Ben Jonson and Theatre is an investigation and celebration of Jonson’s plays from the point of view of the theatre practitioner as well as the teacher. Reflecting the increasing interest in the wider field of Renaissance drama, this book bridges the divide by debating how Jonson’s drama operates in performance. Ben Jonson and Theatre includes: discussions with and between practitioners essays on the staging of the plays edited transcripts of interviews with contemporary practitioners This radical re-evaluation of Jonson’s theatre is original and innovative in both form and content. It explores the vibrant relationship between actors, directors and academics in their approachers to Jonson. In an effort to open the repertoire to the diversity of Jonson’s work, attention is given to rehearsal methods, workshop practices, design, directing, marketing, marginalised theatre history, and all these are considered in the light of recent critical theory. The volume includes contributions from Joan Littlewood, Sam Mendes, John Nettles, Simon Russell-Beale and Geoffrey Rush, Oscar-winning actor for Shine .