A decade of theatre broadcasts: issues and trends

Authors

  • Pascale Aebischer Universidade de Exeter

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5902/2176148556341

Keywords:

Theatre broadcasting, William Shakespeare, National Theatre Live (NT Live), RSC, Shakespeare's Globe, Rob Ashford, Kenneth Branagh

Abstract

This article tracks the development of theatre broadcasting in the UK from 2009, when NT Live launched its broadcasting operation, to 2019. It argues for the need to consider the impact theatre broadcasting technologies have on the production and reception of Shakespeare in Britain and across the world, given that broadcasts are increasingly at risk of becoming a surrogate for the experience of theatre-going which they promote. The first part of the article considers the differential reach, across continents, of this supposedly ‘global’ phenomenon, and explores the risk of cultural monopolies being built by large companies like the National Theatre, the RSC and Shakespeare’s Globe, which might crowd out smaller players. The second part considers the camera techniques employed by broadcasts and pays closer attention to the relationship between a proscenium set-up in the theatre and the two-dimensionality of the cinema screen in Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh’s Romeo and Juliet, which was broadcast by Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company Plays at the Garrick Live in 2016.

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Author Biography

Pascale Aebischer, Universidade de Exeter

scale Aebischer is Professor of Shakespeare and Early Modern Performance Studies. She specialises in the history of the performance of early modern drama (including Shakespeare), with an emphasis on 1580s-1700 and 1980s-present. She has a particular interest in bodies and performance technologies (from candlelight through social media to 'live' theatre broadcast), as well as in the connection between the reconstruction of early modern playhouses and urban regeneration. These interests are reflected in her teaching, which focuses on early modern - Restoration theatrical cultures and performance practices, Shakespeare, and present-day performance on stages and screens.

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Published

2021-03-11 — Updated on 2022-08-02

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How to Cite

Aebischer, P. (2022). A decade of theatre broadcasts: issues and trends. Letras, 159–178. https://doi.org/10.5902/2176148556341 (Original work published March 11, 2021)

Issue

Edição Especial - 2/2020: Teatro Elisabetano e Jacobino: estudos textuais, teatrais e críticos

Section

Articles

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