Other performing arts Books

Book Synopsis A number of thrillers made in the 1920s and 1930s have become available again thanks to new technology. There are a few, however, that remain elusive to most, if not all, movie buffs. This book covers 21 thrillers from those decades that are well-regarded and eagerly sought, but difficult to find--The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu (1923), The Unknown Purple (1923), The Sorrows of Satan (1926), While London Sleeps (1926), The Monkey Talks (1927), The Chinese Parrot (1927), Stark Mad (1929), The Unholy Night (1929), High Treason (1929), The Spider (1931), Eran Trece (1931), The Monkey''s Paw (1933), Trick for Trick (1933), Deluge (1933), The Vanishing Shadow (1934), The Witching Hour (1934), Double Door (1934), Black Moon (1934), Le Golem (1936), The Scarab Murder Case (1937), and Sh! The Octopus (1937). For each film, the author provides suc

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Book Synopsis In 1912, Guillermo Calles (1893-1958) became the first Mexican actor to appear in films made in California. Despite limited resources, he began directing and producing his own movies, and in 1929 pioneered production of Spanish-language sound films. His major works, among them the long-unavailable El indio yaqui and Raza de bronce (both 1927), represented Calles'' tireless crusade to restore the image of Mexicans and Indians in an era dominated by Hollywood stereotypes. This biography traces Calles'' career from his earliest Hollywood days through the 1950s. Included are the only surviving images of the filmmaker''s silent productions, a closing commentary on his intimate circle of relatives, and an appendix featuring two fascinating letters written by Calles during a filming trip.

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Book SynopsisWhile the history of American theatre has been widely documented, the history of its female reviewers has been routinely overlooked. This book seeks to correct that oversight by exploring the role of the great female American critics, thereby expanding their canonical status.

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Book Synopsis After Fox released In Old Arizona, the first feature length western with sound, in 1929, Universal president Carl Laemmle decided that Universal's westerns should follow suit. Beginning that same year, with the release of The Wagon Master starring Ken Maynard, up until 1946, when the studio merged with International Pictures, Universal Pictures captivated audiences with its sound westerns. Individual entries for the approximately 180 feature films and serials released by Universal during that period are presented here. Each entry includes the film's title release date, alternate title, cast, credits, songs, location of filming, running time, source if the film was an adaptation, plot synopsis, commentary from the author and from the actors and directors, representative excerpts from reviews, and a tag line from the original advertising. Also provided is a chronological listing of Universal's short western films and a chronological listing of Universal's sound westerns.

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Book SynopsisChronicles the history of the American circus. It introduces the early pioneers of the circus, addresses business concerns such as management and training, and discusses the development of the show itself, including the incorporation of menageries, the need for animal training and care, the addition of circus music, the use of the tent, and the unique attractions of side shows and ""freaks"".

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Book Synopsis In recent decades, male bisexuality has become a recurring topic in international cinema, as filmmakers and their works challenge our ideas about sexual freedom and identity. In all of these films, more than a dozen of which are covered here, bisexuality is treated both as an actual practice and a complex metaphor for a number of things, including the need to adapt to changing environments, the questioning of rigidly traditional male roles and identities, the breakdown and regeneration of the structures of families, the limitations of monogamy, and the stubborn affirmation of romantic love.

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Book Synopsis Apprenticed at 14 to life in the circus, Tony Pastor seemed destined for a career in show business. Indeed, true to his desire and his rigorous training, Pastor spent his life within the theater milieu. He made significant contributions to both variety and vaudeville as a songwriter, performer and theater owner. With a head for business, a knack for discovering new talent, and a sharp understanding of popular taste, Pastor initiated new business practices in theater and gave audiences what they sought in entertainment. This book offers a moving and thorough examination of Pastor''s rise and gradual decline during the growth and development of the New York stage. Through the story of his life and career, the reader discovers Pastor''s unique contributions to popular American theater and the performing arts professions.

