British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

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

Credits

Producer
Tom Alban
Contributor
John Sessions; Mark Rylance; Peter Holland

Additional Details

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

Notes

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).

Production Company

Name

BBC

Notes
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Archive

Name

British Library Sound Archive

Email
listening@bl.uk
Web
http://www.bl.uk/nsa External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7412 7676
Fax
020 7412 7441
Address
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB

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