Shakespeare and the theatrical event

John Russell Brown sets out the grounds for a new and revealing way of studying Shakespeare's plays.

By considering the entire theatrical event and not only what happens on stage, he takes readers back to the major texts with a fuller understanding of their language and an enhanced view of a play's theatrical potential.Chapters on theatre-going, playscripts, acting, parts to perform, interplay, stage space, off-stage space and the use of time all bring developments in theatre studies together with Shakespeare studies.

Every aspect of theatre-making comes into view as a dozen major plays are presented in the context for which they were written, making this an adventurous and eminently practical book for students of Shakespeare.