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Book Synopsis This is a comprehensive comparative analysis of the screwball comedy and film noir genres--two popular Hollywood staples that emerged around the same time. Despite their contrast in tone and theme, Screwball and Noir have many narrative elements in common. The author defines the two genres, discusses their historical development and inter-related conventions, and offers detailed comparative analyses of a number of films, among them The Lady Eve and His Girl Friday (screwballs), and Gilda and Sunset Blvd. (noirs).

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Book Synopsis Csenge Virag Zalka, a Hungarian storyteller, has collected 55 folktales from around the world about supernatural abilities like superhuman strength, invulnerability, flying, heightened senses, speed, invisibility, healing, agility, precognition, telepathy, fire manipulation, teleportation, water powers, and shifting. These tales represent powers that people have dreamed of, conjured up and strived for through the ages. Many of the powers are present in popular culture, making the superheroes who wield them the direct descendants of characters such as the princess who could see through walls or the invulnerable Isfandiyar. Zalka excluded stories about magic or about gods with divine powers, and focused on less well-known stories. She included information on similar heroes, the ability in the story, sources of the powers, the origin of the story, teachings in it, the recommended age group, sources, variants, and comments.

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Book SynopsisIndividually and together, the Five Sedgwicks are among the unsung heroes of the early history of filmmaking in Hollywood. Their work took them from vaudeville to silent film, through the studio era and into the Golden Age of television. This book is a tribute to the family's contribution to the entertainment industry.

