The observable effects of constraints identified in the conditions attending the adaptation of Othello by Frantic Assembly, Macbeth by The Pantaloons and Twelfth Night by Filter Theatre. Submitted by Sarah Louise Elizabeth McCourt, to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Drama, April 2015. This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. (Signature) ……………………………………………………………………………… 1 Abstract The adaptation of Shakespeare’s plays in England continues to be complicated by his canonical status. This has led to the authority and value of productions of Shakespeare’s plays being assessed in terms of their fidelity or otherwise to the text, original performance conditions, and even Shakespeare’s intentions. The growing influence of performance studies offers a new way examine adaptations by focusing on adaptation as a creative process as well as a product. This opens up opportunities to examine how such ideological constructions of Shakespeare’s textual authority impact on the adaptation process. Whilst productions of Shakespeare’s plays by national, building-based companies such as the RSC and Shakespeare’s Globe have received considerable analysis, those created by small, touring companies are less frequently considered. These small, non building-based companies have developed distinctive interdisciplinary artistic practices informed by creating and adapting a wide range of work for touring. This makes how such companies negotiate the dominant ideologies and dramatic conventions associated with performing Shakespeare in England at the beginning of the 21st century of particular interest. Employing textual and performance analysis, interviews with the adapters, and reference to reviews, this thesis examines the observable effects of constraints on three adaptations, understood here in both semantic senses as process and product. In doing so, it asks what are the observable effects of constraints on adaptation by the selected English touring companies, and how 2 do these constraints interact with each company’s aesthetic approach to create meaning? 3 Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................. 2 Contents ......................................................................................................... 4 List of Tables and Illustrations ........................................................................ 9 List of Accompanying Material on CD .......................................................... 11 Introduction .................................................................................................... 12 Research Context ......................................................................................... 12 Research Questions ..................................................................................... 15 Why Constraints? ......................................................................................... 18 Small, non-building based, English Touring Theatre Companies ................. 19 Methodology ................................................................................................. 21 Rational Choice Model .................................................................................. 27 Structure of the Thesis .................................................................................. 30 Chapter 1: Shakespeare and Theatrical Adaptation .................................... 32 From Comedy in Messina to Tragedy in Sarajevo ........................................ 32 Theatrical Adaptation .................................................................................... 33 Dramatic Text and Performance ................................................................... 35 Announcing Adaptation ................................................................................. 37 Unstable Texts .............................................................................................. 40 Becoming the Bard ....................................................................................... 44 Remaking Shakespeare: Secondary Adaptation .......................................... 48 4 Textual Boundaries: Recognising Hamlet ..................................................... 51 Defining Adaptation as what is not Shakespeare .......................................... 54 Taxonomy of Adaptation ............................................................................... 56 From Text to Intertextuality ........................................................................... 60 Reception and Adaptation............................................................................. 64 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 67 Chapter 2: The Cultural Context of Production ........................................... 68 Shakespeare and Cultural Capital ................................................................ 69 Hierarchy and Arts Funding .......................................................................... 72 Instrumental Targets: .................................................................................... 76 National Theatre Policy: New Ways of Working ............................................ 81 Shakespeare’s Plays and Audience Development ....................................... 90 Education, Shakespeare and Theatre Programming .................................... 91 Shakespeare, Education and Ideology ......................................................... 96 Accessibility and ‘Dumbing Down’ .............................................................. 103 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 106 Introduction to Part Two .............................................................................. 108 Chapter 3 Frantic Assembly ........................................................................ 111 ‘Franticising’ Shakespeare’s Othello .......................................................... 111 Introduction: Overview of the Company ...................................................... 111 Company Aims ........................................................................................... 114 5 Financial Incentives .................................................................................... 116 Shakespeare’s Cultural Capital ................................................................... 118 Arts Council Funding .................................................................................. 119 Audience Base and Educational Aims ........................................................ 120 Extending their Audience Base ................................................................... 121 Personal and Political Motivations for Adaptation ....................................... 123 The Adaptation Process and Production .................................................... 127 Adapting Othello: The Text ......................................................................... 127 Adapting Othello: The Process of Creating Physical Theatre ..................... 135 Adapting Othello: Use of Movement ........................................................... 139 The Use of Design Elements in Adaptation ................................................ 147 Choice of Music .......................................................................................... 151 Reception: Contemporary or Youth? .......................................................... 153 Representing Status in the Adaptation ....................................................... 157 The Yorkshire Setting: Delivering Shakespeare in a Regional Accent ........ 159 Representing Race in the Adaptation ......................................................... 162 Othello in a pub ........................................................................................... 165 Conclusion: The Impact of Constraints on Shakespeare’s Othello ............. 167 Chapter 4:The Pantaloons ........................................................................... 170 Macbeth and ‘the riotous energy of the clown’ ......................................... 170 The Formation and Development of the Company ..................................... 170 6 Audience ..................................................................................................... 177 Finance and The Pantaloons’ Business Structure ...................................... 181 Artistic Structure ......................................................................................... 184 Process ....................................................................................................... 188 The Adaptation in Performance: Popular Shakespeare .............................. 199 Narration ..................................................................................................... 204 Comedy and Improvisation ......................................................................... 210 Audience Participation ...............................................................................