Cason Murphy, associate professor of theatre in Iowa State University’s Department of Music and Theatre, is featured in two recent scholarly conversations examining the contested role of Shakespeare in contemporary American culture: a guest appearance on the podcast “Don’t Quill the Messenger” and a newly published book chapter in “Shakespeare: New Voices.”
On April 17, Murphy appeared on the podcast “Don’t Quill the Messenger” in an episode titled “Fixing Shakespeare?” hosted by Steven Sabel. The episode explores Murphy’s research on contemporary theatre organizations attempting to “fix,” translate, or adapt Shakespeare for modern audiences and considers how those efforts intersect with broader debates about authorship, accessibility, and cultural authority.
Murphy’s scholarship also appears in the recently published edited collection “Shakespeare: New Voices,“ edited by Ian McCormick. The volume gathers an international range of scholars and practitioners reexamining Shakespeare’s place within contemporary debates surrounding identity, pedagogy, politics, digital culture, and public discourse.
Murphy’s chapter, “Fixing Shakespeare, Breaking America,” investigates how Shakespeare has become a flashpoint in contemporary American cultural conflict. The essay situates Shakespeare within a uniquely American contradiction: simultaneously treated as inherited English property and as a central figure within American cultural identity. By examining contemporary performance and adaptation practices, Murphy argues that Shakespeare continues to function as a powerful site of negotiation over democracy, education, and public culture itself.
Drawing on case studies from three major American theatrical initiatives – the Rude Mechs’ “Fixing Shakespeare” series, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s “Play On!” translation project, and the American Shakespeare Center’s “Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries” initiative – Murphy examines how artists and institutions negotiate Shakespeare’s relevance in the present moment.
Murphy teaches courses in script analysis, musical theatre, acting for the camera, and introduction to performing arts. He will be devising and directing a new work “Ye Bare and Ye Cubbe: The First Last American Play,” based on a supposed 1665 performance cited as the “first play recorded in the United States” as part of ISU Theatre’s 2026-2027 season.