Author: MAJL
Last saved by: David

Małgorzata Leyko
Uniwersytet Łódzki
POLAND

Stage for Shakespeare – today 

On the turn of XIX and XX Century attempts of using the stage patterned on Elizabethan type for William Shakespeare dramas staging were the sign of the objection against the rules of the traditional Scène à l’Italienne. These attempts became one of the inspirations for theatre reformers in their efforts of creating the simplified space in theatre, which would enable fast move of action’s place in performance. The first who tried to use Elizabethan stage at the middle of XIX Century were Ludwig Tieck, then Karl Lebrecht Immermann, Jocza Savits and Georg Fuchs followed him in Germany. In France the idea of using Elizabethan stage was continued by Jacques Copeau in second decade of XX Century. The „machine” for Shakespeare staging was also applied by theatre directors quite often in the second half of XX Century. It seems interesting to pose the question if the Elizabethan type of theatre space organization is still useful today. In the presentation four Polish contemporary performances of Macbeth directed by A. Wajda, P. Kruszczyński, M. Kleczewska and G. Jarzyna will be discussed and the analysis of theatre space will be done.