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About the Internet Shakespeare Editions
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The Internet Shakespeare Editions has been achieved by the work of many hands, each doing their part towards a great goal: to inspire a love of Shakespeare's works in a world-wide audience. We accomplish this with the highest standards of scholarship, design, and usability in mind.
In order to maintain our standards of both content and Web design, we have launched a campaign, "Making Waves," to raise funds to ensure future sustainability and continued open access.
What the site offers
We publish in three main areas: text, context, and performance.
- Shakespeare's works are being re-edited specifically for the medium by an international team of scholars. All plays are published in old-spelling versions, and twenty two now appear in modern spelling. All plays will be fully annotated to a deep scholarly level, and accompanied by a textbase of supplementary and supporting materials. The first plays have been completed and published online: As You Like It (David Bevington), Julius Caesar (John Cox), Henry V (James Mardock). and Henry IV, Part One (Rose Gaby).
- "Shakespeare's Life and Times" is a multimedia resource of over 1,000 virtual pages for those undertaking research in the context in which Shakespeare was writing; it is aimed at introductory University level students, and provides contextual bibliographies for further study in the library. This resource is currently being updated.
- Our Database of Shakespeare in performance records current and historical performances, providing a dynamic view of the way his plays have been interpreted over time and in different cultures. A recent addition to the site is the "ISE Performance Chronicle" an interactive journal where visitors to the site can post reviews of current productions.
You will find a map of the site here.
The ISE's academic development is overseen by a distinguished Editorial Board of 23 members from universities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. It is headed by our General Textual Editor, Eric Rasmussen (University of Nevada, Reno).
Today, some 60 different individuals, from scholars to actors to research students to creative and computer professionals contribute to the site's continuing research and development. The history and vision of the site is discussed on this page.
Theatre
The ISE's database of Shakespeare in Performance is overseen by a similarly distinguished board of actors, directors, and academics. The database has been headed since 2006 by Paul Prescott (University of Warwick), aided by Roberta Barker (Dalhousie University) and Alexander Huang (Penn State University).
Technical and Creative Development
The ISE takes prides in being a leader in visualizing the potential uses and new ways to interact with the web. Behind the ISE's development is an interdisciplinary culture: to continually provide you with an easy-to-use, seamless and elegant interface, connecting you to content of the highest quality. We rely on the best problem-solving team of researchers, computer technologists and graphic designers. On such sections as the Life and Times, where multimedia materials supplement accessible discussions of Shakespeare and his world, and the database of Shakespeare in Performance you will see examples of the way the technology allows us to present Shakespeare in full: not just on the page, but as a writer of plays that continue to be performed around the world.
Our creative development is the responsibility of the Creative Director Roberta Livingstone, who brings a background in graphic design, editing and strategic communication to her role. Under her direction, such talented and experienced graphic designers as Chris Chong and Jon Valade have helped create the sites elegant and intuitive interface.
Our policy of hiring students in both Computer Science and Humanities disciplines has meant that we are able to use the latest in software technologies, since the students are keen to use the cutting-edge knowledge they have gained in our outstanding Computer Science Department. There is a full discussion of the technological development of the site, and our recent student teams that have worked on it, on this page.
Success comes with its own responsibilities and challenges. We need your help to keep the site freely available to all and fully up to date. We are undertaking a campaign to raise funds for the future sustainability of the site. For more information on how you can make a difference, please go to the page that explains how you can support us.
The ISE as non-profit organization
The Internet Shakespeare Editions was initially created in 1996 by the Coordinating Editor, Michael Best, a Renaissance scholar teaching at the University of Victoria, based in Victoria, British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada.
In 1999, with the assistance of the Innovation and Development Corporation at the University of Victoria (under the leadership of Tim Walzak), the ISE was established by Michael Best (President) and Roberta Livingstone (Vice-President) as a nonprofit organization. Together they have led the organization's development in collaboration with an extensive team of editors, programmers, and advisory boards. In 2007, the ISE's Board of Directors grew by nine members, adding distinguished members of the academic, acting, and business communities.
Acknowledgements
Our thanks are due to the institutions and individuals that keep our site active and growing. You will find a full list of contributors on this page.
How to contact us
Please use our feedback form, or email us at iseadmin[at]uvic.ca
Conventional Mail:
Internet Shakespeare Editions Department of English University of Victoria Victoria, B.C. V8W 3W1 Canada