The Importance of Shakespeare What are the goals concerns of those who produced Shakespeare in different eras How have the choices they made in production served those goals Why talk about Shakespeare Still a major influence and highly prevalent even in modern theatre 17th and 18th Centuries Theater as a Moral Force Nahum Tate s adaptation of King Lear 1681 performed regularly until at least 1838 Idea that tragedy should teach moral values and the consequences of good and bad characteristics 18th and 19th Centuries Theatre as Emotion and Spectacle More emphasis on designs of sets costumes etc being tailored to the specific role and play Scenes were often cut resulting in a less developed plot Early mid 20th Century Theatre as a Psychological Window Idea that theatre should represent real life Major emphasis on what characters thought more so than what they did or said Role of Director becomes much more important and has more influence on how the play turns out Late 20th and 21st Centuries and the Search for Something New Directors try to find ways to make a play more relevant to modern audiences New setting often more contemporary New approach to the text Non traditional casting characters playing roles that their gender or race normally wouldn t
View Full Document
Unlocking...