ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that some of the most recurrent constructions of William Shakespeare in amateur production are prefigured in the texts themselves. It outlines some of the dominant trends in this work, seeking to explain them with reference to concepts from literary theory such as Northrop Frye's "green world" and C.L. Barber's "festive comedy." The chapter suggest that, while much of the amateur Shakespearean work being performed in modern Britain is genuinely innovative, there is often an unmistakable tendency towards the evocation of traditional notions of Englishness. The influence of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) was especially prominent: numerous groups reported an emphasis on verse analysis and voice work, some of them name-checking the RSC directly. The Chairman of Bexhill Amateur Dramatic Society might have been speaking for many when he argued that performances of Shakespeare's plays work best when "they are treated as modern plays, not historical re-creations."
