Literary studies: plays and playwrights Books

Book SynopsisThis book is an accessible guide through the many twists and turns of Euripides' Children of Heracles, providing several frameworks through which to understand and appreciate the play. Children of Heracles follows the fortunes of Heracles' family after his death. Euripides confronts characters and audience alike with an extraordinary series of plot twists and ethical challenges as the persecuted family of refugees struggles to find asylum in Athens before taking revenge on its enemy Eurystheus. It is a fast-paced story that explores the nature of power and its abuse, focusing on the appropriate treatment and behaviour of the powerless and the obligations and limitations of asylum. The audience must continually re-evaluate the play's moral dimensions as the characters respond to complications that range from the fantastic to the frighteningly realistic.Yoon situates Children of Heracles in its literary context, showing how Euripides constructs a unique kind of tragiTrade ReviewYoon opens up this play’s neglected riches in crisp, lucid, and precise prose. * Greece & Rome *With [an] earnest and well-executed plea for readers and theatre-goers to appreciate this relatively neglected play for what it has to offer rather than succumb to the weight of a long, but receding, history of negative critical reception, Yoon fulfils the aims of a Bloomsbury Companion admirably. * The Classical Review *Table of ContentsList of figures Preface Chapter 1: Action and expectation Chapter 2: Summing the parts Chapter 3: Heracles and other imagined figures Chapter 4: The power of the weak Chapter 5: Then and now Appendix: Fragments Selected chronology Guide to Further Reading Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisUnusual Stories, Unusually Told celebrates some of the boldest contemporary American voices with seven plays from Clubbed Thumb''s Summerworks. Spanning 2001 to 2019 and accompanied by artist interviews and reflections on the work, this anthology presents a vital survey of formally inventive 21st century playwriting, and is a perfect collection for study and performance. U.S. Drag by Gina GionfriddoA serial killer named Ed stalks the city, luring his victims by asking for help. To protect themselves, a group of New Yorkers form SAFE, Stay Away From Ed. The first rule: don't help anyone. It's a matter of urban survival. Slavey by Sigrid GilmerIn which Robert and Nora, a couple on the rise, get a big promotion, a bigger house, and a brand new slave. Dot by Kate E. RyanIn which old Dot and the weird kid from the neighborhood become friends. Set in that kind of Florida town that makes you wonder: is this TV, a book, or maybe even a cabaret? Baby Screams Miracle by Clare BarTrade ReviewI've discovered so many of my favorite playwrights thanks to Clubbed Thumb, and I keep going back to their shows because I want to know who the most exciting new artists are. Theater in this country would be much less interesting without Clubbed Thumb. * Heidi Schreck, writer and star of What the Constitution Means to Me (which originated in Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks). *Clubbed Thumb is where the American theater is headed – it just doesn’t know it yet. * Amy Staats, playwright & actor *To your cherished list of warm-weather city pleasures, you should think about adding Summerworks. Now 23 years old, this staple of the East Village culturescape…allows you to say you knew certain rising playwrights before your friends did. * Ben Brantley, New York Times *A perfect summer show, a trick Clubbed Thumb seems to have mastered. The Summerworks home at the Wild Project in the East Village, with its garage-door entry open to the street, makes seeing the plays seem like a friendly invitation instead of a cultural duty. * Jesse Green, New York Times *As has become customary at Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks Festival, the cast, direction and design are top-notch, though it only costs a pittance to get in. In terms of dollars per laugh, the value here is extremely high. * Helen Shaw, Time Out NY *Table of ContentsForeword by Maria Striar, Producing Artistic Director & Co-Founder of Clubbed Thumb Each play includes the playwright's biography and additional material: Piano by Will Arbery (2018, 2019) Of Government by Agnes Borinsky (2017) Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus (2015, 2016) Baby Screams Miracle by Clare Barron (2013) Dot by Kate E Ryan (2010) Slavey by Sigrid Gilmer (2008) U.S. Drag by Gina Gionfriddo (2001)

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Book SynopsisPublished to celebrate the 30th anniversary year of Kali Theatre this is a brand new book of 30 monologues and duologues spoken by South Asian characters to be performed by actors from a South Asian/dual heritage background in auditions, workshops and acting classes. Drawn from, or adapted from the rich collection of full-length plays by women writers of South Asian descent that Kali Theatre have developed and presented over the past 30 years, this collection is a celebratory, revolutionary and necessary addition for actors and performers. From writers such as Rukhsana Ahmad and Nessah Muthy to new writers commissioned as part of Kali's SOLOS series curated during lock-down, this anthology captures a mix of powerful and original work. This vital collection features a concise history of Kali Theatre's origins and a full list of the plays that Kali Theatre has publicly presented over the past 30 years, making it a celebratory offering from one of the UK's most inspiring theatre companiTrade ReviewThis is a superb addition to the growing canon of plays exploring the diverse lives and multiple perspectives of the global majority, particularly the lives of women, and specifically celebrating the profound achievements of Kali Theatre, set up in 1991. * National Drama *I found the monologues educational, enlightening and insightful. For a South Asian performer, where culturally specific scripts are not always readily available, I feel that this could be [/] is a very useful resource. * Word Matters, The Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama *

