Performing Shakespeare

I have never seen Shakespeare enacted on stage (not counting this spoof of Hamlet), but I’ve always wondered how tough it will be for present day actors to enact. For Indian actors even more so, who are not at their best with enunciation when the English gets too demanding.

John Clancy, an Obie award winning director, shares three principles to follow when performing Shakespeare. A must-read for anyone associated with theatre.

To quote:

The first thing to hold in your mind when working with Shakespeare is that he wrote for the stage, not for the page. The Globe was open to the sun, half the audience was standing and the reverent, hushed atmosphere of today’s audience was something a player had to earn and fight to keep against great odds, not something assumed. For the actor, this translates simply to making the primary focus and scene partner not your fellow actor, but the audience immediately in front of you.

Read the full piece here: Making Shakespeare Dull.

Article by Shuchi

Shuchi lives in Bangalore (mostly), when she isn't traveling out of town for work. She adores theatre and writes about plays she watches whenever she gets a chance.

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