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Book SynopsisAnnette Bercut Lust has spent a lifetime developing the knowledge to produce this definitive work on mime. One of the few studies covering the historical flow of mime from its beginnings to postmodern movement theatre, this book explores the evolution of mime and pantomime from the Greeks to the twentieth century, depicting the role of mime in dance, clowning, the cinema, and verbal theatre throughout the centuries. It is also an in-depth study of twentieth-century mime masters, including Jacques Lecoq, Etienne Decroux, Jean-Louis Barrault, and Marcel Marceau. In addition to defining and tracing the history of mime, Lust documents present-day training programs in North America and Europe, providing contact addresses and information on mime festivals and centers. A filmography listing mime and mime-related films and an extensive bibliography contribute to the usefulness of the book. There is also a chart tracing the origins of mime to the present and a chart demonstrating exponents ofTrade ReviewLust...has produced a comprehensive history of mime and a rich analysis of its current state...Thanks to Lust's involvement in international mime festivals, she can present detailed accounts of the diverse work currently being done. The volume includes ...an excellent bibliography. Recommended for all theatre collections. * CHOICE *Of the books in the field of mime and movement theatre during the last half of the twentieth century..this work is unique...Through her love and devotion to mime and movement theatre..Annette Lust endows this book with her integrity...a much needed historical survey as well as a detailed and reflective statement-of-the-art report. -- Bob Fleshman * Theatrical Movement *...the book offers encyclopedic coverage of most of the leading lights of movement theatre in the Western hemisphere since 1950. There are very useful appendices, listing schools and curricula for movement training; archives, resource centers and performer directories; periodicals; library and museum collections; and festivals. The annotated bibliography is copious...There are plenty of well-reproduced and expressive illustrations. * Theatre Research International *Beginning with a fascinating history of mime and pantomime from antiquity down to our day, Annette Lust carefully documents how different writers, critics, and mimes distinguish these two different arts in varying and contrasting ways. Her work responds to the call of mime and movement theatre organizations in Europe and in America to establish archives and information services for new findings in the art of mime, more documented research, and descriptions of new styles of mime art. * Atme *Fascinating for both the lay person as well as the scholar...Dr. Lust's work is so detailed and comprehensive that I cannot list all of the outstanding women artists and their contributions that the author cites. I strongly recommend this book... * Women's Voices, September 2006 *Lust documents for both the mime theatergoer and for the serious student the critical turning points in the evolution of mime in a highly understandable way that makes her book an ideal companion to all who are interested in learning about this entertaining art form. * The Commuter Times *Table of ContentsForeword Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: On the Meaning of Mime and Pantomime Major Developments of the Art of Mime in the Occident and Orient Exponents of Twentieth-Century Mime Schools and Movement Styles Part One: Mime through the Ages 1 Mime, First Language and Art: Mime in Greece and Rome 2 Mimes and Jongleurs of the Middle Ages 3 Origins of the Commedia Dell'Arte and the Theatres de la Foire 4 Gaspard Deburau and the Pierrots of the Nineteenth Century 5 English Pantomime 6 Mime and Movement in German, Russian, and Italian Theatre 7 Exit Pierrot. Enter Georges Wague Part Two: Twentieth-Century Mime 8 Etienne Decroux, Father of Corporeal Mime 9 Jean-Louis Barrault 10 Marcel Marceau 11 Jacques Lecoq 12 Mimes of Twentieth-Century Europe 13 Mime and Movement Theatre in North America 14 Women's Voices in Mime 15 Movement and Silence in Modern and Postmodern Verbal Theatre 16 Whither Mime? Appendixes A School and Centers for Movement Training B Archives, Resource Centers, and Artist Directories; Periodicals and Publications; Library and Museum Collections; Pantomime and Mime Scripts and Bookshop Collections; Festivals C Filmography Works Consulted and Cited Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisDan Kamin performs comedy shows worldwide and is a frequent guest artist with symphony orchestras. He created the physical comedy sequences for the films Chaplin and Benny and Joon, and trained Robert Downey, Jr. and Johnny Depp for their acclaimed performances. He also provided a commentary track for the upcoming Criterion DVD/Blu-Ray release of Chaplin's The Great Dictator.Trade ReviewKamin has deciphered the magic that was Chaplin—the poetry and eloquence of the movement ...There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of books and other materials concerning the life and films of Chaplin. Kamin takes a new approach...excellent. * Library Journal *Anyone who cares about Charlie Chaplin should dive into this excellent book. Kamin is both passionate and articulate, and offers thoughtful new interpretations of his work. * Leonard Maltin *The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin: Artistry in Motion, is no mere book. It’s an autopsy. [Kamin] slices and dices the Tramp, picks his brain, looks into his heart and performs the most conclusive examination yet into why this guy, who would’ve been 120 had he not expired on Christmas Day 1977, is still so funny….Kamin is the go-to guy for all things Chaplin and slapstick — the man who trained