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Book SynopsisWhat does it signify when a Shakespearean character forgets something or when Hamlet determines to ''wipe away all trivial fond records''? How might forgetting be an act to be performed, or be linked to forgiveness, such as when in The Winter''s Tale Cleomenes encourages Leontes to ''forget your evil. / With them, forgive yourself''? And what do we as readers and audiences forget of Shakespeare''s works and of the performances we watch? This is the first book devoted to a broad consideration of how Shakespeare explores the concept of forgetting and how forgetting functions in performance. A wide-ranging study of how Shakespeare dramatizes forgetting, it offers close readings of Shakespeare''s plays, considering what Shakespeare forgot and what we forget about Shakespeare. The book touches on an equally broad range of forgetting theory from antiquity through to the present day, of forgetting in recent novels and films, and of creative ways of making sense of how our world constTrade ReviewA deep and wide-ranging meditation on Shakespeare and the arts of amnesia by a master scholar at the peak of his game. -- James J. Marino, Cleveland State, USATable of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface 1. People Forgetting ‘My memory is tired’ ‘I have forgot his name’ ‘What was I about to say?’ 2. Forgiving and Forgetting / Forgetting Oneself 3. Forgetting Forgetting Forgetting about forgetting Remembering forgetting Not forgetting Remembering and forgetting Early Modern forgetting 4. Forgetting and Genre 5. Forgetting People 6. Forgetting Performance Needing forgetfulness Forgetting in performance Forgetting the plot Resisting performance as loss Not-quite-forgetting performance 7.Shakespeare Forgetting / Forgetting Shakespeare Shakespeare forgetting Forgetting Shakespeare Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhat does it signify when a Shakespearean character forgets something or when Hamlet determines to ''wipe away all trivial fond records''? How might forgetting be an act to be performed, or be linked to forgiveness, such as when in The Winter''s Tale Cleomenes encourages Leontes to ''forget your evil. / With them, forgive yourself''? And what do we as readers and audiences forget of Shakespeare''s works and of the performances we watch? This is the first book devoted to a broad consideration of how Shakespeare explores the concept of forgetting and how forgetting functions in performance. A wide-ranging study of how Shakespeare dramatizes forgetting, it offers close readings of Shakespeare''s plays, considering what Shakespeare forgot and what we forget about Shakespeare. The book touches on an equally broad range of forgetting theory from antiquity through to the present day, of forgetting in recent novels and films, and of creative ways of making sense of how our world constTrade ReviewA deep and wide-ranging meditation on Shakespeare and the arts of amnesia by a master scholar at the peak of his game. -- James J. Marino, Cleveland State, USATable of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface 1. People Forgetting ‘My memory is tired’ ‘I have forgot his name’ ‘What was I about to say?’ 2. Forgiving and Forgetting / Forgetting Oneself 3. Forgetting Forgetting Forgetting about forgetting Remembering forgetting Not forgetting Remembering and forgetting Early Modern forgetting 4. Forgetting and Genre 5. Forgetting People 6. Forgetting Performance Needing forgetfulness Forgetting in performance Forgetting the plot Resisting performance as loss Not-quite-forgetting performance 7.Shakespeare Forgetting / Forgetting Shakespeare Shakespeare forgetting Forgetting Shakespeare Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisMigrating Shakespeare offers the first study of the earliest waves of Shakespeare's migration into Europe. Charting the spread of the reception and production of his plays across the continent, it examines how Shakespeare contributed to national cultures and in some cases nation building. The chapters explore the routes and cultural networks through which Shakespeare entered European consciousness, from first translations to stage adaptations and critical response. The role of strolling players and actors, translators and printers, poets and dramatists, is chronicled alongside the larger political and cultural movements shaping nations. Each individual case discloses the national, literary and theatrical issues Shakespeare encountered, revealing not only how cultures have accommodated and adapted Shakespeare on their own terms but their interpretative contribution to the texts. Taken collectively the volume addresses key questions about Shakespeare's naturalization or reluctanTable of ContentsIntroduction: ‘Migrating Shakespeare’ by Janet Clare and Dominique Goy-Blanquet 1. “Michelangelo of tragedy”: Shakespeare’s tortuous Italian routes by Maria Luisa De Rinaldis (University of Salento, Italy) 2“No stranger here”: Shakespeare in Germany by Wolfgang G. Müller (University of Jena, Germany) 3. Shakespeare at cultural crossroads: Switzerland by Balz Engler (Basel University, Switzerland) 4. Opening the book: the disclosure of Shakespeare in the Netherlands by Detlef Wagenaar (Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands) 5. Jean-François Ducis, global passeur: Shakespeare’s migration in Continental Europe by Michèle Willems (University of Rouen, France) 6. No profit but the name’: the Polish reception of Shakespeare’s plays by Anna Cetera-Wlodarczyk (University of Warsaw, Poland) 7. ‘From migration to naturalisation: Shakespeare in Russia by Marina P. Kizima (Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Russia) 8. Trade routes, politics and culture: Shakespeare in Sweden by Per Sivefors (Linnaeus University, Sweden) 9. The mirror and the razor: Shakespeare’s arrival in Spain by Keith Gregor (University of Murcia, Spain) 10. Migrating with migrants: Shakespeare and the Armenian diaspora by Jasmine Seymour (Armenian Shakespeare Association) 11. Shakespeare in Greece: from Athens to Constantinople and beyond by Mara Yanni (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece) Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisPlays from Romania: Dramaturgies of Subversion reflects the diversity of dramatic writing exploring the past and present of Romania, and takes stock thirty years after the collapse of communism. In addition to plays originally written in Romanian, the collection includes work by German, Hungarian and Roma authors born and/or working in Romania, and brings together plays written during the communist period and its aftermath. The plays included in the collection, edited and translated by Jozefina Komporaly and fully published for the first time in English, demonstrate broad variety in terms of form and content ranging from family dramas to allegories, and absurdist experiments to modular texts rooted in open dramaturgy and are the work of both individual playwrights and the results of collective creation. These works share a preoccupation with critically reflecting urgent concerns rooted in Romanian realities, and are notable dramaturgical experiments that push the boundaries ofTrade ReviewA diverse, potent collection of play texts that reveal some of the more complex and lesser-known facets of Romanian theatre culture and recent history … These playwrights have loud, interesting voices. Now that their intense, funny, bleak and thoughtful plays are accessible to Anglophone theatre makers, readers and audiences – in a series of sharp, versatile translations that range in tone and register from furiously hard-nosed to softly lyrical – I hope they are heard. * European Literature Network: Riveting Reviews *Acts as a manifesto volume of sorts – it offers various forms of dramatic expression hailing from Romania and admirably includes texts by ethnic Hungarian and Roma authors, two minorities that have played and continue to play an important role in local history … This volume is an important work of reference for anyone interested in theatre arts, and those studying contemporary performance will do well if they rely on this impressive publication. * BookHub Romania (Bloomsbury Translation) *The plays offer an impressive thematic and formal range, including verse and chorus-based works, and works that speak to their immediate contexts, as well as to broader human experiences … This is accomplished and important work. It will appeal to practitioners and scholars of theatre, and it will enrich courses on dramaturgy, directing, theatre translation and European theatre and culture. * Theatre Research International *Not only a literary, cultural, and critical tour de force, but also a collection in which every single piece – every single page really – represents an exquisite instance of playwriting in splendid English translation … An irresistible, must-have page-turner. * Asymptote Journal *Fills a considerable gap in our understanding and evaluation of Romania's theatrical present. Komporaly’s extensive knowledge of the past and present intricacies of Romanian theatre is reflected not only in her detailed introduction but also in the selection of plays that appear in the volume … An extraordinary range of works. * BASEES Newsletter *Komporaly has raised a spotlight on theatre in Romania and its multilingual, subversive perspectives from bold transnational artists making sense of historical abuses and imagining how to bravely move to new futures. * Hopscotch Translation *A triumph … [Gives] theater academics the tools and textual testimony to subvert and invent a new sense of what contemporary plays and dramaturgies could be … This anthology is a substantial contribution to scholars dedicated to Romanian theater or Eastern European studies and initiates first-time readers into contemporary Romanian theatrical work. * Central European Cultures *Table of Contents1. General Introduction 2. Lowlands ('Niederungen') by Herta Müller, adapted for the stage by Mihaela Panainte 3. The Spectator Sentenced to Death ('Spectatorul condamnat la moarte') by Matéi Visniec 4. The Passport ('Kalucsni') by György Dragomán 5. The Man Who Had His Inner Evil Removed ('Omul din care a fost extras raul') by Matéi Visniec 6. Stories of the Body (Artemisia, Eva, Lina, Teresa) ('A test történetei') by András Visky 7. Sexodrome by Giuvlipen Theatre Company (Mihaela Dragan, Antonella Lerca Duda, Nicoleta Ghita, Zita Moldovan, Bety Pisica, Oana Rusu, Raj Alexandru Udrea), based on a concept by Bogdan Georgescu.

