Editor’s Letter

Niamh

‘Drama is not an immutable medium - reductively consigned to traditional modes of conceptualisation and construction. Audiences and readers change over time, and with that the evocations of a piece also evolve. However, and what makes this issue so thought-provoking, tradition is still present in the dramatic form - whether pervasive or minute. From traditional plot conventions (the influences of the tragic and comedic genres), to the way speech is written/spoken (such as monologues, stichomythia and asides amongst others) and the palpable presence of the stage, drama is rooted in tradition. This is not to say tradition is always followed; many pieces of drama play with tradition to achieve their desired effect. This issue has allowed the interrogation of how drama interweaves, or fragments, the bond between its art and traditional practice. The submission for the drama section perfectly encapsulates this exploration. In a review of Jamie Lloyd’s production of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, Alice Kemp looks at how the interplay between tradition and contemporisation took centre stage - ‘Putting the “Rad” in Traditional’. 

Hope you enjoy reading!’


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Putting the ‘Rad’ in Traditional: Jamie Lloyd’s Production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’