Last chance to pre-register for WSC 2026
The twelfth World Shakespeare Congress will mark the International Shakespeare Association’s fiftieth anniversary. The Congress (20-26 July 2026) will take place in Verona, Italy, hosted by the Skenè Research Centre at the University of Verona. Its theme, “Planetary Shakespeares”, will address questions related to the role of Shakespeare in connection with contemporary concerns about the destiny of our planet and human beings - at a time when humanism has been deeply challenged. The Congress will foster discussion of the many ways in which Shakespeare may be conceived as “planetary”, while confronting planetary crises and reconsidering the relationship between nature, art and technology.
There are over sixty panels, seminars and workshops on the programme. For prospective delegates who would like to participate in a seminar or workshop, the pre-registration deadline is 15th September 2025. Registration for general attendees will open from 1 December 2025.
Keynote speakers
Shormishtha Panja
Macbeth Visits Manipur: Merging of Politics and Indigenous Performance Traditions in Manipuri Shakespeare
21 July 2026
Jason Allen-Paisant
Performing Othello, Performing Blackness
23 July 2026
Pietro Boitani
Stellar Shakespeare
25 July 2026
Plenary Roundtables
Expanding Spirit: Energy and Waste
Dympna Callaghan, Todd Andrew Borlik, Karen Raber, Chloe Preedy, Sophie Chiari, Charlotte Scott
22 July
From Fair Verona to the Great Globe Itself:
Romeo and Juliet and the Reformation of Cultural Traditions
Mark Bayer, Carla Della Gatta, Mark Thornton Burnett, Taarini Mookherjee, Jytosna Singh, Yukari Yoshihara
24 July
Thinking through Shakespeare:
Rethinking Shakespeare’s (re)sources
Silvia Bigliazzi, Sonia Massai, Janice-Valls-Russell, Tania Demetriou, Jason Lawrence, Sukata Chaudri, Atsuhiko Hirota, Peter G. Platt, Hannibal Hamlin
26 July
