Overview

This collection of essays examines the works of the most famous writer of plays in the English language within the most culturally pervasive genre in which they are performed. Though Realist productions of Shakespeare are central to the ways in which his work is produced and consumed in the 21st century-and has been for the last 100 years-scholars are divided on the socio-political, historical, and ethical effects of this marriage of content and style. The book is divided into two sections, the first of which focuses on how Realist performance style influences our understanding of Shakespeare’s characters. These chapters engage in close readings of multiple performances, interrogating the ways in which actors’ specific characterizations contribute to extremely varied interpretations of a single character. The second section then considers audiences’ experiences of Shakespearean texts in Realist performance. The essays in this section-all written by theatre directors-imagine out what might constitute Realism. Each chapter focuses on a particular production, or set of productions by a single company, and considers how the practitioners utilized critically informed notions of what constitutes “the real” to reframe what Realism looks like on stage. This is a book of arguments by both theatre practitioners and scholars. Rather than presenting a unified critical position, this collection seeks to stimulate the debate around Realist Shakespeare performance, and to attend to the political consequences of particular aesthetic choices for the audience, as well as for Shakespeare critics and theatre artists.

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9781683931720

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Reviews

In her introduction to this brief but fascinating volume, Miller (California Arts Council) writes that the purpose of the book is to examine how contemporary practitioners have utilized Shakespearean play texts in ways that illuminate aspects of how realism as a style is currently being fashioned and how and why Shakespeare's texts are particularly potent vehicles for that fashioning. The volume is intentionally neither comprehensive nor cohesive; rather it is meant to serve as a starting point for discussion of the intersections of Shakespeare in contemporary performance and realism as genre. The first essay explores the implications of imposing emotional realism on the heroes of the problem plays. The other five essays consider historic productions of Shakespeare during the period that spawned realism and transformed understanding of character; realism and Midsummer Night's Dream; how King Lear uses realism to create empathy in an audience; and allo-realism in three tragedies (Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Titus Andronicus). The book certainly meets its objective of serving as a conversation starter. It also succinctly identifies places where Shakespeare and realism collide to mutual benefit. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals. * CHOICE *

In her introduction to this brief but fascinating volume, Miller (California Arts Council) writes that the purpose of the book is to examine how contemporary practitioners have utilized Shakespearean play texts in ways that illuminate aspects of how realism as a style is currently being fashioned and how and why Shakespeare's texts are particularly potent vehicles for that fashioning. The volume is intentionally neither comprehensive nor cohesive; rather it is meant to serve as a starting point for discussion of the intersections of Shakespeare in contemporary performance and realism as genre. The first essay explores the implications of imposing emotional realism on the heroes of the problem plays. The other five essays consider historic productions of Shakespeare during the period that spawned realism and transformed understanding of character; realism and Midsummer Night's Dream; how King Lear uses realism to create empathy in an audience; and allo-realism in three tragedies (Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Titus Andronicus). The book certainly meets its objective of serving as a conversation starter. It also succinctly identifies places where Shakespeare and realism collide to mutual benefit. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals.--CHOICE

"In her introduction to this brief but fascinating volume, Miller (California Arts Council) writes that the purpose of the book is to examine how ""contemporary practitioners have utilized Shakespearean play texts in ways that illuminate aspects of how realism as a style is currently being fashioned and how and why Shakespeare’s texts are particularly potent vehicles for that fashioning.” The volume is intentionally neither comprehensive nor cohesive; rather it is meant to serve as a starting point for discussion of the intersections of Shakespeare in contemporary performance and realism as genre. The first essay explores the implications of imposing emotional realism on the heroes of the problem plays. The other five essays consider historic productions of Shakespeare during the period that spawned realism and transformed understanding of character; realism and Midsummer Night’s Dream; how King Lear uses realism to create empathy in an audience; and allo-realism in three tragedies (Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Titus Andronicus). The book certainly meets its objective of serving as a conversation starter. It also succinctly identifies places where Shakespeare and realism collide to mutual benefit. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals. * CHOICE *"

Author Information

Peter Lichtenfels is a professor in the Theatre and Dance Department at University of California, Davis. He teaches in the Undergraduate, MFA in Dramatic Arts, and PhD Performance Studies programs. Josy Miller is Arts Education Programs Specialist for the California Arts Council. A theatre director and scholar, she received her Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of California, Davis.

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