scholar of early modern literature and culture, a dramaturg for Renaissance classics and new plays and an historical adviser for television and radio. He is the author of two academic books, and he appears regularly in the media to discuss Shakespeare and his world.

Doors: 6.30pm, event starts: 7pm

Tickets are £3.00, there is also Ticket & Book option which includes a signed copy of Acting Straight by Will Tosh.

The bookshop has level access, events are seated and speakers use microphones. If you have any concerns about accessibility, please do get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

For more information or if you would like a signed copy because you can't make it to the event, please contact the Blackwell's events team on 0131 622 8222 or [email protected]