Momento Mori

Shakespeare’s stories serve as invaluable tools for helping us navigate the challenges in our life through his universal and timeless canon of plays-and nothing is more universal than death: the unknown story which we must all confront. Memento Mori aims to explore the one thing that unites us by exploring compiled scenes and moments of death in Shakespeare’s repertoire. When Hamlet asks, “For who would bear the whips and scorns of time?” or Lear reflects upon his age, “Fourscore and upward, not an hour more nor less,” these dramatic portrayals present opportunities for us to reflect on the significance of death and explore what a well-lived life means to us. Memento Mori examines how we grapple with death and dying, as well as themes of mourning, burial, grief, memory, and ritual.
This Shakespeare-focused project draws inspiration from the Death Positive movement, a contemporary advocacy which encourages open dialogue about mortality in order to diminish discomfort and societal taboos regarding the subject of death. Through this lens, this project is a masterclass on how advocacy and theatre can be combined-perfect for both the practitioner and the audience member curious on how to incorporate activism into their discipline. Combining deeply moving performance with a compelling lecture, Memento Mori explores how performance can help us embrace mortality in a way which prioritizes acceptance over fear.

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Loyola University Chicago Mundelein Center for the Fine and Performing Arts

Gabel Studio (Rm. 409)

1020 W Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60660

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