Embracing Disruption: Dr. Stephen Wisker Publishes Bold New Work on Shakespeare and the Art of Clowning

Wesleyan College proudly celebrates the publication of Embracing Disruption: Clowning, Improvisation, and the Unscripted in Early Shakespearean Performance, the latest book by Dr. Stephen Wisker, Assistant Professor of Theatre in the School of Media, Arts and Culture.

Published by Routledge in July 2025, Embracing Disruption explores the improvisational spirit of clowning that pulsed at the heart of Shakespearean theatre—revealing how unscripted, disruptive energy helped shape not only individual performances, but the broader theatrical world of the English Renaissance. In an age increasingly defined by order and authorial control, Shakespeare found power in the unpredictable.

“It was only possible because I've worked in the theater with people that do that and so if anything, it's a weird coming together of all the work that I've been doing forever,” Wisker said.

Far from being a marginal feature of early modern drama, clowning was a central force in shaping audience experience. In Embracing Disruption, Dr. Wisker reconstructs the vibrant performances of Elizabethan-era clowns like Dick Tarlton, Will Kemp and Robert Armin—stage legends whose improvisational talents often bent, broke, or redefined the plays they inhabited.

Each chapter focuses on key intersections between Shakespeare’s scripted drama and the disruptive instincts of his performers. Whether through Kemp’s unruly presence in Romeo and Juliet and Henry IV, Armin’s layered portrayal of the Fool in King Lear, or even Hamlet’s philosophical wit, Wisker reveals how the spirit of clowning challenged narrative boundaries and reimagined what theater could do.

“That's what a clown was, but it's kind of anyone who does physical, silly comedy," Wisker said, "You know, the kind of comedy that makes people laugh even if you're trying to do something else.” 

Wisker’s research engages with both textual analysis and performance studies, offering scholars and practitioners a fresh lens through which to view familiar texts. Readers will find new insights into how early modern actors interacted with scripts not as fixed documents, but as living frameworks open to spontaneous invention.

“There's this energy around the dialogue that you can draw out with clowning and improvisation," Wisker said. "That's where the emotion comes from.”

The book challenges modern notions of fidelity to text, suggesting that true Shakespearean performance lives in the tension between structure and spontaneity. Wisker’s writing is as accessible as it is rigorous, making this book a valuable resource for students, teachers, actors and scholars alike.

Embracing Disruption is available in print and digital formats through Routledge and major booksellers worldwide.