Early Modern Drama in Parts

Producing a play in Shakespeare’s day was very different from the methods we use now since actors were simply given their part or ‘role’ and began work. Reconstructed theatres across the globe – like the Globe in London – are dedicated to researching early modern staging but, so far, none has studied the practice of reading in parts. We have been exploring it together – from receiving our parts to piecing together the play scene by scene. We invite you to browse through the following pages to see and hear how  our perceptions of our roles, the play and early modern dramatic practice have been shaped by the process.

In the first week, we hear about the dramatis personae , distribute our parts and construct  our roles (sometimes a lengthy process!