Sleep No More and the Discourses of Shakespeare Performance

Abstract

This Element focuses on Sleep No More, theatre adaptation of Macbeth produced by the British company Punchdrunk. This Element frames the Shakespeare adaptation as part of a system of ghostly citationality through which audiences understand the significance of the past in performances today. Hopkins introduces the concept of “uncanny spectatorship” to describe audience practice in Sleep No More and other performance contexts. The Element positions experiences like Sleep No More as forms of critical inquiry, and, despite its seemingly analog format, Sleep No More is discussed as a valuable site for media research. Ultimately, Sleep No More and the Discourses of Shakespeare Performance Sleep No More offers an opportunity to explore a set of concepts that are significant to the subject of Shakespeare Performance and to consider the ways in which audiences interact with bodies, spaces, text, and media.