Our Story
The Romantic Revivals Project traces its origins to a series of collaborations dedicated to exploring the dramatic works of the Romantic period through performance and public conversation.
Its origins can be traced to a 2008 production of Percy Bysshe Shelley's The Cenci at Red Bull Theater, directed by Eleanor Holdridge. That encounter sparked a conversation about the theatrical possibilities of Romantic drama and the surprising vitality of works that had often been regarded as "closet dramas." What began as a shared interest in the relationship between page and stage ultimately developed into a series of collaborations between Red Bull Theater and scholars at New York University.
Beginning in 2012, with generous support from the NYU Department of English, these collaborations brought a series of Romantic dramas to New York City audiences, including Lord Byron's Sardanapalus (2012), Percy Bysshe Shelley's Prometheus Unbound (2013), Joanna Baillie's De Montfort (2014), Frances Burney's The Woman Hater (2015), and Lord Byron's Manfred(2017). These productions demonstrated that works often regarded as difficult, experimental, or rarely performed could flourish before contemporary audiences when entrusted to talented artists and engaged communities of readers, viewers, and theatergoers.
In 2024, this growing movement reached a new milestone through an international celebration of Byron's Sardanapalus during the bicentenary year of his death. Audiences around the world came together to watch a New York City performance of the play, whether in person, through livestreams, or at locally organized watch parties and public screenings. More than one hundred institutions and communities participated through classes, discussions, performances, and public events, transforming a single theatrical production into a worldwide conversation. Across six continents, readers, students, scholars, and members of the public gathered in classrooms, libraries, bookstores, theaters, and living rooms to engage Byron's drama together. The event demonstrated that a play written two centuries ago could still serve as the center of a genuinely international conversation.
The Romantic Revivals Project was established to build upon that foundation.
Our Mission
The Romantic Revivals Project seeks to bring Romantic drama back into performance and public conversation.
Too often, the dramatic works of the Romantic period remain on the page rather than in the rehearsal room, the classroom, or the theater. Yet time and again, performances of these plays have revealed their dramatic vitality and their continuing ability to engage contemporary audiences.
The Romantic Revivals Project builds on that insight through partnerships with theaters, universities, libraries, bookstores, cultural organizations, and community groups. Together, these collaborations support staged readings, educational programs, public discussions, and global watch parties that bring Romantic drama before new audiences while creating fresh opportunities for study, performance, and conversation.
Formally established in 2026, the Romantic Revivals Project builds upon more than a decade of collaborations dedicated to reintroducing Romantic drama to contemporary audiences. Its inaugural season marks a return to Percy Bysshe Shelley's The Cenci, the very play whose 2008 Red Bull Theater production helped spark the conversations and partnerships that ultimately led to the creation of the project. The launch of the Romantic Revivals Project is therefore both a new beginning and a homecoming, affirming the continued ability of Romantic drama to generate conversation across institutions, disciplines, and communities.
Looking Ahead
The Romantic Revivals Project launches formally in 2026 with a presentation of Shelley's The Cenci in partnership with Red Bull Theater and director Eleanor Holdridge. Nearly two decades after that landmark production first demonstrated the possibilities of Romantic drama in performance, The Cenci returns at the start of a new chapter dedicated to ensuring that these works remain part of our cultural and intellectual life.
Made possible through the generosity of George Krupp and the support of partner organizations around the world, the project will continue to develop performances, educational resources, public programs, and international collaborations that create new opportunities to encounter Romantic drama in classrooms, theaters, libraries, and communities around the world.
Acknowledgements
The Romantic Revivals Project is indebted to the contributions of countless scholars, students, educators, artists, librarians, booksellers, theater professionals, cultural organizations, and community partners over many years. We are deeply grateful to everyone whose enthusiasm, generosity, and commitment helped demonstrate the possibilities of Romantic drama in performance and public life.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our longtime partners at Red Bull Theater, including Jesse Berger, Craig Baldwin, Nathan Winkelstein, and the many artists, administrators, and supporters who helped make these collaborations possible.
We are also profoundly grateful to George Krupp, whose generosity and commitment to the humanities and to our mission have made the formal launch of the Romantic Revivals Project possible.
From the beginning, the project has depended upon the enthusiasm, creativity, and generosity of scholars, students, educators, librarians, booksellers, theater professionals, cultural organizations, and community partners around the world. We are especially grateful to the Byron Society of America and the Keats-Shelley House in Rome, as well as the many institutions that have supported readings, performances, classes, discussions, and public events over the years. Together, they have helped create an international community devoted to the study, performance, and discussion of Romantic drama.
Finally, we thank everyone who has attended a performance, taught a Romantic play, organized a discussion, hosted a watch party, or shared these works with others. The revival of Romantic drama has always been a collective endeavor. This project stands as a testament to what can happen when scholars, artists, and audiences come together in the belief that these remarkable plays still deserve to be heard.
Global Watch Parties
Support the Romantic Revivals Project
The Romantic Revivals Project welcomes support from individuals, foundations, and organizations who share our commitment to bringing Romantic drama back into performance and public conversation. For information about donations, partnerships, sponsorship opportunities, or future collaborations, please contact Founding Director Omar F. Miranda, Associate Professor of English at the University of San Francisco.