Robert Downey Jr. for his Oscar-nominated starring role in Chaplin in 1992. He then created Johnny Depp’s physical comedy sequences for Benny and Joon in 1993. Depp was nominated for a Golden Globe….if anybody has unlocked the secrets of physical comedy, it’s Kamin, who even created the Martian movement for Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! * Springfield News-Sun *A well-known Chaplin aficionado and authority, Kamin is also—unlike almost everyone else who writes about him—a talented performer who has studied and absorbed the physicality of the Great Man. (You can see samples of him at work on YouTube.) He helped develop Johnny Depp’s pantomime routines for Benny & Joon, and even coached Robert Downey, Jr. on how to walk like Charlie for his performance in Chaplin. This profusely illustrated book expands upon and supersedes his earlier work, Charlie Chaplin’s One-Man Show, and attempts to analyze the nature, and genius, of Chaplin’s work. Yet Kamin writes clearly and sensibly: “Isolating scenes makes it easy to see how Chaplin uses the various elements of dance—or, more accurately, the laws of Newtonian physics along with some of the aesthetic principles of dance movement—to conjure comedy from the mundane actions of everyday life. Of course, viewers don’t have to recognize the sophisticated underpinnings of his physical comedy to appreciate it, which makes his achievement all the more impressive. Chaplin’s highly stylized movement comes to seem so natural that we stop noticing it is stylized. Instead, like a good movie soundtrack, it becomes unobtrusive. Yet dance—in this larger sense—is central to the meaning of Chaplin’s films, helping him to define his character and strongly affecting what subject matter he is drawn to. It intertwines with the films’ content.” * Leonard Maltin's Movie Fan *What makes Kamin’s book so insightful is his hard and well studied knowledge of his subject. Kamin is an expert on the art of mime and it is from the perspective of Chaplin the mime from his early music hall days of Fred Karno’s troupe to his final films that Kamin studies from this perspective. Added to this Dan Kamin trained Robert Downey Jr. on how to move and ‘be’ Chaplin for Richard Attenborough’s 1992 biopic. This book by Scarecrow Press and originally published in 2008 is brilliantly illustrated with selected stills from his films, sometimes several frames from the same film illustrating Chaplin’s movements and comic timing complementing the text. In summary this splendid book would convince anyone not converted to Chaplin why he was heralded as he was and what gives him such a raised status. * Filmwerk *This is . . . a book that will be treasured by Chaplin fans. * RALPH: The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and the Humanities *Dan Kamin’s tome, The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin: Artistry in Motion, is something different altogether. It is a examination of Chaplin’s art, focusing on what made his films so compelling to audiences of the time and what continues to make his work captivating to new generations experiencing his silent films in the modern era. This is not merely a film study. It is a study of Chaplin’s performances and the way he used the motions of his body to create timeless comedy. The author is uniquely qualified to analyze and break down Chaplin’s body movements, as Dan Kamin is a professional comedian and mime who developed the physical comedy sequences for the films Chaplin (1992) and Benny and Joon (1993) and who trained both Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp for their roles. Through Mr. Kamin’s in-depth analysis of Chaplin’s body movements, The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin: Artistry in Motion had an effect on me that no other book on Chaplin and his films has produced–it made me look at the comedian’s work in a new way.... Mr. Kamin’s book provides new insight into Chaplin’s compelling performances.... I found The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin: Artistry in Motion to be the best examination of Charlie Chaplin’s art in book form. It receives my highest recommendation. * It Came From The Bottom Shelf! *Kamin has devoted his life to understanding and internalizing physical comedy in general and Chaplin in particular, and it shows. His grasp of Chaplin is peerless, and he is also skilled with words. -- James M. Welsh * Journal of American Culture *Dan Kamin's new book, The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin: Artistry in Motion, is something different altogether. It is an examination of Chaplin's art, focusing on what made his films so compelling to audiences of the time and what continues to make his work captivating to new generations experiencing his silent films in the modern era. The author is uniquely qualified to analyze and break down Chaplin's body movements, as Dan Kamin is a professional comedian and mime... The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin will also be of great interest to soused cinema enthusiasts, because Mr. Kamin delves deeper than previous authors into Chaplin's soused slapstick. Fans of "booze movies" and lovers of film comedy should consider Dan Kamin's book an essential read. It receives my highest recommendation. * Soused Cinema Library Blog *Dan Kamin’s The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin is indispensable. Its detailed, penetrating analysis of the how and why of Chaplin's body language reveals the craft behind the art of the greatest clown of them all. -- Scott Eyman, book editor of The Palm Beach Post, co-author of Robert Wagner?s Pieces of My Heart: A LifeDan's insights are amazing. He's probably the foremost authority on Chaplin...there was really no scene [in Chaplin] that he didn't help me with. -- Robert Downey Jr.

