Shakespeare on Theatre

by William Shakespeare

Overview

(Book). Shakespeare was a man of the theatre to his core, so it is no surprise that he repeatedly contemplated the nuts and bolts of his craft in his plays and poems. Shakespeare scholar Nick de Somogyi here draws together all the cherishable set pieces including "All the world's a stage," Hamlet's encounters with the Players, and Bottom's amateur theatricals along with many other oblique but no less revealing glances, and further insights into theatre practice by Shakespeare's contemporaries and rivals. De Somogyi's commentary takes us through the entire process of Shakespeare's theatrical production, from its casting and auditions, via rehearsals, costumes, and props, to its premiere and audience reception. Shakespeare on Theatre eavesdrops on the urgently whispered noises-off in the "tiring-house" and inhales the heady aroma of the Globe's first audiences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623160326
Publisher:	Opus Books
Publication date:	04/01/2013
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Widely esteemed as the greatest writer in the English language, William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an actor and theatrical producer in addition to writing plays and sonnets. Dubbed "The Bard of Avon," Shakespeare oversaw the building of the Globe Theatre in London, where a number of his plays were staged, the best-known of which include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth. The First Folio, a printed book of 36 of his comedies, tragedies, and history plays, was published in 1623.

Date of Death:

2018

Place of Birth:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Place of Death:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Prologues and Inductions 1

1 Auditions, Casting, and Parts 27

2 Learning Lines and Rehearsing Roles 47

3 Props and Costumes, Notes and Rewrites 67

Interlude: A 'Finished' Script 97

4 Theatres and Scenery 109

5 Fluffs, Prompts, Cues, and Snags 127

6 Audiences, Critics, and Tours 145

Epilogues and Afterlives 173

Glossary 189

Select Bibliography 207

Epigraph Sources 209

Index of Works Cited 211