Read Not Dead is a multi-decade project run by Shakespeare’s Globe, one in which we plan to perform every single ‘unknown’ play that has survived in print, from the accession of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558, to the closing of the theatres in 1642.

Some plays from history deserve to be read, not dead.

With this in mind, in 1995 the Read Not Dead series was born, launched by Patrick Spottiswoode (Director, Globe Education). Over the last 25 years, the project has seen over 240 readings of ‘forgotten’ plays, staged by professional actors.

In recent years, these script-in-hand performances have found a home in our Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, but prior to 2014 they took place in the Nancy Knowles Lecture Theatre and other spaces on the Globe’s London campus. The project has also been known to head out on tour via our Read Not Dead: On The Road series – locations so far have included London’s Inns of Court, Penshurst Place and Gardens (Kent) and Latitude and Wilderness Festivals.

Revived in front of a live audience, these play readings are always instinctive and adrenaline-driven, as actors and audience share in the excitement of unearthing a work of art.

‘[It’s] a shared spirit of excitement and adventure between actors and audiences, because together they realise they are hearing a play that perhaps hasn’t been performed for 400 years. They might be uncovering a hidden gem.’

– Patrick Spottiswoode, Founder, Globe Education

The rules of the project have always been simple, experimental, and completely unique. Whilst approaching one individual play, the group does so within one single day.

In the morning, the company meets for the first time and throughout the day they work with a Director and experiment with props and costume. Often music is also composed within the short time-frame, too. By the afternoon, the play is put up on its feet and presented as a script-in-hand performance to a live audience.

Each year, a spin-off, Read Not Dead: Back By Popular Demand saw four pairs of directors and academics ‘compete’ against each other to stage a revived play from previous years. The last performance of the season, the event always sold-out quickly and was a must-see for Read Not Dead fans.