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Volume 14, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 2045-5852
  • E-ISSN: 2045-5860

Abstract

Since 2016, Western Australian-based company BS Productions have presented a series of adaptations and appropriations of the Shakespearean canon, titled . This article explores how Bogan Shakespeare’s productions appeal to double-access audiences, examining how they facilitate engagement by inclusive and diverse audiences. In order to evaluate the Bogan Shakespeare productions, this article draws on theories of double-access audiences, adaptation and appropriation. With unique insights into Bogan Shakespeare’s workshopping processes, this article considers how each Shakespearean text has been adapted with two audiences in mind, Shakespearean enthusiasts and Australian ‘bogans’. It will outline the Bogan Shakespeare team’s creative process as it evolves from a base script, which is then workshopped and adapted during each performance in response to the audience. Ultimately, this article will explore the strategies, challenges and opportunities afforded by BS Productions while crafting performances aimed at double-access audiences.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Murdoch University
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2025-06-16
2026-04-19

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/content/journals/10.1386/ajpc_00104_1
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‘There is a double meaning in that’: Bogan Shakespeare and double-access audiences
Australasian Journal of Popular Culture 14, 27 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1386/ajpc_00104_1
/content/journals/10.1386/ajpc_00104_1
/content/journals/10.1386/ajpc_00104_1
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): adaptation; audience reception; comedy; cultural capital; parody; sub-culture; tropes

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