Abstract
This practice-as-research study explores the potential of biophilic staging modes to enhance Shakespeare’s liveness in performance. The paper draws on three biophilic case studies: open-air eco-theatre in Botanica Lumina: Twelfth Night (Shakespeare South, 2021–2022), ‘dynamic proscenium’ staging inMuch Ado About Nothing (Murdoch University, 2023), and reconstructed early modern/immersive theatre in Cymbeline, or, Imogen (Burning House/Heartstring Productions, 2024). Each production harnessed different biophilic design ‘cues’ to capture audience attention and enhance the audience’s affective experience of play and place. Arguing for greater consideration of lively materialities within physical dramaturgy and scenography, it asks how Shakespeare’s plays can continue to be reinvented within the theatre ecosystem to ‘live’ more impactfully through performance.