Shakespeare and Amateur Performance A Cultural History [Paperback]

From the Renaissance to today, this fascinating theatre history investigates how and why Shakespeare's plays have been performed by amateurs.From the Renaissance to the present day, this is the first history of how and why Shakespeare's plays have always been performed by amateurs. This is a must for theatre historians, a revelation for students of Shakespeare's influence and a fascinating read for anyone interested in the amateur stage.From the Renaissance to the present day, this is the first history of how and why Shakespeare's plays have always been performed by amateurs. This is a must for theatre historians, a revelation for students of Shakespeare's influence and a fascinating read for anyone interested in the amateur stage.From the Hamlet acted on a galleon off Africa to the countless outdoor productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream that now defy each English summer, Shakespeare and Amateur Performance explores the unsung achievements of those outside the theatrical profession who have been determined to do Shakespeare themselves. Based on extensive research in previously unexplored archives, this generously illustrated and lively work of theater history enriches our understanding of how and why Shakespeare's plays have mattered to generations of rude mechanicals and aristocratic dilettantes alike: from the days of the Theaters Royal to those of the Little Theater Movement, from the pioneering Winter's Tale performed in eighteenth-century Salisbury to the Merchant of Venice performed by Allied prisoners for their Nazi captors, and from the how-to book which transforms Mercutio into Yankee Doodle to the Napoleonic counterspy who used Richard III as a tool of surveillance.Introduction; 1. Shakespeare in private; 2. Shakespeare in public; 3. Shakespeare in exile; 4. Shakespeare in the open; Conclusion. Shakespeare has ever been an exciting and irresistible challenge for amateur theater companies both in Britain and across the world. This affectionate treatise tlso