Shakespeare in the Light convenes an accomplished group of scholars, actors, and teachers to celebrate the legacy of renowned Shakespearean and founder of the American Shakespeare Center, Ralph Alan Cohen. Each contributor pivots off a production at the ASC’s Blackfriars Playhouse to explore Cohen’s abiding passion, the performance of the plays of William Shakespeare under their original theatrical conditions. Whether interested in early modern theatre history, the teaching of Shakespeare to high school students, or the performance of Shakespeare in twenty-first century America, each essay sheds light on the professing of Shakespeare today, whether on the page, on the stage, or in the classroom. Guided by the spirit of “universal lighting” – so central to the aesthetic of the American Shakespeare Center – Shakespeare in the Light illuminates the impact that the ASC and its founder have made upon the teaching, editing, scholarship, and performance of Shakespeare today.

Contributions by: Amy R. Cohen, Alan Armstrong, Mary Hill Cole, Matthew Davies, Patrick Dooley, Andrew Gurr, Marlena Hobson, Farah Karim-Cooper, John Harrell, James Keegan, Jeremy Lopez, Russ McDonald, Paul Menzer, Sally Parrish Southall, Patrick Spottiswoode, Tiffany Stern, Evelyn Tribble, Jim Warren, George Walton Williams