Scenes and Speeches in Performance: The Tragedies of William Shakespeare in Found Spaces

Authors

• Claire Shipman, Belmont University
• Gentry A. Hollis, Belmont University
• Josiah Martinez, Belmont UniversityFollow
• Michael Gualtieri, Belmont UniversityFollow
• Julia Orr, Belmont UniversityFollow

Publication Date

2026

Presentation Length

60 minutes

College

College of Music & Performing Arts

Department

Theatre and Dance, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

Faculty Mentor

Traci Ledford

Presentation Type

Performance

Summary

Scenes and speeches from a selection of William Shakespeare's tragedies are explored through rehearsal and performance in found spaces, focusing on maximum theatrical impact to capture and keep the attention of passing pedestrians while utilizing only the most basic of theatrical conventions: the actor, the space, and the text.

Selections in this session include: 

1. Act I, Scene 2 from King Lear (Julia Orr, director)
2. Portia soliloquy from Act 2, Scene 1 of Julius Caesar (Josiah Martinez, director)
3. Mark Antony soliloquy from Act 3, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar (Claire Shipman, director)
4. Act II, Scenes 1 and 2 from Macbeth (Gentry Anne Hollis, director)
5. Othello soliloquy from Act I, Scene 3 of Othello (Josiah Martinez, director)
6. Iago soliloquy from Act II, Scene 3 of Othello (Claire Shipman, director)
7. Act III, Scene 4 from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (Michael Gualtieri, director)

Recommended Citation

Shipman, Claire; Hollis, Gentry A.; Martinez, Josiah; Gualtieri, Michael; and Orr, Julia, "Scenes and Speeches in Performance: The Tragedies of William Shakespeare in Found Spaces" (2026). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 681.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/681