From 22 to 26 April 2026, New Bulgarian University (NBU) hosted Tracing Shakespeare, a Spring School organised by the European Reform Universities Alliance (ERUA) and co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme. The event brought together students and academics from across Europe for five intensive days of interdisciplinary inquiry into the enduring relevance of Shakespeare’s work – on stage, in the classroom, and in contemporary culture.
The programme attracted 30 students representing 6 universities across Europe, studying at BA, MA, and doctoral levels. They were taught by 15 instructors from 7 countries, including specialists in literary studies, theatre, psychology, pedagogy, intercultural communication, and digital humanities. This diverse international faculty included academics from SWPS University (Poland), Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania), the Jagellonian University (Poland), and NBU (Bulgaria), as well as a practitioner from the United Kingdom. The multilingual, multicultural composition of both the teaching team and the student cohort was itself a reflection of the programme’s core ethos: that Shakespeare is not a fixed monument but a living, cross-cultural practice.
The School’s academic programme was structured around a central and thought-provoking theme: Shakespeare, addiction, and freedom. Over five days, participants engaged with a rich variety of sessions spanning adaptation theory, digital Shakespeare, biographical imagination, political readings of the plays, and approaches to 21st-century Shakespeare pedagogy.
A particular highlight was an extended theatre workshop on Macbeth led by Kelly Hunter, MBE, of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Flute Theatre (UK), which culminated in a student performance on the final evening. Participants also attended an evening lecture on metatheatricality and the director’s will, as well as a book presentation and discussion with Kelly Hunter.
The School took place in parallel with NBU’s annual Shakespeare Festival – a well-established cultural event that celebrates Shakespeare’s work through theatre, academic exchange, and public programming. This deliberate alignment enriched the participants’ experience, offering ERUA students and instructors the opportunity to engage with the wider festival programme and situate their academic work within a vibrant performative context. The convergence of the two events underscored NBU’s longstanding commitment to Shakespeare studies as both a scholarly and a living theatrical tradition.
