Staging A Revenge - The New Jacobean Theatre

Shakespearian drama is strongly associated with The Globe - all the more so since Sam Wanamaker's reconstruction was completed on London's Southbank 16 years ago. But the outdoor "Wooden O" was only part of the story.

The ambition of Shakespeare's company was also for an indoor theatre to alternate with the open spaces - a theatre that was intimate, candlelit, more sophisticated and attractive to a high-paying audience.

Now such a theatre has been built next door to The Globe, completing Sam Wanamaker's original vision for a pair of theatres - one for summer and one for winter.

The opening production is The Duchess of Malfi. John Webster's classic play was originally performed on the stage of the Blackfriars (the first professional indoor theatre in London.) How did the intimate, candlelit space contribute to the dark intensity of Webster's revenge tragedy?

Isabel Sutton finds out, with the help of Dominic Dromgoole, Farah Karim-Cooper, Jonathan Bate, Tiffany Stern, Peter McCullough and Eve Best.

Producer: Susan Marling

A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.

Isabel Sutton previews the new indoor Jacobean theatre on London's Southbank.