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Book SynopsisMe jumping out of the van, was the beginning of a very bad day for me. I just didn't know it, but I was going to know it, in about four minutes, I was going to know, fer trut.2020. Delroy is arrested on his way to the hospital.Filled with anger and grief, he recalls the moments and relationships that gave him hope before his life was irrevocably changed.Written in response to their play Death of England, Death of England: Delroy is a new standalone work by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams, which follows a Black working-class man searching for truth and confronting his relationship withWhite Britain.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere of Death of England: Delroy, at the National Theatre in 2020. The production was the first play to reopen the theatre following the Coronavirus pandemic.Trade ReviewImpassioned and insightful * The Stage *A blazing performance snuffed out too soon * Telegraph *In this furious, funny shout of a play, one black Londoner explores the racism encoded both in British institutions and in his relationships with his white best friend and girlfriend. It’s an urgent, timely solo work, performed with firecracker energy and a blend of charm and rage * Evening Standard *A commanding physical performance * Times *Dyer and Williams have delivered a play we urgently need, and one we’ll likely be talking about for years to come, when the closure of London’s theatres will be a distant memory * Time Out *The writing glitters ... brash and brilliant theatre * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisThis collection brings together emerging and established scholars to explore fresh approaches to Shakespeare's best-known play. Hamlet has often served as a testing ground for innovative readings and new approaches. Its unique textual history surviving as it does in three substantially different early versions means that it offers an especially complex and intriguing case-study for histories of early modern publishing and the relationship between page and stage. Similarly, its long history of stage and screen revival, creative appropriation and critical commentary offer rich materials for various forms of scholarship. The essays in Hamlet: The State of Play explore the play from a variety of different angles, drawing on contemporary approaches to gender, sexuality, race, the history of emotions, memory, visual and material cultures, performativity, theories and histories of place, and textual studies. They offer fresh approaches to literary and cultural analysis, offer Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Series Preface Introduction: Sonia Massai (King’s College London) and Lucy Munro (King’s College London) Chapter 1: Hamlet’s Touch of Picture: Kaara L. Peterson (Miami University, USA) Chapter 2: Remembering Ophelia: Theatrical Properties and the Performance of Memory in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Kathryn M. Moncrief (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA) Chapter 3: “Tragedians of the City”: Hamlet and Urban Exile: Kelly Stage (University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA) Chapter 4: Code Black: Whiteness and Unmanliness in Hamlet: David Sterling Brown (SUNY Binghamton, USA) Chapter 5: Character Fictions in Hamlet: Jay Farness (Northern Arizona University, USA) Chapter 6: Q1 Hamlet and the Sequence of Creation of the Texts: Charles Adams Kelly (Howland Research) and Dayna Leigh Plehn (Howland Research, USA) Chapter 7: The Hamlet First Quarto: Traces of Performance?: William Nigel Dodd (ADD, USA) Chapter 8: “You must wear your rue with a difference”: Gertrude, Ghazala, and the Sati in Haider’: Pompa Banerjee (University of Colorado, Denver, USA) Chapter 9: ‘Most Eloquent Music’ (and Multiple Texts): The 2017 Glyndebourne Opera of Hamlet : Ann Thompson (King’s College London, UK) and Neil Taylor (Roehampton University, UK) Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisFive exciting new plays for young people written specifically in response to a world in the midst of a pandemic, accompanied by a handbook from Wonder Fools theatre company with guidance for staging the plays either online or live in the space.Commissioned as part of Wonder Fools'' national participatory project Positive Stories for Negative Times, these five plays offer a variety of stories, styles and forms for ages 8-25. These original and innovative plays are:Is This A Fairytale? by Bea WebsaterA new play that rips apart the traditional fairy tale canon and turns it on its head in a surprising, inventive and unconventional way. Ages 8+Hold Out Your Hand by Chris ThorpeA dynamic text asking questions about place, where we are now and the moment we are living through. Ages 13+The Pack by Stef SmithA playful and poetic exploration about getting lost in the loneliness of your living room and trying to find your way home. Ages 13+OzTrade ReviewThe thing I love most about this selection of plays ... is the variety of themes, stories, styles and the diversity of the cast size; you can pick up this anthology and find something for a lesson, a series of workshops, an exam piece, and even a full scale production. * National Drama *If you are looking for something that will really revitalise a mid-Key Stage 3 drama unit, and require more than a desk study of a play script, then these [plays] could well be the answer. * Teaching English *Table of Contents1. Editor's Note 2. Credits and Biographies 3. Handbook 4. Is This A Fairytale? by Bea Webster 5. The Pack by Stef Smith 6. Hold Out Your Hand by Chris Thorpe 7. Ozymandias by Jack Nurse and Robbie Gordon 8. Bad Bored Women of the Rooms by Sabrina Mahfouz

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Book Synopsis25 February 1964: 22-year-old Cassius Clay, soon to be Muhammad Ali, has just won the world heavyweight boxing title. Instead of hitting the town, he chooses to celebrate in a Miami hotel room with three close friends - activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and American football star Jim Brown.This fictional account of a real night imagines what might have happened in that tiny hotel room. As the Civil Rights movement stirs outside, and the melody of ''A Change is Gonna Come'' hangs in the air, four men will emerge from that one night ready to define a new world.Kemp Powers'' award-winning debut play One Night in Miami... deftly combines the personal and the political at a pivotal moment in history; it received the Ted Schmitt Award 2013 for its world premiere, and went on to be adapted into a critically acclaimed film directed by Regina King in 2020. It is published here in Methuen Drama''s Modern Classics series with a brand new introduction by Matthew Xia.Trade ReviewCrackling good dialogue and timely themes … Powers weaves together multiple strains of plot and character with a seasoned pro’s skill. His mission to present a believable slice-of-life with contemporary resonance is, like Clay’s, achieved in a decisive knockout. * Variety *An astounding debut for playwright Kemp Powers … Superb across the board … breathtakingly good. There just aren’t enough superlatives. Powerful, funny, exhilarating — what a play. * ArtsBeatLA *In less than ninety minutes, a long, difficult chapter of American history seems to sweep by. The mind keeps flashing back and forward, even as the play grips us with the immediacy of the hotel room. Great theater hits you hard and in many places. That’s exactly what you get from the powers of this play. * Baltimore Sun *

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Book SynopsisTanika Gupta's epic drama pushes the boundaries of verbatim theatre, telling an important story in a fresh and authentic way never seen on stage before. A rousing piece of work. - Greg Walker, University of Edinburgh, UKBased on the true story of Tanika Gupta''s great uncle, Lions and Tigers follows 19-year-old Dinesh Gupta''s emotional and political awakening as a freedom fighter pitting himself against the British Raj.Drawn from family stories that the playwright herself heard from early childhood, the play teems with details drawn from her grandfather's 500-page handwritten journal about his younger brother, and from the 92 letters written by her great uncle from his prison cell.Set against the backdrop of negotiations between the leaders of the Indian National Congress and culminating in actions that shook the very foundations of the British Empire, Lions and Tigers challenges our assumptions about Indian independence and offers powerful new insights intTrade ReviewAn ambitious, driving play... Lions and Tigers is a political history as much as it is a personal one, and it swings from dense history lecture to intimate storytelling, where Gupta’s writing is at its most playful and potent. -- Corrie Tan * The Guardian *A powerful new play... It's typical of the play's freshness that it looks at the role of women in the cause of independence (and acknowledges those who feel they would have to unshackle themselves from Indian men first)... An impressive piece – warm, humorous, stirring, and deeply sad. -- Paul Taylor * The Independent *Seventy years on from the partition of India, the bloody legacy of mass displacement and sectarian conflict remains. But rather than dwelling on partition’s effects, Tanika Gupta’s new play celebrates the spirit of independence that preceded it... Flashes of humour punctuate a script that doesn’t shy away from the ugly business of torture and grooming. -- Henry Hitchings * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisStephens writes dramas set in uncaring, uncompromising worlds, whose characters speak in a language at once naturalistic and yet artificially pared-down and whose uncertain attempts to assert their own identities sometimes lead to gratuitous and brutal acts of violence. - Financial TimesA fifth collection of plays by one of Britain''s most prolific contemporary playwrights, Simon Stephens, charting his work from 2011-2016, ranging from London''s Royal Court Theatre, Manchester''s Royal Exchange and Broadway. Wastwater (2011) Metaphoric, allusive, and thoroughly disturbing in its evocation of suspicion and uncertainty, Wastwater is a thought-provoking play whose quiet intensity stays with you for days its effect is like that of a ugly stone dropped into a pool, which results in constant ripples of dirty water lapping at your subconscious (Aleks Sierz)Birdland (2014) Mega-fame and limitless cash can turn a man into a monster, and Simon Stephens''s new playTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Wastwater; 3. Birdland; 4. Blindsided; 5. Song From Far Away; 6. Heisenberg

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Book SynopsisGood evening, I'm Inspector Carter. Take my case. This must be Charles Haversham! I'm sorry, this must've given you all a damn shockThe original version of the global hit play created by Mischief.After benefiting from a large and sudden inheritance, the inept and accident-prone Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society embark on producing an ambitious 1920s murder mystery. Hilarious disaster ensues and the cast start to crack under the pressure. Can they get the production back on track before the final curtain falls?This one-act version of Mischief's world famous The Play That Goes Wrong originally premiered at the Old Red LionTheatre in London in 2012. Since then, the expanded two-act version has taken the world by storm and has been performed in over 35 countries across 5 continents, winning multiple awards including the WhatsOnStage and Olivier Award for Best New Comedy plus a Tony and Drama Desk Award for Best Scenic Design of a Play.This edition featureTrade ReviewA gut busting hit * New York Times *It's as though The Mousetrap has been taken over by 'Monty Python' * WhatsOnStage *A masterpiece of malfunction * Times of London *

