In Search of a Theater: Staging Byron'sCain

It has long been known that closet dramas can be staged; nonetheless, a general perception remains that the closet and the stage are fundamentally opposed. Questions continue as to whether the closet has a place on stage, and if so, where exactly that place is. What are the best possible stage‐representations of closet dramas? Where and how do the most rewarding performances of closet dramas take place? Where in between page and stage are closet dramas located and how does this location translate into performance? By recounting specific aspects of the process of staging a dramatic reading of Lord Byron's Cain – A Mystery, and relating them to questions of theatrical performance, genre, and the audience's imagination, this article argues that the dramatic closet is in fact located on stage, and inhabits a place that lies outside of traditional theatrical performance – a place that can only be found in practice, by staging closet dramas.