Voodoo Macbeth? Heir apparent of the Denmark Corporation in Manhattan? A pair of star-crossed lovers from feuding families selling chicken rice in Singapore? Shakespeare is the most frequently performed playwright in the world. In the past century, stage, film, and television adaptations of Shakespeare have emerged in the U.K., U.S., Canada, and the performance cultures of Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Asia/Pacific, Africa, Latin America, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and far-flung corners of the globe. In fact, the history of global perfor mance dates back to Shakespeare’s lifetime. What is the secret of Shakespeare’s wide appeal? Has Shakespeare always been a cultural hero? How do directors around the world interpret The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet?