AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award: Shakespeare Institute - the Royal Shakespeare Company’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play for the Nation.’

Career overview

Professor Michael Dobson is the Director of the Shakespeare Institute and a Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Birmingham. He obtained a BA in 1982, an MA in 1984, and a D.Phil in 1990, all from Oxford University. He has also been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Craiova, Romania in 2014, and Lund University, Sweden in 2016. Prior to his appointment at the Shakespeare Institute in 2011, Professor Dobson worked at Birkbeck, University of London, where he established an MA programme in collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe. His previous academic positions include roles at Oxford, Harvard, and the University of Illinois at Chicago, alongside visiting appointments and research fellowships at institutions such as UCLA, Lund, the Sorbonne, and Peking University. Professor Dobson''s career has been dedicated to teaching and writing about Shakespeare''s works, focusing on their historical contexts and their influence on various creative fields. He engages with theatre directors and actors, publishes scholarly essays and books, and has a keen interest in the interpretation of Shakespeare in theatre throughout history. His current research involves writing a book on Shakespeare''s roles in the repertories of national theatre companies worldwide and serving as a General Editor for the Arden Performance Editions of Shakespeare series.

Research interests

Professor Dobson''s research focuses on the performance and reception history of the Shakespeare canon, both within the Anglophone world and beyond. He is particularly interested in the work of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the history of amateur performance, and Shakespeare’s afterlives. His current project involves writing a book about the roles played by Shakespeare in the repertories of national theatre companies worldwide. Additionally, he serves as a General Editor of the Arden Performance Editions of Shakespeare series. Professor Dobson enjoys consulting for theatre directors and actors and has published scholarly essays and books that explore the interpretation of Shakespeare in theatre across centuries, as well as the broader cultural impact of Shakespeare''s works.