ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that Shakespeare’s plays only work fully and properly in shared light and that contemporary practice has forced a template on early modern drama. This is illustrated through work with the RSC, the School of Night, Slung Low Theatre, and the Willow Globe, among others. It gives examples of how theatre can be more immediate and exciting when the actors can see the audience and how sharing the experience of the play with the audience enhances the power of the drama. Also discussed are the received roles of both actor and director and the need for those roles to be reassessed, the connection between the theatre space and its community, and the shortcomings of ‘good taste’.