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Book SynopsisAs stage and screen artists explore new means to enhance their craft, a new wave of interest in expressive movement and physical improvisation has developed. And in order to bring authenticity and believability to a character, it has become increasingly vital for actors to be aware of movement and physical acting. Stage and screen artists must now call upon physical presence, movement on stage, non-verbal interactions, and gestures to fully convey themselves. In Bringing the Body to the Stage and Screen, Annette Lust provides stage and screen artists with a program of physical and related expressive exercises that can empower their art with more creativity. In this book, Lust provides a general introduction to movement, including definitions and differences between movement on the stage and screen, how to conduct a class or learn on one's own, and choosing a movement style. Throughout the book and in the appendixes, Lust incorporates learning programs that cover the use of basic physical and expressive exercises for the entire body. In addition, she provides original solo and group pantomimes; improvisational exercises; examples of plays, fiction, poetry, and songs that may be interpreted with movement; a list of training centers in America and Europe; and an extensive bibliography and videography. With 15 interviews and essays by prominent stage and screen actors, mimes, clowns, dancers, and puppeteers who describe the importance of movement in their art and illustrated with dozens of photos of renowned world companies and artists, Bringing the Body to the Stage and Screen will be a valuable resource for theater teachers and students, as well as anyone engaged in the performing arts.Trade ReviewAuthor Annette Lust has created a volume that may come to be considered a bible of physical theater. The book could take its place in any library of the classics of theater instruction. Information is sorted carefully and folded neatly to fit into a compact tome of under 400 pages—and all of it is packed with gems....The author has laid out a valuable course in the physical theater art form. She presents a history of acting styles that are the precursors to the modern methodologies of the theater of the body....Yet Bringing the Body to the Stage and Screen: Expressive Movement for Performers is far from a purely academic or theoretical book of observations about a way of acting. The author provides the opportunity for a total immersion experience of the craft. There are warm-up routines and a wide range of exercises to engage the actors’ bodies and minds....Nothing about Bringing the Body to the Stage and Screen is hasty or superficial. Author Lust offers the essences of the work in every page. She shows herself to be a teacher in the best sense of the word, a scholar who has the ability to turn her research into practical advice, and a writer whose clear, concise descriptions add significantly to the overall value of her book. * New York Journal of Books *A dense, fascinating and useful book on the key element in performance. This new book...is a trove of information and examples—including exercises, improvisation techniques, original pantomimes, nonverbal acting, mime and physical theater methods, as well as chapters and an appendix on teaching movement and creating a movement education program, plus appendices on resources (schools, festivals, publications, DVDs ...)....Bringing the Body to the Stage and Screen constitutes a generous contribution to the teaching, production and appreciation of the performing arts, both in live performance and those captured on tape and film. * Westside Observer (California) *Lust's extensive knowledge of mime, acting, and pantomime--as presented in her much-lauded From the Greek Mimes to Marcel Marceau and Beyond (CH, Dec'00, 38-2085)--serves as solid background for the present title. Here, Lust (emer., Dominican Univ. of California) expands on her thesis that physical movement is the basis for expressing feelings/emotions required in these arts and that varied movement is necessary for artistic expression in all modes of theater performance. She proposes a training program drawn from theater, mime, pantomime, improvisation, and stage and screen stylized movement--offering a treasure trove of exercises for beginning to intermediate students to introduce them to (or expand their repertoire of) movement skills. The goal is to provide experiences that elicit expressive movement to creatively build on in the future. In part 3 Lust offers essays by and interviews with internationally renowned artists from varied theater forms. These discuss how expressive movement is valued and employed in art practices. In his essay, Dan Kamin explains how Charlie Chaplin mesmerized film audiences with his movement technique; others describe the use of movement in puppetry, mime, acting, film, and clown performance. Appendixes give a wealth of resources (training centers, publications, festivals, DVDs). Summing Up: Highly recommended. * CHOICE *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The saga of the Western motion picture continues to attract scores of readers and this book will appeal to film enthusiasts who seek out new information about a mythic period that seems embedded in the psyche of countless Americans."— Robert Fyne, Kean University "This volume encourages teachers and students, the professional and non-professional, to reconsider the Hollywood Western as a valid and respectable subject on ecological and environmental concerns."— Michael K. Schoenecke, Texas Tech University "A superb anthology that scrutinizes the importance of nature and countryside in popular feature-length photodramas. Represents some new ideas about the Hollywood Western, a genre that traces its roots back to 1903."—Film & History

