About
Our AHRC-funded project, Atmospheric Theatre: Open-Air Performance and the Environment, explores how written and performed open-air drama might help to raise awareness of air quality and atmospheric conditions. Our project has focused mainly on the drama of William Shakespeare, which is often performed at open-air venues. Through our research, we have identified the importance that questions of air quality and/or airy spaces and characters acquire within many of his plays, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. This website contains a range of educational resources based on that research – including lesson plans and associated materials – that can be used to teach high-school pupils about the significance of aerial themes and environments in Shakespeare’s drama. You will also find video interviews in which open-air theatre directors and performers discuss their experience of performing plays by Shakespeare and other dramatists outdoors, as well as various related resources for exploring open-air theatre practice.
