Shakespeare in the Theatre Glen Byam Shaw and the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre
Buying pre-order items
Ebooks and Audiobook
You will receive an email with a download link for the ebook or audiobook on the publication date.
Payment
You will not be charged for pre-ordered books until they are available to be shipped. Pre-ordered ebooks will not be charged for until they are available for download.
Amending or cancelling your order
For orders that have not been shipped you can usually make changes to pre-orders up to 72 hours before the publishing date.
Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available
Description
Glen Byam Shaw was a pivotal but overlooked figure in the development of Shakespearean performance in 20th century Britain. This book serves as the first full analysis of Shaw's work as Director of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre across the 1950s as he laid the groundwork for what became the Royal Shakespeare Company. Drawing on interviews with Shaw's contemporaries and material from Shaw's own notebooks, it offers an in-depth analysis of Shaw's time in Stratford through the lens of his productions. Where Shaw's contemporaries have been extensively studied (Michael Redgrave, Peggy Ashcroft, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Peter Hall, Peter Brook et al), the innately self-deprecating Shaw has managed to avoid close examination. Thus a key figure, and era, in Shakespeare performance history has been left in the shadows. This book sheds light on that transformative time for the theatre in Stratford and Shaw's role in transforming it. In doing so it presents a revisionist history of the Royal Shakespeare Company, locating in Shaw's work as director of the theatre the origins of many of its principles, practices and approaches later claimed by Peter Hall as his own 'foundational' innovations for the RSC.
Shaw's unique production practices and approaches, captured in the notebooks he kept on every play he directed, allow us to read his thoughts in his own words. Drawing on these notebooks, which have never been transcribed or published, this book gives us an unparalleled insight into the actual practices of a director as he's working, in a way never before explored or examined.
Accessibility Information
Additional accessibility information
- EPUB 3.0
- Conforms with the requirements of EPUB Accessibility Spec v1.1
- WCAG level AA
- WCAG v2.2 compliant
- accessibility@bloomsbury.com
Hazards
The publication contains no hazards
Support for non-visual reading
- No accessibility features offered by the reading system, device or reading software are disabled or otherwise unusable with the product
- Has alternative text descriptions for images
Visual adjustments
Appearance of the text and page layout can be modified according to the capabilities of the reading system (font family and size, spaces, as well as color of background and text)
Navigation
- Page list to go to pages from the print source version
- Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
- All or substantially all textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order
- Content is enhanced with ARIA roles to optimize organization and facilitate navigation
- Purposes of all links are made clear
Rich content
Language tagging provided
Table of Contents
1. Shaw's Practices
2. “What Soldiers Wear in War” - Coriolanus (1952)
3. “The Destruction of the Glorious Idea of War” - Troilus and Cressida (1954)
4. "Like People Looking Into A Volcano" - Macbeth (1955)
5. “A Delicious Mince Pie” - The Merry Wives of Windsor (1955)
6. “Alarm and Despondency” - Othello (1956)
7. “A Being Apart” - Hamlet (1958)
Conclusion
Index
Product details
| Published | Nov 12 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 9781350527713 |
| Imprint | The Arden Shakespeare |
| Illustrations | 7 bw illus |
| Series | Shakespeare in the Theatre |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Related Titles
