Manchester University Press Transnational Connections in Early Modern Theatre (Manchester University Press)

This volume explores the transnationality and interculturality of early modern theatre, drama and performance. Its twelve essays, loosely cosmographically grouped into West, North, and South, compose a rich portrait of early modern theatre connections as a socially, economically, politically and culturally realised tissue of links, networks, influences and paths of exchange. With particular attention to itinerant performers, court festival, and the significant Black, Muslim and Jewish impact, they combine disciplines and methods to place Shakespeare and his contemporaries in the wider context of early performance culture in English, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Czech and Italian speaking Europe. Their shared methodological approach examines transnational connections by offering multidisciplinary perspectives on the theatre historical significance of concrete historical facts: archaeological findings, archival records, visual artefacts, and textual evidence. The volume systematically yokes theories with surviving historical evidence for the performative event – whether as material object, text, performative routine, theatergrams, rituals, festivities, genres, archival evidence or visual documentation. This approach enables it to explore the infinite variety of early modern performance culture by expanding the discourse, questioning the received canon, and rethinking the national restrictions of conventional maps to reveal a theatre that truly is without borders. The volume is essential reading for undergraduates, postgraduates and specialists keen to explore and apply new theoretical and geographical perspectives in early modern theatre. It features contributions by Janie Cole, Pavel Drábek, Barbara Fuchs, Robert Henke, Erith Jaffe-Berg, M. A. Katritzky, Natasha Korda, Friedemann Kreuder, Jacques Lezra, Noémie Ndiaye, Eric Nicholson, Nigel Smith, and Susanne Wofford.