Shakespeare and the ‘Live’ Theatre Broadcast Experience

Description

This ground breaking collection of essays is the first to examine the phenomenon of how, in the twenty-first century, Shakespeare has been experienced as a ‘live’ or ‘as-live’ theatre broadcast by audiences around the world. Shakespeare and the ‘Live’ Theatre Broadcast Experience explores the precursors of this phenomenon and its role in Shakespeare’s continuing globalization. It considers some of the most important companies that have produced such broadcasts since 2009, including NT Live, Globe on Screen, RSC Live from Stratford-upon-Avon, Stratford Festival HD, Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company Live, and Cheek by Jowl, and examines the impact these broadcasts have had on branding, ideology, style and access to Shakespeare for international audiences. Contributors from around the world reflect on how broadcasts impact on actors’ performances, changing viewing practices, local and international Shakespearean fan cultures and the use of social media by audience members for whom “liveness” is increasingly tied up in the experience economy. The book tackles vexing questions regarding the ‘presentness’ and ‘liveness’ of performance in the 21st century, the reception of Shakespeare in a globally-connected environment, the challenges of sustaining an audience for stage Shakespeare, and the ideological implications of consuming theatre on screen. It will be crucial reading for scholars of the ‘live’ theatre broadcast, and enormously helpful for scholars of Shakespeare on screen and in performance more broadly. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS NOTE ON THE TEXT LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Introduction: Shakespeare and the ‘Live’ Theatre Broadcast Experience Shakespeare and the ‘Live’ Theatre Broadcast Experience: a road-map Notes References PART ONE Wide Angle 1 The Remains of the Stage: Revivifying Shakespearean Theatre on Screen, 1964–2016 ‘Actual performance’ on screen in the 1960s ‘Not film sets, not stage sets’: the National Theatre’s studio Othello In-house at the Roundhouse: Richardson’s Hamlet Live theatre broadcast as commemoration and celebration 50 Years on Stage and Shakespeare Live! Conclusion Notes References 2 Shakespeare’s New Marketplace: The Places of Event Cinema New technologies and the promise of access NTLive and Shakespeare Insider knowledge and added value More Shakespeare, bigger markets Notes References 3 The Audience Is Present: Aliveness, Social Media, and the Theatre Broadcast Experience Aliveness At the cinema: Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’s Romeo and Juliet At home: Shakespeare’s Globe’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Notes References 4 Understanding ‘New’ Encounters with Shakespeare: Hybrid Media and Emerging Audience Behaviours Headphones in the cinema: an audio-commentary of Coriolanus Watching live online: Complete Works: Table Top Shakespeare Engaging with Shakespeare: performing participation Notes References PART TWO In the Theatre 5 A View from the Stage: Interviews with Performers Notes References 6 A View from the Stalls: The Audience’s Experience in the Theatre During the RSC Live from Stratford-upon-von Broadcasts References PART THREE Close-ups 7 South Bank Shakespeare Goes Global: Broadcasting from Shakespeare’s Globe and the National Theatre Shared affect and the creation of spaces The National Theatre as a space: illusionist Shakespeare for NTLive Shakespeare’s Globe as a place: presentational broadcasting Coda: South Bank Shakespeares converge Acknowledgements Notes References 8 The Stratford Festival of Canada: Mental Tricks and Archival Documents in the Age of NTLive Stratford Festival HD Live transmission and archival records Notes References 9 Talawa and Black Theatre Live: ‘Creating the Ira Aldridges That Are Remembered’ – Live Theatre Broadcast and the Historical Record Talawa Theatre Company and Black Theatre Live Talawa’s King Lear and Black Theatre Live’s Hamlet Creating a record with live broadcast Notes References 10 Cheek by Jowl: Reframing Complicity in Web-Streams of Measure for Measure Renegotiating liveness Framing empty space Framing the subject Framing complicity Notes References PART FOUR Reaction Shots 11 The Curious Incident of Shakespeare Fans in NTLive: Public Screenings and Fan Culture in Japan NTLive in Japan From negative convergence to fan protest Conclusion The research presented in this chapter References 12 Shakespeare and the Theatre Broadcast Experience: A View from Hong Kong Shakespeare in Hong Kong Theatre broadcast in the Hong Kong context Conclusion: concerns, challenges, opportunities Notes References 13 Very Like a Film: Hamlet Live in Bologna Hamlet bolognese A tale of two cinemas Camel, weasel or whale? Notes References 14 Shakespeare at a Theatre Near You: Student Engagement in Northeast Ohio Notes References 15 Shakespeare from the House of Molière: The Comédie-Française/Pathé Live Roméo et Juliette (2016) References Epilogue: Revisiting Liveness Trailer mix Alternative programming Ear candy Mise en théâtre Interval training Fast forward References Appendix Digital Theatre Broadcasts of Shakespeare, 2003–17 INDEX OF THEATRE BROADCASTS OF SHAKESPEARE INDEX OF NAMES AND TERMS