Grad Studies: Examining Collective Theatrical Rewrites of Womanhood

PhD candidate Geonlyung Kim’s dissertation project “Rewriting South Korean Womanhood Through Shakespeare” received a 2026-2027 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship from the Graduate School. The award gives the University's most accomplished PhD candidates an opportunity to devote full-time effort to completing an outstanding dissertation project. Bridging global Shakespeare studies, theater arts studies, and studies in women’s political movements, Kim’s interdisciplinary project focuses on contemporary revisions of Shakespeare plays in South Korea—and how audience and artist collaborations have, she says, “fostered discussions about diversifying ideas of womanhood.” Kim graciously responded to our questions over email.

What was the genesis of your interest in your dissertation topic?

I became interested in Korean Shakespeare around 2018, when I was living through a hopeful yet incredibly fraught momentum of #MeToo in South Korea. As feminism gained mainstream attention, rewritings of Shakespeare’s plays were featuring increasingly diverse women. We saw Princess Hamlet uncovering the secrets behind her father’s death; Juliet falling in love with another Juliet; Macbeth and Lady Macbeth reimagined as deaf sisters working in a modern butcher shop. Performances were only part of the experience. Audience members continued to share interpretations and responses on social media, influencing how the production was remembered. I have since been observing rewriting Shakespeare as a series of collaborative processes through which audiences and artists shape diverse models of womanhood.

Did certain professors significantly nurture the project?

My advisor Professor Katherine Scheil has been the biggest supporter of this project. I took her “Global Shakespeare” seminar in my first year and got to read seminal texts in the growing subfield I would eventually contribute to. I developed my first chapter from my final project for that seminar. In my third year, a semester of directed reading with Professor Scheil helped me think about central issues such as translation, ethical questions involved in rewriting, questions of audience agency, etc.

You’ve taught multiple classes during your studies here. How has the experience of teaching related to your scholarship?

In my dissertation I discuss audience reinterpretation and engagement as a significant component of rewriting, so I am always fascinated by how students connect with old texts on their own terms. In the “Historical Survey of British Literatures I” course I taught in the spring, I facilitated an “end-of-semester awards” exercise inspired by performances that modernize Shakespeare’s plays. I asked my students to nominate literary authors or characters who would most likely be influencers on different social media platforms. Which platform would they choose and why? What content would they post and why? Most students had a lot of fun reimagining medieval and early modern writers as their contemporaries, but some felt that the exercise flattened the sense of distance that they appreciate in literature. I learn so much about the complexities of rewriting from these moments.

What have you appreciated most about your studies here at the U?

I greatly appreciate the funding package that afforded cooperation between graduate students. I am much indebted to fellow graduate students in and out of the department who have shared teaching resources, provided generous feedback on my writing, and informed me of beneficial opportunities. They have fed me, helped me navigate the bureaucratic nightmares of being an international student, and driven me to doctor’s appointments. Such generosity would be much discouraged if we were forced to see each other as competitors rather than allies.

What has been your favorite discovery, living in the Twin Cities?

The past years in Minnesota have been tumultuous to say the least, but I have found a powerful community through writing groups, happy hours, and mutual aid efforts. Getting to know my neighbors who appreciate my presence here has been a heartening discovery.