The Structure and Functions of the Tiring-house Facade in Early Modern English Professional Playhouses

• Project/Area Number: 18K00365
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02030:English literature and literature in the English language-related
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Ichikawa Mariko 東北大学, 国際文化研究科, 名誉教授 (80142785)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2021)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
• Keywords: 劇場 / 楽屋正面壁 / ドア / カーテン / 舞台 / ステイジング / 窓

Outline of Final Research Achievements

When we consider how early modern English plays were staged in the London professional playhouses of the time, one crucial factor is the number of openings in the tiring-house wall. Early modern stage directions provide three stage directions that refer explicitly to three doors. Some stage historians, however, do not think these directions reliable. By examining stage directions in the extant plays written between 1580 and 1642, I have found other directions indicating more than two doorways. These examples could support the reliability of the three explicit stage directions. I have written three articles about these new findings.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

国内国外ともに、近代初期イギリス劇の研究者の大方は文学批評や文化研究等に携わっている。そうした研究を直接的ないしは間接的に支える基礎学問の中に、オリジナル・ステイジング研究を含む演劇史の分野がある。本研究が扱う楽屋正面壁の構造の諸問題は、近代初期イギリス劇の各台詞やト書きの意味を解釈する際、ひいては、各シーンや劇全体の議論において、極めて重要な前提ないしは要素となる。したがって、それらの解明はオリジナル・ステイジングの研究のみならず、現行版本の編纂、文学批評や文化研究等にも貢献することができる。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] “All the Doores”: A Stage Direction Indicating More than Two Stage Doors (2022)
  • Author(s): Mariko Ichikawa
  • Journal Title: Theatre Notebook: A Journal of the History and Technique of the British Theatre Volume: 76
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] “At Three Doores”, “At Three Seuerall Doores”, and “At the Middle Dore”: Three Stage Directions Referring to Three Stage Doors (2020)
  • Author(s): Mariko Ichikawa
  • Journal Title: Theatre Notebook: A Journal of the History and Technique of the British Theatre Volume: 74 Pages: 82-98
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] 'The Tire-house doore and Tapistrie betweene': What is the Location Implied in this Phrase? (2019)
  • Author(s): Mariko Ichikawa
  • Journal Title: Shakespeare Studies Volume: 57 Pages: 1-18
  • Peer Reviewed