WEEK 5 - SHAKESPEARE TODAY
QUESTION: Analyse contemporary Shakespeare productions with reference to live performances you may have seen or clips or footage available online. You should comment on what you notice about them and how they differ from what you know about the original performance conditions of Shakespeare’s work? (Don’t be afraid to point out the obvious).
Consider how these productions are employing all the techniques, technology and resources of modern theatre.
You can use Digital Theatre http://www.digitaltheatre.com a password to access this site is available from the library
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Peter Brook's version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, is completely different to anything that would have been performed in Shakespeare's time. Their version is very experimental and uses physical theatre. Brook's aim was to create something completely different and perform Shakespeare in a radical new way.It is completely different to anything that would have been done 100 years ago, let alone in the Elizabethan times, however it is also not traditional to today's theatre. Their version hardly used any set and was performed in a white box. They use physical theatre to make the story come alive. This is completely different to traditional Shakespearean theatre because the acting would have been very melodramatic and gestural. The actors were generally picked on popularity and genuine talent was considered to be less important. It was key however that the audience liked the hero or main character, because the audience used I get involved, cheering their favourite actors and booing the bad characters.