In 2004 the Royal Shakespeare Company produced a ground-breaking season of Spanish Golden Age plays in English which pioneered a new approach to translating these works for the modern stage. As well as a director and translator, each play was assigned an academic advisor in the belief that the quality and success of the productions would rely in part on balancing the vitality of contemporary theatre practice with respect for the original plays.The eight essays and three interviews in this book, contributed by a mixture of leading academics and renowned practitioners, explore some of the many issues that emerged from this experience - unique in British theatre history. They provide a new perspective on what it means to perform Spanish Golden Age theatre on today's English-speaking stage.