QueenʼsMen Editions

Performances

The modern performances featured on the site are all research productions with their own objectives and agenda. They form part of a movement now referred to as Performance as Research (PaR). None of the productions are intended to be definitive. Many of the directors are interested in how the plays might have been originally staged, but the productions should not be viewed as reconstructions of original performances. The performances are inescapably modern but provide a lively medium through which to re-imagine the plays of the Queen's Men and what they might have meant in their time and how they make meanings in our time.

The video records of the PaR productions are presented in their own section of the site. (Only the highlighted titles below have been published to date). Information on the research objectives of the production are provided in introductory essays.

Overview of the PaR Productions

The list follows the chronological order of the modern productions, not the order of publication on this site. (Only the highlighted titles below have been published to date and are linked to the Performance Archive for that play.)

The History of King Leir, Famous Victories of Henry V and Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (2006) The first three plays were performed in repertoire as the climax of the Shakespeare and the Queen's Men (SQM) project. The plays were directed by Peter Cockett (McMaster University) who is also the performance editor for the three editions on the site. The productions were created using the theatrical techniques and technologies of the early modern theatre, and the production notes in the editions examine what was learnt about those techniques and about differences between a modern professional understanding of drama and the dramaturgy implied by the Queen's Men plays. Our performance editions build on the work presented in the teaching and interactive research site: Performing the Queen's Men.

True Tragedy of Richard III (2008), directed by Jennifer Roberts-Smith (Waterloo).

Troublesome Reign of King John (2009), directed by Oliver Jones (York University).

Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes (2010) was directed by Peter Cockett. The production furthered the SQM exploration of the impact on theatrical rehearsal and performance practices on the style of performance of the plays.

Three Lords and Three Ladies of London (2015) was directed by Richard Sullivan Lee in a research project designed by Paul W. White (Purdue).

Three Ladies of London (2015) was directed by Peter Cockett and presented at the as part of the conference "Performance as Research in Early English Theatre Studies: Three Ladies of London in Context"

The QME team are planning to stage the final two plays Selimus and Old Wives' Tale in another PaR conference in 2020.

4. Production Archives

The QME is collecting all available production records for the performance in Performance Archives.