Myths and Mystery Cycles

Synopsis: Radio programme. Presenter John Sessions unravels the story of a research project that is rewriting the history and context of early English drama. The Records of Early English Drama (REED), established by academic Alexandra Johnston, is seeking to establish the broad context from which Shakespeare and his contemporaries’ drama grew, through detailed examination of church and court records. Sessions follows REED scholars into the archives, talks to them about the scale and discipline of their work and asks professor Peter Holland and actor Mark Rylance what all this new evidence does to their understanding and performance of early English theatre.
Series: Sunday Feature
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Radio
Transmission details: 12 Sep 2010 at 22:00 (Channel: BBC Radio 3)
Duration: 45 mins

Production type: Documentary/Educational/News
Keywords: history of the 16th century; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); theatre history

Notes: For more information on the REED project see http://www.reed.utoronto.ca/index.html (accessed 11/2010)
General: The programme dispels with a number of myths. The notion of touring players wheeling into an Innyard and setting up their performance appears to be entirely fiction. Players would go where they were invited. Their touring journeys were highly organised. (BBC Radio 3 Programme Information).

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