Overview

The first dedicated historical study of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, this book explores the troupe’s four major Shakespearean works over the past four decades. The Reduced Shakespeare Company represent an American tale of how a small-scale, open-air troupe specialising in fast-paced, irreverent reductions of prominent topics have, since their formation in 1981, gradually expanded into a global theatre brand whose first play, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), ran continuously for nine years in London’s West End and has been translated into thirty-eight languages. Drawing on previously unexamined archival material, as well as author interviews with the company’s five key players and attendance at rehearsals and performances in America and Britain, this book stands as the first dedicated study of this other RSC, presenting a critical analysis of the company’s signature blend of audience interaction, metatheatre, parody, pop culture references, Shakespearean intertextuality and vaudevillian humour. Each chapter is arranged to address a specific period within the RSC’s history of Shakespearean adaptation, offering a detailed exposition of their four major Shakespearean works over the past four decades. The book’s epilogue considers their influence and legacy, submits a blueprint for reduction and contextualises the company within the ecosystem of contemporary performance.

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9781350457614

Table of Contents

Reviews

Ronan Hatfull’s account of the Reduced Shakespeare Company exemplifies that company’s practice in its own playful approach to comprehensive efficiency. Rarely pausing for breath, Hatfull sets out for the first time the history, practice and influence of the real RSC’s game-changing work, without spoiling any of the jokes. Combining rigorous close analysis of the company’s plays with thoughtful theorization of the metamodern sensibilities of its pop culture mash-ups, Hatfull’s work successfully demonstrates that serious scholarly attention must finally be paid to this most unserious of companies. * Peter Kirwan, Mary Baldwin University, USA *

Ronan Hatfull’s account of the Reduced Shakespeare Company exemplifies that company’s practice in its own playful approach to comprehensive efficiency. Rarely pausing for breath, Hatfull sets out for the first time the history, practice and influence of the real RSC’s game-changing work, without spoiling any of the jokes. Combining rigorous close analysis of the company’s plays with thoughtful theorization of the metamodern sensibilities of its pop culture mash-ups, Hatfull’s work successfully demonstrates that serious scholarly attention must finally be paid to this most unserious of companies. * Peter Kirwan, Mary Baldwin University, USA * In this most exquisite study of excellent conceited parodies, Ronan Hatfull offers a longitudinal study of the Reduced Shakespeare Company. Like the liquid that has been simmered to intensify its flavors, RSC’s abridgements and sketches bring out the best and worst in the canon to entertain generations of audiences. Hatfull argues ultimately that the RSC participates in metamodernism, oscillating between being sincere and ironic. The book concludes with the Ten Commandments of theatrical reduction with broad implications. * Alexa Alice Joubin, George Washington University and MIT, USA *

Author Information

Ronan Hatfull is Teaching Fellow in Theatre and Performance at the University of Warwick and a Lecturer in Shakespeare at NYU London, UK. He teaches Shakespearean adaptation, Greek tragedy and contemporary performance practices. He co-edited Shakespeare and Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen (The Arden Shakespeare, 2023) and has published widely on the playwright’s cultural legacy. He is also an actor, director, dramaturg and musician.

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