In this talk, Maura Tarnoff will explore the powerful intersection of Shakespearean performance and social justice, based on her experiences participating in theater workshops at San Quentin State Prison. Together, we will read passages from Shakespeare’s plays and discuss how the study and performance of Shakespeare can be used to cultivate empathy and advocate for more socially just and compassionate systems in alignment with the concept Tikkun Olam.

Bio: Maura Tarnoff is a Senior Lecturer at Santa Clara University, where she teaches courses in Shakespeare and engineering communications. Since 2018, she has been organizing trips for students and faculty to San Quentin State Prison to participate in social justice workshops with individuals experiencing incarceration.