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Book SynopsisThe gods have much to tell us about performance. When human actors portray deities onstage, such divine epiphanies reveal not only the complexities of mortals playing gods but also the nature of theatrical spectacle itself. The very impossibility of rendering the gods in all their divine splendor in a truly convincing way lies at the intersection of divine power and the power of the theater. This book pursues these dynamics on the stages of ancient Athens and Rome as well on those of Renaissance England to shed new light on theatrical performance. The authors reveal how gods appear onstage both to astound and to dramatize the very machinations by which theatrical performance operates. Offering an array of case studies featuring both canonical and lesser-studied texts, this volume discusses work of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Plautus as well as Beaumont, Heywood, Jonson, Marlowe, and Shakespeare. This book uniquely brings together the joint perspectives of two eTrade ReviewThis work shows great erudition, since in addition to the main sources of study, there are numerous allusions to other classical and neoclassical texts. The fact that it features analysis of both tragedy and comedy is a rarity and therefore one of the volume’s strengths. Ultimately, it offers a dialogue between literature, theatre and performance, anthropology and religion in a pragmatic and reinvigorating way. Undoubtedly, it will be a work of reference for researchers of classical reception, drama performance, divinity and the English Renaissance. * The Classical Review *Performing Gods is a lively, wide-ranging, illuminating guide to the many ways in which the stories of gods and humans in classical antiquity influenced writers in the age of Shakespeare. A pleasure to read, this fine study should appeal both to the general reader and to students of Renaissance or classical literature. -- Warren Chernaik, Emeritus Professor of English, University of London, UKPerforming Gods offers a provocative argument, with richly rewarding implications for a wide range of plays … [and] does a valuable service in opening a conversation on this important topic. * The Journal of Hellenic Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Gods Take Stage Chapter One: Approaching Divinity Chapter Two: Under the Actor’s Spell: Audiences in Euripides’ Helen and Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus Chapter Three: An Actor Ascends: Status and Identity in Plautus’ Amphitruo and the Court Masque Chapter Four: Authoring Gods in Aeschylus’ Oresteia and Shakespeare’s Hamlet Chapter Five: To Die is Human, To Perform is Divine Afterword: Entertaining Gods in Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis is the first ever collection of plays by Palestinian-Irish playwright Hannah Khalil; the first woman of Arab heritage to have a main-stage play at the RSC. It encompasses a decade's worth of plays exploring her Arab heritage, drawing on family histories as well as significant events in the Arab World. They were all written during a period that included the end of the war in Iraq, the intensification of the occupation of Palestine and the birth and disillusion of the so called Arab Spring. The plays included are set in both a historical and modern context. They include a feminist take on 1001 nights and the Scheherazade story; an exploration of Gertrude Bell, the Museum in Baghdad and Britain's role in the birth of the Iraq; plus two plays looking at the Palestinian experience, one based on a family living through the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the other an epic collage that moves in time from 1948 to present day. This anthology also includes a radio play set in DubaiTrade ReviewAs a Palestinian-Irish dramatist, Khalil writes with feeling about homelessness, migration and a culture in which masculinity is equated with ownership * Michael Billington, Guardian *This new work by Palestinian/Irish playwright Hannah Khalil confirms her as a dramatist of compelling potential * Telegraph (on Scenes from 73* Years) *Table of Contents1. Foreword from Alia Al Zougbi 2. Introduction from Chris White 3. Plan D 4. Scenes from 73* Years 5. A Negotiation 6. Museum in Baghdad 7. Last of the Pearl Fishers 8. Hakawatis

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Book SynopsisThis book is open access and available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. It is funded by Knowledge Unlatched.Rethinking Theatrical Documents brings together fifteen major scholars to analyse and theorise the documents, lost and found, that produced a play in Shakespeare's England. Showing how the playhouse frantically generated paratexts, it explores a rich variety of entangled documents, some known and some unknown: from before the play (drafts, casting lists, actors' parts); during the play (prologues, epilogues, title-boards); and after the play (playbooks, commonplace snippets, ballads) though before', during' and after' intertwine in fascinating ways. By using collective intervention to rethink both theatre history and book history, it provides new ways of understanding plays critically, interpretatively, editorially, practically and textually.Trade ReviewAn invaluable contribution of Rethinking Theatrical Documents is its expansion of both what constitutes the stuff of plays and how such play stuffs were manipulated. * Early Theatre *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements Note on the Text Notes on Contributors Introduction Part One: Documents Before Performance 1 Writing a Play with Robert Daborne: Lucy Munro (King’s College, London, UK) 2 A Sharers' Repertory: Holger Syme (University of Toronto, Canada) 3 Parts and the Playscript: Seven Questions: James J. Marino (Cleveland State University, USA) 4 Undocumented: Improvisation, Rehearsal and the Clown: Richard Preiss (University of Utah, USA) Part Two: Documents of Performance 5 ‘Rethinking Prologues on Page and Stage’: Sonia Massai (King’s College, London) and Heidi Craig (The Folger Shakespeare Library, USA) 6 Title-and Scene-Boards: The Largest, Shortest Documents: Matt Steggle (Sheffield Hallam University, UK) 7 ‘What is a staged book? Books as ‘Actors’ in the Early Modern English Theatre’ (Sarah Wall-Randell, Wellesley College, USA) Part Three: Documents After Performance 8 Flowers for English Speaking: Play Extracts and Conversation: András Kiséry (The City College of New York, USA) 9 Shakespearean Extracts and the Misrepresentation of the Archive: Laura Estill (Texas A and M University, USA) 10 Typography After Performance: Claire M. L. Bourne (Pennsylvania State University, USA) 11 Shakespeare the Balladmonger: Tiffany Stern (Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, UK) Part Four: Documents Beyond Performance 12 Lost Documents, Absent Documents, Forged Documents: Roslyn Knutson (University of Arkansas, USA) and David McInnis (University of Melbourne, Australia) 13 Afterward: Peter Holland (Notre Dame University, USA) Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisNigeria, England, America, Jamaica; are you proud of where you''re from? Dark skinned, light skinned, afro, weaves, who are your true brothers and sisters?When two brothers from different continents go down the street to buy a pint of milk, they lift the lid on a disunited nation where everyone wants to be an individual but no one wants to stand out from the crowd.A debut work produced at the Royal Court''s Young Writers Festival, Gone Too Far! is a comic and astute play about identity, history and culture, portraying a world where respect is always demanded but rarely freely given.Gone Too Far! premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 2007 where it was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, 2008. It is published here in an abridged form as part of Methuen Drama''s Plays For Young People series.Trade ReviewAgbaje has an astute eye and ear and offers a different perspective to her male counterparts. * Guardian *In her remarkable debut as a playwright Bola Agbaje walks two teenage black brothers around a dilapidated London council estate. She exploits their close encounters to give us a jolting lesson about the range of identities, beliefs and anxieties concealed beneath black or blackish skins. * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisNiru is a young Bengali woman married to an English colonial bureaucrat Tom. Tom loves Niru, exoticising her as a frivolous plaything to be admired and kept; but Niru has a long-kept secret, and just as she thinks she is almost free of it, it threatens to bring her life crashing down around her. Tanika Gupta re-imagines Ibsen's classic play of gender politics through the lens of British colonialism, offering a bold, female perspective exploring themes of ownership and race. This edition is published for the first time in Methuen Drama's Plays For Young People series, aimed specifically at students aged 16-18 to perform and study.Trade ReviewMoving, multilayered and intelligent. * Guardian *Gupta is gutsy with her rewrite. The first half, in particular, may have characters corresponding to Ibsen but is far more concerned with giving a sense of the Raj as it was in the high Victorian era. * Time Out, London *Fitfully fascinating and eventually mesmerising adaptation. * The Times *

