ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the mindset of early modern players is of great use to modern actors. They were used to playing many spaces, none quite the same, often with minimal scenery and lighting, and modern actors need to be equally adaptable. The early modern player had to be self-reliant, as there was no director and no time for much rehearsal and he was working from cue scripts, often with limited access to a full copy of the play. Drawing on his own performing experience, Coates gives examples of how they must have been highly skilled at mining their texts for acting clues and argues that the First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays offers exciting acting clues that are sometimes lost in modern editions. He also discusses sharing the space with the audience and how including them makes the plays better.
