From Close Reading to Close Watching: Watching Myself Watching Acting

In this article, Shand proposes that a play's text is prescriptive but not restrictive by watching 'through the eyes of the actor'. He destabilises the notion of 'viewing theatre as a product' and encourages viewing theatre as a process by focussing as audience member on performance possibilities for Miranda from The Tempest , who is deemed a 'central yet marginalized character.' Shand offers Miranda's sleep as an example: the Miranda-actor could play this as a blissful or restless sleep, significantly altering the scene. This is also affected by directorial choices for example, during the introduction of Ferdinand; most productions omit Miranda from this scene, whereas John Hirsch removes her and Prospero temporarily, bringing her on later by sleepwalking. The article continues by discussing Miranda's silence, when Ferndinand laments over the shipwreck, and offers many possibilities surrounding her silence, which in turn, creates polarised interpretations of the character; she could either be played as a chaste, silent, oppressed character, or a self-confident, defiant one. Shand's approach offers an exciting, different way of watching that encourages an active and rewarding spectatorship.