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Book SynopsisA group of teenagers do something bad, really bad, then panic and cover the whole thing up. But when they find that the cover-up unites them and brings harmony to their otherwise fractious lives, where's the incentive to put things right? DNA is a poignant and, sometimes, hilarious tale with a very dark heart.A contemporary play for younger people,DNA opened at the National Theatre in February 2008Trade ReviewTension so gripping you could almost taste it. Highly recommended. FOUR STARS * What's On Stage *A taut, compelling thriller and a modern-day spin on Lord of the Flies, exploring group behaviour and moral equivocation. * Financial Times *Dennis Kelly's short, sharp shocker of a play cleverly piles on the twists... [his] sharp, reflective writing gets inside the characters’ heads. FOUR STARS * The Guardian *Dennis Kelly's cruel teaser of a play; Anthony Banks's snappy production sets the temperature at chilling. FOUR STARS * The Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisI could fly to New York and back every day for seven years and still not leave a carbon footprint as big as if I have a child. Ten thousand tonnes of CO2. That's the weight of the Eiffel Tower. I'd be giving birth to the Eiffel Tower.'In a time of global anxiety, terrorism, erratic weather and political unrest, a young couple want a child but are running out of time. If they over think it, they'll never do it. But if they rush, it could be a disaster.They want to have a child for the right reasons. Except, what exactly are the right reasons? And what will be the first to destruct the planet or the relationship?Trade Review“Duncan Macmillan’s distinctive, off-kilter love story is brutally honest, funny, edgy and current. It gives voice to a generation for whom uncertainty is a way of life… bravely written, startlingly structured” * Guardian *Macmillan’s play is at once harrowing and blisteringly funny, bleak and redemptive...It combines hyper-real dialogue with a quirky form that expands and contracts time before our eyes, creating the almost physical sensation of being hurtled towards an uncertain future. The piece’s furious pace lives up to its title, leaving audience, and no doubt actors, feeling the need to pause for breath in a world that does not allow it. * What's On Stage *“Both uproariously funny … and unbearably poignant… an engaging and poignant piece" * Exeunt Magazine *Duncan Macmillan’s distinctive, off-kilter love story is brutally honest, funny, edgy and current. It gives voice to a generation for whom uncertainty is a way of life… bravely written, startlingly structured” -- Lyn Gardner * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisThis is the first collection from critically acclaimed playwright Duncan Macmillan, containing the plays Monster, Lungs, 2071, Every Brilliant Thing and People, Places and Things.Trade ReviewDuncan Macmillan’s cracking play is a timely and gripping dissection of parenting and responsibility… This is a play that tests your liberal instincts to the limits. * The Guardian, on Monster *An honest, original and pretty much irresistible tearjerker. * The New York Times ArtsBeat, on People, Places and Things *A woundingly intense two-hander. It is the most beautiful, quietly shattering play of the year. * The Express, on Lungs *If we look to theatre to increase our awareness of the human condition, the evening succeeds on all counts. [...] This talk, which deserves wide dissemination, is better than good: it is necessary. * The Guardian, on 2071 *Heart-wrenching, hilarious... one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression – and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see, full stop. * The Guardian, on Every Brilliant Thing *The writing is exquisitely painful. At times it feels like Macmillan has taken one of those little spoons, the ones with the serrated edge, for grapefruit, and scooped something out of you. * The Stage, on People, Places and Things *It is a rigorous but impassioned cri de coeur [...] conveyed in a single voice, founded on a lifetime's experience of the workings of the planet, it has real power. * New Scientist, on 2071 *Duncan Macmillans cracking play is a timely and gripping dissection of parenting and responsibility This is a play that tests your liberal instincts to the limits. * The Guardian on Monster *If we look to theatre to increase our awareness of the human condition, the evening succeeds on all counts. This talk, which deserves wide dissemination, is better than good: it is necessary. * The Guardian on 2071 *It is a rigorous but impassioned cri de coeur [ ] conveyed in a single voice, founded on a lifetime's experience of the workings of the planet, it has real power. * New Scientist on 2071 *Heart-wrenching, hilarious... one of the funniest plays youll ever see about depression and possibly one of the funniest plays you'll ever see, full stop. * The Guardian on Every Brilliant Thing *Duncan Macmillan's cracking play is a timely and gripping dissection of parenting and responsibility. This is a play that tests your liberal instincts to the limits. * The Guardian on Monster *One of the most powerful and painfully funny plays I've ever seen. * New York Times on People, Places and Things *Table of Contents1. Monster 2. Lungs 3. 2071 4. Every Brilliant Thing 5. People, Places And Things

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Book SynopsisHe is a Chekhov of our time: holding his characters with as much humanity, compassion, humor and love - but without holding back his scathing indictment of deeply entrenched, systemic injustices and inequities.' - David SchwimmerThe Inequalities combines three plays from British author and director Alexander Zeldin into a trilogy that tells new stories of love, compassion and resilience for our time of austerity.Contextualised with an essay before each play and an in-depth interview with the author, Zeldin's three pieces present intimate stories of work, home and community in a radical form of realism. Written after extensive research across the United Kingdom, and involving people affected by the central themes of the plays, The Inequalities goes beyond social chronicle, achieving a timeless portrait of humanity under duress. This is theatre that goes behind the mirror of our time to reveTrade ReviewThis is the National's play of the year - and then some * Evening Standard on LOVE *This desolate, quietly intense devised drama gets under your skin and into your bones... unforgettable * The Times on Beyond Caring *Gripping, amusing, uncomfortable, desperately moving. Zeldin shows us friction…but also kindness and dignity and lots of love without turning sugary * The Times (on Love) *Table of Contents1. Foreword by Rufus Norris 2. Introductory essay to Beyond Caring 3. BEYOND CARING 4. The Beyond Caring Bookshelf 5. Introductory essay to LOVE 6. LOVE 7. The LOVE Bookshelf [1pp] 8. Introductory essay to FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY 9. FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY [96pp] 10. The FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY Bookshelf [1pp] 11. Interview with Alexander Zeldin on Process, edited by Faye Merralls

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Book SynopsisSeven exciting new plays for young people written specifically in response to a world in the midst of a pandemic, accompanied by a handbook from Wonder Fools with guidance for staging the plays, and other creative responses, either online or live in the space.Commissioned as part of Wonder Fools'' national participatory project Positive Stories for Negative Times: Season 2, these plays offer a variety of stories, styles and forms for ages between 6 and 25.Spyrates 2 (Spies vs Pirates): Journey to the Forbidden Island by Robbie Gordon & Jack NuseFeaturing spies, pirates, robots, talking animals and everything in between, ''Spyrates'' is an interactive, playful and imaginative adventure story. Ages 6+At First I Was Afraid (I Was Petrified!) by Douglas Maxwell A feel-good comedy drama about a girl who keeps a diary of all her anxieties; but as she moves from Primary School to Secondary, from normal life to Lockdown, all of her worries appear to come true. Ages 11 +Table of ContentsAbout the Project Editor’s Note About Wonder Fools About the Traverse Creative Team Biographies The Handbook Steps of the process 1. Pick your play 2. Prepare your process 3. Create an open, safe and inclusive space 4. Build a creative and environment to work in 5. Form positive relationships through active listening, storytelling and discussion 6. Explore the play 7. Make a response 8. Upload your work 9. Share and celebrate 10. Evaluation The Plays Spyrates (Spies vs Pirates) 2: Journey to the Forbidden Island by Robbie Gordon & Jack Nurse At First I Was Afraid… (I Was Petrified!) by Douglas Maxwell The Raven by Hannah Lavery Thanks for Nothing by The PappyShow with Lewis Hetherington Revolting by Bryony Kimmings The Skirt by Ellen Bannerman Write to Rave: Step Pon by Debris Stevenson

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Book SynopsisThe greatest American dramatist of our age. (Evening Standard)In this collected works, five of Arthur Miller''s most-produced and popular plays are brought together in a new edition, alongside an exclusive introduction by Ivo van Hove, the celebrated contemporary director of Miller''s works.All five plays were written by Miller within a ten-year period which began with his first Broadway hit, All My Sons, in 1947 which led Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times to state that ''theatre has acquired a genuine new talent.'' This was followed in 1949 by his exploration of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman, which went on to win the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.The Crucible followed in 1953, produced during the McCarthy era and becoming a parable of the witch-hunting practices of a government determined to root-out Communists. A View from the Bridge, originally performed in 1955, concerns the lives of longshoremen Table of Contents1. Introduction by Ivo van Hove 2. Introduction by Arthur Miller 3. All My Sons 4. Death of a Salesman 5. The Crucible 6. A Memory of Two Mondays 7. A View from the Bridge

