Table of Contents

Introduction
Part One: The Theory of Audience
1. ‘Who are we talking about when we talk about the audience?’, by Stephen Purcell
2. ‘Theatrical convention and audience response in early modern drama’, by Jeremy Lopez
3. ‘Early modern audience response’, by Charles Whitney
4. ‘The stage and the audience’, by Susan Bennett
5. ‘The contemporary performer and audience relationship’, by Robert Shaughnessy
6. ‘Audience emotion’, by Penelope Woods
7. ‘The young audience’, by Mathew Reason
Part Two: The role of the audience
8. Hamlet
9. The Tempest
10. A Midsummer Night's Dream
11. Richard III
12. Macbeth
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

Promotional Information

Gives powerful and personal insights into the relationship at the heart of Shakespeare in performance through the eyes of scholars, actors, directors and the audience themselves.

About the Author

Fiona Banks is Senior Advisor: Creative Programmes at Shakespeare’s Globe, London, UK. She created Globe Education's wide variety of training offered to students and teachers from Early Years up to A Level and is author of Creative Shakespeare: The Globe Education Guide to Practical Shakespeare (2013).

Reviews

This release in ‘The Arden Shakespeare’ series looks at the audience as an essential and collaborative partner in the performance space of the theater. Using as examples British Shakespeare productions, the contributors offer perspectives on this unique actor-to-audience relationship. Banks explains that research in spectatorship has grown over the last 30 years, and has lead to a deeper engagement with Shakespeare's plays. Summing Up: Highly recommended.
*CHOICE*

The shared experience between performers and audiences is at the heart of theatre. This rich mix of audience voices and scholarly comment, provides brilliant insights into how we relate differently to Shakespeare.
*Professor Jonothan Neelands, Academic Director Cultural Partnerships, University of Warwick, UK*