ABSTRACT
In 1615 dramatist John Webster penned a portrait of "An excellent Actor," which was, perhaps, inspired by Richard Burbage. Webster's narrative evokes the illustration for the initiation phase of Radiating Box, which demonstrates how the actor sends his energy outwards in all directions as he radiates to forge a connection. What Webster describes, though, is vocal and linguistic energy; the connection resounds not only in terms of the actor's instrument, but also resonates in terms of how the language reaches the listener. The transparency that accompanies daylight—and the close-as-possible replication of that lighting at dusk—calls for fully engaged storytelling from the actor. In the first instance, Blind Shakespeare locates the three-dimensionality of the body's transference of vibration and meaning by isolating the connection through the actors' backs. Next, Blindfolded Shakespeare energizes and empowers the actor by exploiting the actor's creative freedom by encouraging risk-taking.