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Book SynopsisSatoko Ichihara was born in Osaka in 1988 and grew up in Fukuoka Prefecture. She studied theatre at J. F. Oberlin University. Since 2011, she has led the theatre unit Q. Ichihara is known for creating and directing dramas that deal with human actions and the di scomfort of the physiological needs of the body, as well as for her distinctive use of language and physicality. Ichihara was a Junior Fellow Artist of the Saison Foundation. She won the 11th AAF Drama Award for her play Mushi Insects in 2011, and the 64th Kunio Kishida Drama Award in 2020 for her play The Bacchae Holstein 3 Milk Cows.Shiro Maeda is a Playwright, Director, Novelist, Film director, Screenwriter and Actor. Maeda founded the theatre company GOTANNDADAN in 1997 while he was a university student. He won the 52nd Kishida Drama Award for Isn't Anyone Alive? (2007). As a novelist, he won the 22nd Mishima Yukio Prize for The Mermen of Summer Water (2009) and was nominated for the 137th AkuTable of ContentsIntroduction Japanese Theatre by Playwrights of Generation X and on The Bacchae—Holstein Milk Cows Introduction to the Playwright and the Play Playwright Biography Playtext One Night Introduction to the Playwright and the Play Playwright Biography Playtext Isn’t Anyone Alive? Introduction to the Playwright and the Play Playwright Biography Playtext The Sun Introduction to the Playwright and the Play Playwright Biography Playtext Carcass Introduction to the Playwright and the Play Playwright Biography Playtext

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Book SynopsisSarah Kane was one of the landmark playwrights of 1990s Britain, her influence being felt across UK and European theatre. This is the first book to focus exclusively on Kane's unique approach to mind and mental health. It offers an important re-evaluation of her oeuvre, revealing the relationship between theatre and mind which lies at the heart of her theatrical project. Drawing on performance theory, psychoanalysis and neuroscience, this book argues that Kane's innovations generate a dramaturgy of psychic life', which re-shapes the encounter between stage and audience. It uses previously unseen archival material and contemporary productions to uncover the mechanics of this innovative theatre practice. Through a radically open-ended approach to dramaturgy, Kane's works offer urgent insights into mental suffering that take us beyond traditional discourses of empathy and mental health and into a profound rethinking of theatre as a mode of thought. As such, her theatre can help usTrade ReviewSarah Kane’s Theatre of Psychic Life is an incisive and eloquent account of the necessity of Kane, the necessity of theatre, and the necessity of interdependence. Sidi’s book offers a persuasive argument for the fecundity of desolation. * anna harpin, Head of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Warwick, UK *Though Sarah Kane’s work is steeped in despair, this fascinating and compassionate book offers hope in its vision of her theatre as a place where our darkest and most intensely personal experiences are transformed into an investigation into the political and psychological landscape of our society. * Professor of Contemporary Theatre, Royal Holloway University of London, UK *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Revisiting Kane - Why Kane? - The question of biography: mental health and politics - Context: Mental Health in the 1990s: Phaedra’s Love and ‘community care plays’ Chapter 1: Plays and playing: The Dramaturgy of Psychic Life - A Starting Point: Experientialism and the mind - Dramaturgy - Theatre and thought - Psychic life and psychoanalysis - Crave with Paine’s Plough (1998): Exploring Experientialism Chapter 2: The stage as traumatic space - Kane’s Feminist Legacies: Feminist theatre and sexual trauma - Theatre as a theoretical response? PTSD and mimetic traumas - Blasted : The psychic life of sexual trauma - Blasted at the Crucible: A trauma reading Chapter 3: Rhythm, Interruption, Psychosis - Phaedra’s Love to Cleansed: A dramaturgical turning point - Dramaturgical tools: Prediction and interruption in Cleansed and Crave - A cognitive reading: Psychosis and prediction errors - Influence on Kane from Strindberg and Artaud - Cleansed at the National Theatre: Playing it against the text Chapter 4: The Mind as Theatrical Site - Crave and 4.48 Psychosis as ‘mental health’ plays - The mind-as-site - Neoliberal healthcare and psychosis: dramaturgical responses to political changes - 4.48 Psychosis at the Lyric Hammersmith: splitting the mind into space Chapter 5: RSVP ASAP - Kane and desire: What does theatre want? - Suicidality: returning to Kane’s sources - Staging desire: An apostrophic reading with Barbara Johnson - 4.48 Psychosis by the Belarus Free Theatre: Queer love and suicidality Conclusion: Looking ahead: Kane and the future of ‘mental health’ Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA work of undeniable immediacy. * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisAs one of the world's leading voice coaches, Patsy Rodenburg describes practical ways to approach language, using Shakespeare, Romantic poetry, modern prose and a range of other texts to help each of us discover our own unique need for words. In Part One Rodenburg attacks the myth that there is only one correct way to speak by clearing away the blocks that can make language inaccessible. Part Two, a series of language and text exercises, connects the voice to the shape and quality of individual words and phrases. Drawing on Rodenburg's time spent coaching in the worlds of business and politics, this edition reflects on how the way we use words has changed since the book was first published. It brings a renewed focus on the language of power, spoken in the worlds of politicians and company directors. This gives readers an insight into the potency of clear, direct communication. Language and text exercises provide readers with unmediated access to this new research, allowing them tTrade ReviewI know Patsy to be a gifted voice and speech coach. In The Need for Words she provides practical and imaginative means for getting to the heart of the text and making the necessity for the language to be strongly felt by audiences. I do recommend it to anyone who needs to use words with clarity and passion. * Trevor Nunn *Playwrights, a complacent lot, tend to think that their text says it all. Grudgingly conceding the role of the director, they still think the words speak for themselves. They don't, and in this excellent book, Patsy Rodenburg shows why. * Alan Bennett *The Need for Words is an astonishing book. It takes you on an extraordinary voyage of discovery through the worlds of language and texts. Every actor and non-actor should know it and read it. * Declan Donnellan *Table of ContentsAbout the Author Acknowledgements Foreword Antony Sher Introduction 1 Let’s Consider Shakespeare! PART ONE The Need for Words 1 Connecting with Words The Speaking Act Distrust of Words Returning to Words In the Beginning was the Word The Power of Words The Importance of Oracy The Deeper Need for Words Lost Voices Not Empty Rhetoric Native Eloquence Words are Physical 2 The Breakdown of Words Family Education Conservation The Written Word vs the Spoken Word Speaking Your Way into Writing and Reading Discussion and Debate Training Young Actors Guarding Against Quick Fixes 3 Cultural and Physical Barriers The Age of Cacophony and Image Saturation Embodiment Role Models Speaking in Public The Inability to Listen Tensions and Physical Habits as Barriers Poetry Profanity Language of Gestures Wit and Wordplay Irony and Satire The Tyranny of the Intellectual Codes and Code Breaking The Media and Tabloid Thinking Solipsism Advertising Power Talk or Don’t Talk Back The Passion-Mongers Sentimentality Fillers and Clichés Sexual Politics Political Correctness RP or Not RP RP is a Choice Overcoming the Speech Barrier PART TWO Voice and the Text 4 Finding a Voice Releasing Physical Barriers Getting ‘In Voice’ Focal Points Simple Voice Workout 5 Voice into Words and Text Connecting to a Text Experimenting with Language Sounding Real Language Exercises 6 Working Further with Texts The Marriage between Voice and Text Clues from the Great Writers The Poetry Barrier The Structure of Verse The Way Words Work Starting with Shakespeare Speaking Shakespeare’s Text Sonnets Shakespeare’s Speeches Shakespearean Prose The Verse Duet Medieval Verse Christopher Marlowe John Milton Jacobean Drama A Modern Jacobean Equivalent The Age of Pope and the Age of Reason Restoration Dialogue Oscar Wilde George Bernard Shaw Styles in Speaking Texts Greek Tragedy Edward Bond William Blake Samuel Beckett Harold Pinter Working with Song Lyrics Bad Texts Prologues and Epilogues Copyright and Permissions Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisHow can the study of Shakespeare contribute to equipping young people for the challenges of an uncertain future? This book argues for the necessity of a Shakespeare education that: finds meaning in the texts through inviting in the prior knowledge, experiences and ideas of students; combines intellectual, social and emotional learning; and develops a critical perspective on what a cultural inheritance is all about. It offers a comprehensive exploration of the educational principles underpinning theatre-based practice and explains how and why this practice can open up the possibilities of Shakespeare study in the classroom. It empowers Shakespeare educators working with young people aged 5-18 to interact critically, creatively and collaboratively with Shakespeare as a living artist.Drawing on the authors' research and experience with organizations including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare's Globe, the Folger and Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, Trade ReviewThis timely, important publication reinforces the continuing significance of Shakespeare in the school and university curriculum. It reminds students and teachers that active, creative and diverse approaches to the plays are rewarding and relevant. * Chris Green, Director of English and Drama, The Perse School, Cambridge, UK *Even as theatre companies scramble for financial footing and beloved plays become contested ground, Irish and Kitchen present a multidisciplinary case for active or embodied Shakespeare teaching. This book provides a dynamic survey of experiential, joyful and community-building theatre work for classrooms that should convince artists and teachers not to cede a curricular inch to standardized testing - or to rely exclusively on written analytic work – and instead to explore, with students, the benefits of social meaning-making with Shakespeare texts. The editors incorporate insights from social science, neuroscience and educational theorists. They profile directors of established and innovative global theatre education programs and highlight the voices of expert practitioners. Weaving together these perspectives, Irish and Kitchen create a compelling argument for theatre-based Shakespeare teaching: fundamentally intercultural and democratic by respecting students’ lives, providing academic and socio-emotional learning and encouraging critical questions of culture. * Laura Turchi, Arizona State University, USA *This is a brilliant book and a must read for all artists, educators and researchers with an interest in the teaching of Shakespeare through theatre-based pedagogies. The breadth of its theoretical grounding is remarkable and synthesises beautifully with the diverse accounts of inclusive practice that follow. The passion of the authors, grounded in knowledge and experience, shines through every page, leaving the reader in no doubt about the continuing relevance of Shakespeare to the lives of today’s young people and some of the most pressing social and cultural issues of our time. * Joe Winston, University of Warwick, UK *Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors Foreword, James Stredder Acknowledgements Note on the Text Introduction Part 1: Perspectives from Multidisciplinary Research Chapter 1: The Pedagogy Question Chapter 2: The Cultural Capital Question Chapter 3: The Literature Question Chapter 4: The Language Question Part 2: Perspectives from Organizations and Practitioners Chapter 5: Perspectives from Organizations and Practitioners: Introduction Chapter 6: Aims, Scope and Areas of Focus Chapter 7: On Teaching, Schools, and Culture Chapter 8: Why Shakespeare? Part 3: Perspectives from the Classroom Chapter 9: Perspectives from the Classroom: Introduction Chapter 10: Dirty Shakespeare: Outdoor Learning with Primary Pupils, Mary Carey (Primary School Teacher, Channel Islands) Chapter 11: How Relevant is Shakespeare in an International School Context?, Judith Berends O’Brien (Secondary School Teacher, international) Chapter 12: Macbeth: Utilising Students’ Code-Switching as a Tool for Engaging with Shakespeare at Secondary Level, Kirsty Emmerson (Secondary School Teacher, UK) Chapter 13: Salvaging the Bard: A Success Story of Theatre-based Practice for Neurodiverse Learners, Eleni Kmeic (International Theatre & Dance Project, Greece and ICON—School for the Arts, USA) Chapter 14: Transference and Integration: Using Shakespeare to Teach Composition, Carol Parker (Pikes Peak State College, USA) Chapter 15: Theatre-based Pedagogy in a 'Knowledge-based' Curriculum: Perspectives from Initial Teacher Education, Karen McGivern (Teacher Educator) Chapter 16: Much Ado about Decolonizing Shakespeare, Nobulali Dangazeli (ShakeXperience, South Africa) Epilogue References Index

