Shakespeare's Theatre - Softcover

Thomson, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0710203829 ISBN 13: 9780710203823

Publisher: Routledge & Kegan Paul Books Ltd, 1984

Synopsis

"Shakespeare's Theatre" examines the Globe in the spectacular decade from 1599 to 1608, during which Shakespeare's greatest tragedies were performed and the Lord Chamberlain's Men were recognised as the finest theatrical company in London, rising to prosperity as the King's Men. Primarily about performance "Shakespeare's Theatre" reviews the commercial and artistic priorities of a brilliant and hard-headed group of players. It examines and interprets the known facts about the actors, explores the ways in which they balanced the books, considers the challenges and constraints of the Globe's stage, and give a year by year review of the company's repertoire. In this fully revised edition Peter Thomson presents new material on the Red Lion theatre, on the Rose since its excavation, and a new account of rehearsal procedures in addition to providing a fully up-dated bibliography.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Shakespeare belonged to a successful theatre company. This book is about that company during its ten best years. Part I looks at the planning and personnel, the financing, the repertoire, and the Globe Theatre itself. Part II sets three of Shakespeare's greatest plays in the theatrical context that has been explored in Part I.

Review

`This is a model introduction to the formation, structure and development of the Lord Chamberlain's Men which is utilized to provide instructive critical readings of Twelfth Night, Macbeth and Hamlet.' - Years Work in English Studies

Reviews of the First Edition

`Valuable and enjoyable reading for all studying Shakespeare's plays.' - Times Higher Education Supplement

`Following in the pattern established by John Russell Brown for the excellent series (Theatre and Production Studies), he provides first an account of Shakespeare's company, then a study of three individual plays Twelfth Night, Hamlet and Macbeth as performed by the company. Peter Thomson writes in a crisp, sharp, enlivening style.' - Times Literary Supplement

`... the best analysis yet of Elizabethan acting practices, excavated from the texts themselves rather than reconstructed on basis of one monolithic theory, and an essay on Hamlet that is a model of critical intelligence and theatrical invention.' - Yearbook of English Studies

`Synthesizes the important facts and summarizes projects with a vigorous prose style, and expertly applies his experience in both practical drama and academic teaching to his discussion.' - Review of English Studies

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge & Kegan Paul Books Ltd
• Publication date: 1984
• ISBN 10: 0710203829
• ISBN 13: 9780710203823
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 190