Shakespeare on Radio

Summary

These observations are based on my experience of eighteen years at the BBC (mainly in educational broadcasting), during which time I worked on some fourteen Shakespearian productions, along with other important plays, poetry features, and literary commentaries. I aim at describing the particular advantages that radio offers, while taking into account the obvious disadvantages of a non-visual form of presentation. There are certain problems which producer, actors, and technical staff must solve; decisions to be made about the use of effects, music, and radiophonics. Most important, of course, are the specialized approach of actors to the text in question, the techniques that must be developed, and the virtues of an experienced company working together over years rather than months on many different plays: tragedies, comedies, histories and romances.

Hamlet's advice to the Players is as pertinent for radio as it is in the theatre. Of course the speech should come trippingly, and tearing a passion to tatters is all the more agonizing when only the ear and imagination are engaged: there should be no vocal sawing of the air. Just as too much 'business' on stage can disturb the flow of action and destroy the rhythms particular to tragedy and comedy as well as significantly distracting attention from the words, so too many aural tricks, over-elaborate effects, too much use of ingenious radiophonics or of music, can upset the delicate balance of a performance of Shakespeare on radio.