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Book SynopsisHow can the study of Shakespeare contribute to equipping young people for the challenges of an uncertain future? This book argues for the necessity of a Shakespeare education that: finds meaning in the texts through inviting in the prior knowledge, experiences and ideas of students; combines intellectual, social and emotional learning; and develops a critical perspective on what a cultural inheritance is all about. It offers a comprehensive exploration of the educational principles underpinning theatre-based practice and explains how and why this practice can open up the possibilities of Shakespeare study in the classroom. It empowers Shakespeare educators working with young people aged 5-18 to interact critically, creatively and collaboratively with Shakespeare as a living artist.Drawing on the authors' research and experience with organizations including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare's Globe, the Folger and Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, Trade ReviewThis timely, important publication reinforces the continuing significance of Shakespeare in the school and university curriculum. It reminds students and teachers that active, creative and diverse approaches to the plays are rewarding and relevant. * Chris Green, Director of English and Drama, The Perse School, Cambridge, UK *Even as theatre companies scramble for financial footing and beloved plays become contested ground, Irish and Kitchen present a multidisciplinary case for active or embodied Shakespeare teaching. This book provides a dynamic survey of experiential, joyful and community-building theatre work for classrooms that should convince artists and teachers not to cede a curricular inch to standardized testing - or to rely exclusively on written analytic work – and instead to explore, with students, the benefits of social meaning-making with Shakespeare texts. The editors incorporate insights from social science, neuroscience and educational theorists. They profile directors of established and innovative global theatre education programs and highlight the voices of expert practitioners. Weaving together these perspectives, Irish and Kitchen create a compelling argument for theatre-based Shakespeare teaching: fundamentally intercultural and democratic by respecting students’ lives, providing academic and socio-emotional learning and encouraging critical questions of culture. * Laura Turchi, Arizona State University, USA *This is a brilliant book and a must read for all artists, educators and researchers with an interest in the teaching of Shakespeare through theatre-based pedagogies. The breadth of its theoretical grounding is remarkable and synthesises beautifully with the diverse accounts of inclusive practice that follow. The passion of the authors, grounded in knowledge and experience, shines through every page, leaving the reader in no doubt about the continuing relevance of Shakespeare to the lives of today’s young people and some of the most pressing social and cultural issues of our time. * Joe Winston, University of Warwick, UK *Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors Foreword, James Stredder Acknowledgements Note on the Text Introduction Part 1: Perspectives from Multidisciplinary Research Chapter 1: The Pedagogy Question Chapter 2: The Cultural Capital Question Chapter 3: The Literature Question Chapter 4: The Language Question Part 2: Perspectives from Organizations and Practitioners Chapter 5: Perspectives from Organizations and Practitioners: Introduction Chapter 6: Aims, Scope and Areas of Focus Chapter 7: On Teaching, Schools, and Culture Chapter 8: Why Shakespeare? Part 3: Perspectives from the Classroom Chapter 9: Perspectives from the Classroom: Introduction Chapter 10: Dirty Shakespeare: Outdoor Learning with Primary Pupils, Mary Carey (Primary School Teacher, Channel Islands) Chapter 11: How Relevant is Shakespeare in an International School Context?, Judith Berends O’Brien (Secondary School Teacher, international) Chapter 12: Macbeth: Utilising Students’ Code-Switching as a Tool for Engaging with Shakespeare at Secondary Level, Kirsty Emmerson (Secondary School Teacher, UK) Chapter 13: Salvaging the Bard: A Success Story of Theatre-based Practice for Neurodiverse Learners, Eleni Kmeic (International Theatre & Dance Project, Greece and ICON—School for the Arts, USA) Chapter 14: Transference and Integration: Using Shakespeare to Teach Composition, Carol Parker (Pikes Peak State College, USA) Chapter 15: Theatre-based Pedagogy in a 'Knowledge-based' Curriculum: Perspectives from Initial Teacher Education, Karen McGivern (Teacher Educator) Chapter 16: Much Ado about Decolonizing Shakespeare, Nobulali Dangazeli (ShakeXperience, South Africa) Epilogue References Index

