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Canonical Misogyny: Shakespeare and Dramaturgies of Sexual Violence is out now from Edinburgh University Press!

book cover: Canonical Misogyny: Shakespeare and Dramaturgies of Sexual Violence. Background is bright red, with white text. Actress Anna Vardevanian is depicted in an all-white nun's costume, and is kneeling and recoiling from the right side of the image. The photo is from the Cheek by Jowl production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, and the photographer is Johan Persson, provided courtesy of ArenaPAL

In March 2025, I directed A Two Woman Hamlet by Mara Sherman, Nicola Collett and Hannah Sweet for the Lakeside Theatre’s Homegrown season in Colchester, Essex. We sold out our run and will be bringing the show to Camden Fringe Festival in August 2025.

Figure 1 (Sharmila) is a South Asian woman dressed in black trousers and a white top, with a brown silky dressing gown over her shoulders. She holds up a black necktie in front of her, and looks as if she's speaking to it. Figure 2 (Deanna) is a white woman with brown hair, wearing black trousers, a white top, and a golden crown. She stands behind Sharmila with her hands on her shoulders, and she is also looking toward the black necktie.

Sharmila Peake and Deanna Strasse as Hamlet, Gertrude, and Claudius. Credit: Elena Ikonomou for the Lakeside Theatre

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As of 2 April 2024, I am the Associate Dean for Access and Participation at BIMM University. I am responsible for strategy and planning in relation to widening access to our higher education courses, closing gaps in relation to outcomes, continuation, and attainment, and supporting all students to progress to fulfilling careers in the creative industries. I lead the writing and implementation our institutional Access and Participation Plan.

I am also the Development Editor for Shakespeare Bulletin. I lead on pre- and post-production initiatives to solicit high-quality articles from scholars at all career stages, develop ideas for new sections, help commission work, and pursue events and workshops to support authors. I also support the journal’s social media strategy.

I am the Notes section editor for Borrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare and Appropriation. If you are interested in submitting a Note, please see the author guidelines, and feel free to reach out with any questions.

Following completion of my monograph, I’ll be turning my attention towards a project on intimacy coordination/direction — watch this space!

My main interests include:

Nora leading a theatre workshop. Photo by Christian Ludwig Hansen

Photo by Christian Ludwig Hansen

⇒Shakespeare and early modern drama

⇒Practice-as-research

⇒Sexual and gendered violence on stage

⇒Intimacy work

⇒Dramaturgy

⇒Adaptations of classical drama

For writing that isn’t quite academic, check out my blog.

I’m always happy to talk about future projects and potential collaborations.

Please feel free to email me or contact me through HCommons. 

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