Two Shakespearean Actors
- Synopsis
- Video recording of the play by Richard Nelson staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Nelson gives an account of the rivalry between two great 18th century actors, one quintessentially American (Edwin Forrest), the other quintessentially British (Macready). Nelson dramatises the events that led to New York’s Astor Place riots in May 1849 in which some 30 people died when competing productions of Macbeth drove an America First mob to break up Macready’s performance.
- Language
- English
- Country
- Great Britain
- Medium
- Video
- Technical information
- Colour / Sound
- Recording date
- 1990
Credits
- Director
- Roger Michell
- Writer
- Richard Nelson
- Music
- Jeremy Sams
- Production Design
- Alex Byrne
- Cast
Additional Details
- Theatre
- Swan Theatre
- Theatre company
- Royal Shakespeare Company
- Production type
- Stage Recordings
- Plays
- Macbeth
- Subjects
- Drama
- Keywords
- Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Notes
- History
- Press night 4 September 1990
- Reviews
- Billington, Michael. The Guardian (6 September 1990),
Production Company
- Name
Royal Shakespeare Company
- Web
- https://www.rsc.org.uk External site opens in new window
- Address
- Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Waterside
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
CV37 6BB
Archive
- Name
Shakespeare Birthplace Collections
- collections@shakespeare.org.uk
- Web
- https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/collections/ External site opens in new window
- Address
- Shakespeare Centre
Henley Street
Stratford-upon-Avon
CV37 6QW
How to cite this record
Shakespeare, "Two Shakespearean Actors". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av38154 (Accessed 31 Oct 2025)