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Book SynopsisA clique of Caribbean maroon warrior women, a general of Haiti and his right-hand man, an ex-enslaved couple reclaiming their land, a group of Black French Caribbean soldiers held captive in Portchester and their wives travelling across the Atlantic to be reunited with them. These are The Ancestors: manifesting in our world, in the hopes we can stop history repeating itself. But do we really hold the key? What dark forces are still currently at play?In October 1796 a fleet of ships from the Caribbean carrying over 2,500 prisoners-of-war, who were mostly Black or mixed-race, began to arrive in Portsmouth Harbour. By the end of that month, almost all of them were held at Portchester Castle, accompanied by their families. About 100 women and children were sent to live nearby.The Ancestors is a site-specific play by Lakesha Arie-Angelo that explores the grounds of Portchester Castle and the voices of Black revolutionaries imprisoned therein that history forgot. It was commissioned bTrade ReviewWith a large cast and a worthwhile focus, The Ancestors is perfect for school productions. * Drama & Theatre Magazine *

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Book SynopsisNominated for Outstanding Drama Education Resource at the 2024 Music & Drama Education AwardsA first-of-its-kind anthology, Beyond The Canon's Plays for Young Activists combines plays, toolkits, and an online guide to empower young people into activism. With award-winning plays from the UK's most revolutionary female writers of colour, as well as bespoke multimedia learning guides, this collection offers young global activists aged 16+, as well as teachers and creatives at any level, the opportunity to diversify their education and enhance their understanding of politically driven plays, world politics and social justice. Unique in how it amplifies these selected award-winning plays by incorporating learning guides that accommodate different learning styles (be they visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinaesthetic), Beyond The Canon dares readers to take a deeper dive into the world of the play, be inspired by the themes and provocations anTrade ReviewThese are genuinely groundbreaking plays, full of provocations and rich sources of discussion, both in and out of the classroom … The watching, studying and reading of these plays can contribute to those aspirations being realised, encourage students to take a deeper and more clear-eyed view of our shared history and cultural assumptions, and ultimately help them step out of their comfort zones. -- John Dabell * Teach Secondary Magazine *Table of Contents1. About Beyond The Canon Limited 2. Introduction by Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway 3. Introduction Sarudzayi Marufu 4. Beyond The Canon’s Top Tips for Approaching Politically Charged Plays: Creating a Safe Space 5. Interview with and Biography of Mojisola Adebayo 6. Muhammad Ali and Me by Mojisola Adebayo - Playscript 7. Muhammad Ali and Me - Learning Resource written by Award-Winning Writer and Co-Founder at Black Lives Black Words International Project, Reginald Edmund 8. Interview with and Biography of Hannah Khalil 9. A Museum in Baghdad by Hannah Khalil 10. A Museum in Baghdad - Learning Resource written by Director, Dramaturg and Education Associate for RSC Chris White 11. Interview with and Biography of Amy Ng 12. Acceptance by Amy Ng 13. Acceptance - Learning Resource Written by the Author 14. Continue the Conversation 15. References and Inspirations

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Book SynopsisThe plays of María Martínez Sierra were popular in Spain, South America and in translation on Broadway and London''s West End in the first half of the 20th century but they were thought to be written by her husband, the celebrated director and playwright Gregorio Martínez Sierra. After his death, the authorship of his work was revealed to be that of María, making her one of the most important playwrights of her time.This edited collection features three plays by María Martínez Sierra, translated by Helen and Harley Granville-Barker, along with an introduction by Patricia O'Connor, University of Cincinnati, US, which examines María''s extraordinary life and work, and the battle for her authorship to be recognized in both the Spanish-speaking and anglophone world. This volume focuses on plays centred on strong women; and each is translated by the eminent man of theatre Harley Granville-Barker and his wife, Helen, whose own story holds stark parallels to Maria''s in terms of authorship. TTable of ContentsAcknowledgements 1. MARÍA MARTÍNEZ SIERRA Introduction: Hidden in Plain Sight: Spain’s Most Successful Woman Dramatist by Patricia O’Connor A Critical Appreciation of the Plays (1922) by H. Granville Barker Selected works by María Martínez Sierra 2. THE PLAYS The Kingdom of God The Romantic Young Lady Take Two from One 3. THE GRANVILLE-BARKERS Postscript: Helen and Harley: Translating Together by Richard Nelson with Colin Chambers Translations of Helen and Harley Granville-Barker

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Book SynopsisDespite the popularity of plays about the East, the representation of the East in early modern drama has been either overlooked, marginalized as footnotes or generalized into stereotypes. Materializing the East in Early Modern English Drama focuses on the multi-layered, often conflicting and changing perceptions of the East and how dramatic works made use of their respective theatrical space to represent the concept of the East in drama. This volume re-examines the (mis)representation of the East on the early modern English outdoor and indoor stage and broadens our understanding of early modern theatrical productions beyond Shakespeare and the European continent. It traces the origin of conventional depictions of the East to university dramas and explores how they influenced the commercial stage. Chapters uncover how conflicting representations of the East were communicated on stage through the material aspects of stage architecture, costumes and performance effects. The colleTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Introduction Murat Ögütcü (Adiyaman University, Turkey) and Aisha Hussain (University of Salford, UK) Part I. Civility, Commonality, and the Classics 1. Materializing Mamluks and Turks in Salterne’s Tomumbeius Murat Ögütcü (Adiyaman University, Turkey) 2. Cultural and Celestial Representations in Goffe’s The Courageous Turk Daniel Blank (Durham University, UK) 3. Byzantines in English Jesuit Drama: Performing Joseph Simons’ Leo the Armenian Mark Chambers (Durham University, UK) and Johnny Ignacio (Durham University, UK) Part II. Costume, Space, and Place 4. Dramatising Borders and Behaviours of the Eastern ‘Other’ in Greene’s Alphonsus and Orlando Furioso Aisha Hussain (University of Salford, UK) 5. Staging a Multicultural World in Daborne’s A Christian Turned Turk Hana Ferencová (Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic) Part III. Sight, Smell, and Blood 6. ‘Seat of Merchandise’: Staging Indian Trade in The Triumphs of Honour and Industry Lubaaba Al-Azami (University of Liverpool, UK) 7. Scent of the Orient: The King’s Men and the Corporatization of Smell Nour El Gazzaz (Royal Holloway, University of London, UK) 8. Fat Falstaffs and Sullied Flesh in Dryden’s Amboyna Marianne Montgomery (East Carolina University, USA) Afterword: Journeys into the ‘Orient’ Jyotsna G. Singh (Michigan State University, USA) Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIsley Lynn's play Skin A Cat was awarded Pick Of The Year at Vault Festival 2016 and nominated for four Off West End Awards (Most Promising New Playwright - shortlist, Best New Play, Best Lead Female, Best Director) for its transfer as inaugural production at The Bunker, 2016, then touring nationally throughout 2018. Her contribution to 15 Heroines (The Desert: Canace - A Good Story) earned critical acclaim, and her adaptation of War Of The Worlds in collaboration with Rhum And Clay enjoyed a completely sold out five week run at New Diorama Theatre and will tour nationally. Her play Revolutions is supported by Arts Council England, the MGCfutures Bursary, Old Vic Lab, Arcola Lab, and the Bush Theatre. Isley was the 2014 Script6 winner at The Space with Bright Nights, she received Special Commendation from the 2012 Soho Young Writers Award for Lomography, and Isley's monologue What's So Special was performed as part of The Get Out at The Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs (2014). Her critically acclaimed debut play Lean enjoyed an extended run at the Tristan Bates Theatre (2013). She was twice named Champion of Literary Death Match (Norfolk and Norwich Festival and The Book Club, London). Her European debut Sie Und Wir was performed in German at Werk X, Vienna. Her play Totty, written for Paines Plough and Tamasha's Come To Where I'm From: London, is available for free through the CTWIF app. Isley is a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writers Programme (2012) and Royal Court Invitation Studio Group (2013) and her work has been supported by writing programmes at the National Theatre Studio and Dorfman Theatre, Hightide, Soho Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, the Kiln, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Ovalhouse, Criterion theatre, and the Orange Tree Theatre.Trade ReviewThere aren’t many writers who conjure stories the way Isley Lynn can. Her innate instinct for achingly human characters in situations rarely – if ever – seen on stage sets her well apart from most young playwrights. -- Laura Kressly * The Play's The Thing *Lynn’s scenes are full of genuine connections between characters, and the hope that comes with change. * Guardian *

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