Shakespeare and Amateur Performance

From the Hamlet acted on a galleon off Africa to the countless outdoor productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream that now defy each English summer, Shakespeare and Amateur Performance explores the unsung achievements of those outside the theatrical profession who have been determined to do Shakespeare themselves. Based on extensive research in previously unexplored archives, this generously illustrated and lively work of theatre history enriches our understanding of how and why Shakespeare's plays have mattered to generations of rude mechanicals and aristocratic dilettantes alike: from the days of the Theatres Royal to those of the Little Theatre Movement, from the pioneering Winter's Tale performed in eighteenth-century Salisbury to the Merchant of Venice performed by Allied prisoners for their Nazi captors, and from the how-to book which transforms Mercutio into Yankee Doodle to the Napoleonic counterspy who used Richard III as a tool of surveillance. '... brilliantly researched and written with clarity and verve. A scholarly work by a man who obviously loves the theatre, it will make fascinating reading for both professional and amateur performers alike.' Wendy Craig, actress 'A groundbreaking and utterly fascinating study ... Nobody understands the history of Shakespeare in performance - or how deeply four centuries of amateur productions have shaped our culture - better than Michael Dobson.' James Shapiro, Columbia University '[A] generous and fascinating study.' The Guardian 'Never patronising, Dobson writes movingly and wittily, stressing the slipperiness of the category of 'amateur' ... He offers a fascinating alternative history of Shakespeare ... Dobson's is a loving book, not in the obsequious manner of professional Bardolators, but in a way Nick Bottom the weaver would understand: 'A very good piece of work, I assure you, and a merry'.' Times Higher Education 'Groundbreaking.' Around the Globe 'Michael Dobson has opened the lid of a treasure chest of gems.' Literary Review 'Readable, entertaining and provocative.' Times Literary Supplement ' ... [the author's] new book ... breaks unfamiliar and entertaining ground ... an enjoyable book ...' The Oxford MagazineIntroduction; 1. Shakespeare in private; 2. Shakespeare in public; 3. Shakespeare in exile; 4. Shakespeare in the open; Conclusion.