The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 16.1923  Tuesday, 22 November 2005

From: 		Christopher Baker <
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Date: 		Monday, 21 Nov 2005 17:34:22 -0500
Subject: 	Empty Stage?

At the end of act four of The Tempest, the stage direction reads 
"Exeunt."  Act five begins when Prospero returns wearing his magic 
robes.  Is there thus a moment when the stage is literally empty?  How 
frequent are empty stages in the plays? My understanding of Elizabethan 
performance is that there was a fairly rapid and seamless transition 
between scenes/acts which would seem to have prevented a vacant stage at 
any point in a production.

Chris Baker

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