At Excelsia, we’re dedicated to advancing arts education through innovative methods. Our Director of Learning and Teaching, Dr Daniel Johnston, is working on a novel perspective on Shakespeare in his latest manuscript-in-progress, Shakespeare and Phenomenology: Being on the Early Modern Stage. The book uses phenomenology – a study of how we experience reality – to explore Shakespeare’s plays in relation to contemporary theatre.
Dr Johnston is examining Shakespeare’s portrayal of ‘Being-in-the-world’, a concept that describes our interactions with our surroundings through embodied consciousness. He argues that Shakespeare’s plays do more than tell stories; they serve as deep philosophical explorations of existence, employing the stage to blur the lines between reality and imagination.
The study explores how Shakespeare uses stage space and fictional places to question the boundaries between the world and the stage. Dr Johnston investigates how temporality is fluid in Shakespeare’s works, challenging conventional understandings of past, present, and future. He also considers how bodies and atmosphere create emotional resonance, together with themes of touch, sight, authenticity, and selfhood.
The book will provide practical advice for modern theatre practitioners, suggesting ways to make Shakespeare’s themes relevant today. It builds on Dr Johnston’s previous work – Theatre and Phenomenology: Manual Philosophy (2017) and Phenomenology for Actors: Theatre-Making and the Question of Being (2021) – by enhancing the application of phenomenology in theatre to create performances that are both intellectually engaging and emotionally resonant.
Dr Johnston’s insights not only deepen our understanding of Shakespeare but also offer tools for actors and theatre companies to connect more profoundly with audiences today. This approach encourages theatre-makers to bridge the gap between the early modern context of Shakespeare’s world and the contemporary realities of modern viewers.
Shakespeare and Phenomenology: Being on the Early Modern Stage is currently scheduled to be published in 2025.
Learn more about our arts courses here and discover how you can apply these cutting-edge insights to enhance your craft and connect with audiences in meaningful ways.
