The Theatre of Drottningholm - Then and Now

’[…] this highly enjoyable and beautifully illustrated book’Tinothy De Paepe, Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Theatre Research Vol 30 No 1-2, 2015

“This fine book […] meets the needs of several types of readers.”“To their credit, Sauter and Wiles address each of these potential readers. They invite us, chapter by chapter, to experience the historical context and artistic qualities of Drottningholm Theatre.” (Professor Thomas Postlewait, Affiliate Professor in Theatre History, University of Washington)

“The 18th-century court theatre at Drottningholm is one of the best preserved Baroque-style theatres in Europe, and since its rediscovery in 1921 has had the most active program of performances. Although much has been written about the architecture and stage technology, Willmar Sauter and David Wiles’s book is the first to truly investigate the total social, political, and aesthetic realm in which it existed. Most importantly, it examines what the performance experience would have been—for performer and spectator alike—both in the 18th century and today. Notions of authenticity and historical accuracy, particularly in regard to acting, are thoroughly and provocatively scrutinized, with reverberations that will be felt from Bayreuth to the rebuilding of Shakespeare’s Globe.” (Arnold Aronson, Professor of Theatre, Columbia University)

“This book offers a truly original and fresh approach to the life of the Theatre of Drottningholm. One feels the authors love for the theatre and as they enthusiastically share their knowledge with others, professionals and tourists alike.The two authors complement each other in a wonderful way and so together they are able to cover numerous aspects of this beautiful court theatre and its artists. The history of the building itself blends with the history of acting and so the well-designed book deals with architecture, scenography, costumes, lighting, directing, and arts in general. The extensive description of court life during the reign of Gustav III illustrates the setting which inspired 18th-century artists from many countries and still stimulates further research.” (Eric Alexander, former director of the Amsterdam Theatre Museum)

Willmar Sauter is Professor of Theatre Studies at Stockholm University. He is a former Dean of Humanities and Head of the Research School of Aesthetics at the university, and a former President of the International Federation for Theatre Research. He has served on the board of the Drottningholm Theatre Foundation.He has written extensively on theatre history and performance methods, often focusing on the complex relationship between theatrical presentation and perceptions. As part of this interest, Sauter has conducted and published a series of surveys since 1980 on Drottningholm audience members. His publications include The Theatrical Event (2000), which is used as a classroom text in many countries.

David Wiles is Professor of Drama at the University of Exeter. He was previously Professor of Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London and was Virginia C. Gildersleeve Visiting Professor at Barnard College, University of Columbia.His main historical areas of specialism have been the theatres of Greece and Elizabethan England, focusing on themes such as performance space, masked acting, festival and the function of theatre in society. His next major research project is a study of classical acting, investigating how the works of antiquity provided actors for many centuries with a language through which they could articulate debates about the craft of acting; he aims to challenge the idea that important debates about acting only began with Stanislavski.