William Poel

William Poel (22 July 1852 – 13 December 1934) was an English actor, theatrical manager and dramatist best known for his presentations of Shakespeare.

At St. George's Hall, London, in 1881 he revived Hamlet, using the text of the first quarto and doing without scenery.

For incidental music he worked initially with Arnold Dolmetsch, then later with Rosabel Watson.

The National Portrait Gallery contains a number of pictures by Henry Tonks of Poel in the role as Father Keegan in G. B. Shaw's play John Bull's Other Island.

The Society for Theatre Research's project has constantly evolved and is now known as the Poel Workshops, but still keeps to its aims of the text-centric and verse-faithful to the plays of Shakespeare.