English Majors Take Trip to Recreated Shakespearean Theatre

For the sixth consecutive year, a group of English majors and professors traveled to Staunton, Va., for 2012 Actors’ Renaissance Season at Blackfriars Playhouse. Eleven students and two professors made the twelve hour drive to see three plays: “Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding” by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher and “Much Ado about Nothing” and “Richard III” by William Shakespeare.

John McLaughlin, chair of the Department of Communication and Literature, was one of the faculty sponsors for the trip. “I think this trip is particularly good for English majors for two reasons: first, it offers great insight into what Shakespeare’s plays would have looked like during the Renaissance era; second, it shows how much fun Shakespeare can be. I think people have the idea that Shakespeare can be boring or stuffy—this trip proves that label false,” said McLaughlin.

The trip is an annual spring event in conjunction with an English major class, Renaissance Drama. In addition to seeing the plays, FHU’s group was able to tour Blackfriars Playhouse. The tour included a discussion of the history of the original Blackfriars theatre and the recreated Blackfriars Playhouse. It also gave insight into the societal and cultural conditions that existed during Shakespeare’s life.

The Blackfriars Playhouse is a part of the American Shakespeare Center. It is a recreation of Shakespeare’s acting troupe’s first indoor theatre, the original Blackfriars theatre in London. The Blackfriars Playhouse presents five theatre seasons throughout the year, but the Actors’ Renaissance Season is chosen for this trip because of an effort by the theatre to return to Shakespeare’s original staging conditions.

Renaissance staging conditions differ from modern in nearly every aspect. The most blatant difference that the Actors’ Renaissance Season incorporates is the use of musical entertainment before the show and during the intermission. The theatre remains lit throughout the performance, making timing for entrances and exits especially important. Actors often are cast in multiple roles within the production and the actors handle all directing and staging. Sets are nearly nonexistent, so costuming is important to set the mood.

Ruth Hamm, a junior English major from Bloomington, Ind., was on the trip for her second time. “I enjoyed the trip even more the second time around. The performances seem so personal to the actors, and I can really see the advantages of the original staging. It’s an incredible experience, which I hope to repeat next year as well,” said Hamm.