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Book SynopsisZERO DANCES

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Book SynopsisTHE FILM COMEDY READER

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Book SynopsisThe creative clash of tradition and innovation causes many cultures to be in continuous remix. Crucibles of adaptation are present in religion, law, education, science, technology, publishing, arts, media, etc. The present volume Anabaptist ReMix: The Varieties of Cultural Engagement is a case study of one traditionAnabaptists and Mennonitesand fragments of its transformation in the modern and post-modern era. Today, in the face of a global pandemic, climate disaster, social fragmentation, and the prospect of nuclear annihilation, the descendants of radical reformers seek to live out the wisdom of that original revolution. Theology is re-imagined as a conversation about human nature and emergent images of the divine. In this volume, the arts are re-framed as an examination of conflict, catharsis, and justice. Christian pacifism is given new partners with those in the just-war tradition. Women find a new voice to tell stories of abuse, oppression, and healing. Native American,Trade Review“Our country is in urgent need of a publication that provides a framework for understanding the ebb and flow of religious thought the concepts of ethics, community, faith, culture, and politics. In the edited volume, Anabaptist ReMix, scholars Lauren Friesen and Dennis R. Koehn provide a road map for synthesizing divergent theoretical and practical issues and identifying core values and beliefs for a 21st century Anabaptist vision. This volume will challenge some readers, but the effort will be rewarded with new insights. Essays draw on a wide range of disciplines: the arts, philosophy, theology, and institutional leadership. Topics are intriguing and complex. One big question is left open: what has the melting of Anabaptist and Mennonite history produced that guides religious practices today? Are these traditions evolving in a fruitful ‘ReMix’? Delving into this volume, I came away thinking of dynamics in a host of major institutions: history and diverse thought, both read and improvised, have the potential of a creative impact.” —Dolores Cross, Education Consultant and University President (Retired)“Anabaptist ReMix offers an insightful case study into the impact of a particular religious community as it organically adapts and responds to the complexities of history, location, social evolution, technology, the broader society. Friesen and Koehn have brought together an eclectic set of perspectives that together present the Anabaptist tradition not only as a religious community, but rather through the lens of a social movement. This work is critically important at a time when social movements are reshaping our society. A global pandemic, reckoning with historical legacies of racism and inequality, and a deepening awareness of our impact on the environment and one another are reshaping our daily life. Anabaptist ReMix offers insight into how a movement, developed in a similar time of social conflict, carries a set of commitments, practices, and values across time and space. The editors challenge the narrow view of the Anabaptist tradition as insular and isolated, and instead assemble a group of scholars, artists, and practitioners that demonstrate the rich diversity and contribution of a faith community. How might movements that are taking shape today in this moment of crisis similarly evolve and carry out a vision that is both faithful to its commitments but adaptive throughout generations?” —David Vasquez-Levy, President, Pacific School of Religion“Anabaptist ReMix is an ambitious attempt to tell a more complex story about the diverse ways Mennonites engage with the larger culture. I anticipate that it will generate deep reflection and lively debate among 21st century Anabaptists.” —Dan McKanan, Harvard Divinity School; Author of Prophetic Encounters: Religion and the American Radical TraditionTable of ContentsList of Abbreviations – Keith Ratzlaff: Three Angels – Preface – Dennis R. Koehn: Introduction – Dennis R. Koehn: New Perspectives on Human Nature and Images of the Divine – Maxwell Kennel: Secular Mennonite Social Critique: Pluralism, Interdisciplinarity, and Mennonite Studies – Duane Friesen: The Convergence of Pacifism and Just War – Doug Hostetter: Interfaith Paths to Peace – James Samuel Logan: The Ground and Educational Ministry of Ethics: A (Darkly Hued) Anabaptist Perspective – Lauren Friesen: "Be Just, and Fear Not": Theater as Restorative Justice – Vincent Harding: The Beggars Are Rising, Where Are the Saints? – Lawrence Hart: Connections Past, Present, and Future – Bryan Rafael Falcón: Hexadecaroon – Katie Graber: Liberating Anabaptist Music – Cameron Altaras: Voice of the Residue: The Reckoning of Intergenerational Female Wounding – Ruth E. Krall: Healing the Wounds of a Violated World – Lorin Peters: I Will Kill Him First! – Darla Schumm: Musings from a Blind Mennonite Misfit: When Disability Theory and Anabaptist Identity Intersect – S. Roy Kaufman: Anabaptism and Its Agrarian Heritage – Charlene Gingerich: Beauty Happens – Daniel Shank Cruz: Mennonite Literature’s Queer Decolonial Anabaptist Vision – Al Schnupp: Us and Them – Jeff Gundy: Emblems of the Times – Sofia Samatar: The Centaur’s Recipe – Rachel Epp Buller: Learning from our Ancestors: Listening to the Patterns in our Hands – Douglas Witmer: Neighbor : Who – Diana Zimmerman: Slowly Like Snow – Lisa Schirch: Applying a Mennonite Theology of Peacebuilding to Mennonite Institutions – Julia Reimer: Negotiating the Blade: A Dramatic Reverie on Faith, Institutions, and Theater – Clayton Funk: Walking a Tightrope Across the University: Following My Ethical Compass and Hacking Higher Education – Rudi Kauffman: Ethics, Faith, and Health Care – J. Alexander Sider: Among the Pains: Christianity, Disability, Healing – David E. Ortman: The Church on the Edge of Forever – List of Contributors – Index.

