4 - Tyrone Guthrie

Summary

Tyrone Guthrie's theatrical designs frequently incorporated early modern features. Historical accuracy was not, however, his primary concern. There was “no need” in his view for “an exact replica of the Globe Theatre.” Instead his chief goal in imitating the Elizabethans was “to make the contact between players and audience as intimate as possible” (“The Theatres” 9). He believed that theater was descended from ancient religious ceremonies, and the placement of the public in close proximity to the playing area created a sense of unity that enhanced what he perceived as the sacramental quality of drama. This concern led him to become a major proponent, in both theory and practice, of the “open stage.” For Guthrie this term referred to “an auditorium arranged not in front of the stage, but, to a greater or less extent, wrapped around the stage.” He distinguished between an “Arena” format, where the audience completely surrounds the playing area, and a “Thrust” or “Open” model, in which the public only partially encircles the platform. Guthrie believed that the presence of spectators on three sides of the stage created a “social, shared aspect of performance,” through which the public is constantly “reminded that one and all are sharing the same occasion, taking part in the same rites” (Guthrie, “Do We Go” X3).

While Guthrie frequently employed an Elizabethan-style permanent set and sometimes experimented with the early modern convention of “universal lighting,” his major influence in the recovery of Shakespearean staging was as a founder of the open-stage movement. The thrust configuration is generally considered to have been a key feature of early modern theaters. The new Globe in London and the reconstructed Blackfriars in Staunton, Virginia both place audience on three sides in an arc of approximately 180° from the front of each theater's frons scenae. In his most famous performance space, the original tent at Stratford, Guthrie pursued a more circular form by arranging the public in a 240° crescent (Somerset xiv). This allowed him to better imitate those ancient celebrations which had been enacted in the round.