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This entry provides insight into the foundation of the Reduced Shakespeare Company (RSC), a Californian 3-man comedy troupe who have created 11 stage shows to date, which encompass abridged, fast-paced versions of substantial, serious topics. Its focus is on the company’s inaugural source of adaptation and the subject to which they have regularly returned throughout their 39-year existence: Shakespeare’s plays, life, and legacy. Using first-hand interviews with company founders and members, the entry explores their roots in nineteenth-century burlesque and vaudeville, origins at Renaissance Faires during the 1980s, and examines the function of their name and onstage dynamic as a trio. The “other” RSC have reached a global audience and represent a fascinating American tale of how a small-scale, open-air troupe gradually expanded into a highly successful theater brand. Through their blend of vaudevillian humor, pop culture references, audience involvement, metatheatrical...
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References
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Hatfull, R. (2020). Reduced Shakespeare Company. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Shakespeare. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99378-2_3-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99378-2_3-1
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