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Book SynopsisKenyan Cinema provides one of the most striking case studies in the growth and development of film in Eastern Africa. The film industry has grown tremendously at the turn of the 21st century. Notably, there has been a significant increase in the number of domestic film productions, film screenings, film audiences and film festivals in the country. Indeed, Kenya has become one of Africa's major film markets. Kenyan actors, actresses and films are increasingly entering and featuring in global films and markets, and are connecting with international audiences in commercial cinemas and at major international film festivals. Adding to this impressive success is an upsurge in the number of tertiary institutions training in film and a corresponding surge in the number of students pursuing film studies in and outside the country currently. In the academic circles, interest in Kenyan Cinema as a serious scholarly subject has grown exponentially. The evolution of Kenyan Cinema scholarship isTable of ContentsDanson Sylvester Kahyana: Foreword – Charles Kebaya/Christopher Joseph Odhiambo: Preface – Acknowledgements – Notes on Contributors – Edwin Nyutho: History of Cinema in Kenya – Edwin Nyutho: The Rise and Growth of Riverwood – Bob Nyanja: Making Films in 21st- Century Kenya: A Personal Journey – Charles Kebaya: Film Distribution and Marketing Trends in Kenya – Boneace Chagara: Subjecthood and Nationhood in Bob Nyanja’s Malooned – Christopher Joseph Odhiambo: Reading the Uncanny in the Re- imagination of the Post- Colonial Kenyan Nation in Malooned and Ni Sisi – Violet Nasambu Barasa: (Re)imagining Ethnic Politics in Kenya through Film – Jacqueline Ojiambo: Revisiting the Past, Envisioning the Future: An Allegorical Reading of From a Whisper (2008) and Something Necessary (2013) – Peter N. Mose: Kenyan Cinema and Intercultural Communication – Keziah Wangui Githinji/Emmanuel Shikuku Tsikhungu: Mediating Everyday Violence through the Film, Otto The Blood Bath (2009) – Fredrick Mbogo: Performing Identities in Emerging Kenyan Screen Stories: Reading the Meanings of "Man" in Machawood Festival’s Wakamba Forever and Love Daggers – Charles Kebaya/Gloria Kemunto Mokaya: Women Feature Filmmaking in Kenya – Jacqueline Ojiambo: Judy Kibinge: An Interview – Susan Gitimu: Visibilizing Morality in Kenyan Film – Boneace Chagara: Transient Figures and Moral Ambiguity in Kenya’s Fugitive Cinema – Robert Wesonga: Censorship and Kenyan Cinema – Index.

