ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with how the directors tackle canonicity directly in their productions of canonical plays. The term ‘points of expectation’ is introduced as a useful tool to analyse how the directors handle points in the play or the theatrical situation that, for different reasons, have acquired a particular status in relation to audience expectation. The chapter is divided into three parts that each discuss points of expectation in relation to three different theatrical elements: Playtexts, characters, and the location of performance. Throughout, I analyse how the directors’ goals (presented in Chapter 2) and their working strategies (presented in Chapter 3) are realised in actual performances on stage. I argue that engaging directly with canonicity is a way for the directors to speak directly to their contemporary audience in a specific theatrical situation.
