Shakespeare in the Theatre is a book that explores the work of the Shakespeare Theatre Company and how Washington DC became the urban centre ‘most closely identified with Shakespeare and classical drama’ in North America. There have been extensive production reviews of the Shakespeare Theatre Company's work in academic publications, but there has not been a peer-reviewed profile – until now. The book also considers American identity, colonial legacy and the advent of the Folger Theatre Group.
Lichtenberg and Payne chronicle how a ‘small repertory troupe at the Folger theatre on Capitol Hill became an internationally renowned company performing in a lavish multi-venue performing arts centre in downtown Washington DC,’ discussing theoretical practice and the ‘ambivalence of American theatre artists towards their British cultural inheritance’ alongside the American cultural ‘cringe’ over British high culture. There are debates about both British and American theatre at the core of this book that are worth exploring from a historical and artistic standpoint.
The two chapters that I thought were the most universally appealing were dedicated to interviews. These seem the most applicable in terms of how to approach Shakespearian texts for performance. The interviews are with Michael Kahn (artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company) and his successor Simon Godwin. It was the chapter with Godwin that I found interesting, as it explored how he approaches a classical text for a modern audience. Goodwin discusses contemporary theatre practice such as his training at Lecoq, and comments on re-gendering and colour-consciousness in the theatre today.
It is an interesting read but is there a broad audience for this book? Or more specifically a broad British audience for it? It is extremely niche. Unless you're a Shakespearean history fanatic or you are particularly interested in the development of Shakespeare in America, I'm not sure why you would read it. For scholars and dramatists looking for a detailed exploration into the decades of social and economic change across Washington DC from the ‘complexities of gentrification to the arts policies of successive administrations’ it would certainly prove interesting, but beyond that, I'm not sure.