ABSTRACT
In this chapter I want to look at how Shakespeare works on the modern stage by considering three twentieth-century productions. I have chosen the first two because of their obvious political engagement with issues of race, gender and sexuality at the times when they were performed. The presentation of these themes on Shakespeare’s stage, in a society in which white heterosexual men enjoyed power and authority over all others, has been of particular interest to modern critics. My third selection is an example of how major Shakespeare productions today can be part of a wider entertainment industry. I will look briefly at how, in each case, production choices – including the time and place of performance – underlined the political and cultural significance of these theatrical events.