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Book SynopsisDelves into the meaning of stories, their tellers, and those who experience them.In The Story Is True, folklorist, filmmaker, and professor of English Bruce Jackson explores the ways we use the stories that become a central part of our public and private lives. Describing and explaining how stories are made and used, Jackson examines how stories narrate and bring meaning to our lives. Jackson writes about his family and friends, acquaintances, and experiences, focusing on more than a dozen personal stories. From oral histories to public stories-such as what happened when Bob Dylan "went electric" at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival-Jackson gets at how the "truth" is constantly shifting depending on the perspective, memory, and social meaning that is ascribed to various events-both real and imaginary. The book is ideal for students and writers of oral history and storytelling but goes beyond those topics to encompass how we interpret and understand the real-life "stories" that we encounter in our daily experience.This edition includes new sections on how stories are related to historical facts and new chapters on contemporary films (expanding the discussion of visual storytelling) and on conspiracy narratives and Trump''s Big Lie. Fresh examples tie together new material with the existing stories.

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Book SynopsisDelves into the meaning of stories, their tellers, and those who experience them.In The Story Is True, folklorist, filmmaker, and professor of English Bruce Jackson explores the ways we use the stories that become a central part of our public and private lives. Describing and explaining how stories are made and used, Jackson examines how stories narrate and bring meaning to our lives. Jackson writes about his family and friends, acquaintances, and experiences, focusing on more than a dozen personal stories. From oral histories to public stories-such as what happened when Bob Dylan "went electric" at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival-Jackson gets at how the "truth" is constantly shifting depending on the perspective, memory, and social meaning that is ascribed to various events-both real and imaginary. The book is ideal for students and writers of oral history and storytelling but goes beyond those topics to encompass how we interpret and understand the real-life "stories" that we encounter in our daily experience.This edition includes new sections on how stories are related to historical facts and new chapters on contemporary films (expanding the discussion of visual storytelling) and on conspiracy narratives and Trump''s Big Lie. Fresh examples tie together new material with the existing stories.

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Book SynopsisA Life in Storytelling contains the reflections and lessons from one of the most noted storytellers of our times. Fifty years of storytelling has provided Binnie Tate Wilkin with the experiences and insights to form the basis of a text for the storyteller, both for the professional librarian, teacher or parent wanting to provide children with substance through story. The sections of the book are designed to provide background material for the art and craft of storytelling, the methods and uses of storytelling, sources and examples of stories, and a broad selection of over 100 stories briefly annotated. Included are sections that explain how to derive or adapt stories from current events, history, or imaginative writings and a detailed treatment in the use of dance in storytelling, a technique that, if not invented by Wilkin, has become a trademark of her approach. The treatment is always informal and personal and is interleaved with anecdotes drawn from the author's more than 50 yearTable of ContentsForeword Introduction Section One: Storytelling an Evolving Art I.History and Culture II.Folklore Defined III.Educational Value Section Two: Developing the Art and Craft IV.Storytellers V.Choosing Stories VI.Reading, Adaptation and Learning VII.Developing Personal Style VIII. Stories with Dance and movement Section Three: IX.Suggestions for Educators, Parents and Adult Leaders Section Four: X.Stories to Tell XI.Three Original Tales XII.Resources Organizations and References Index

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Book SynopsisFilm comedy has been around as long as cinema itself. Over the years, particular forms of the genre have emerged, evolved, and spawned other branches of comedy. While these subgenres may vary in their approach to humor, all of them have the same goal: amusing audiences. In Reeling with Laughter: American Film ComediesFrom Anarchy to Mockumentary, Michael V. Tueth examines some of the most enjoyable comic movies of all time. Beginning with the anarchic romp Duck Soup (1933), each chapter explores a specific subgenre through a representative film. Along with the Marx Brothers' classic, other subgenres discussed in this volume include romantic comedy (It Happened One Night), screwball comedy (Bringing Up Baby and What's Up, Doc?), musical comedy (Singin' in the Rain), sex farce (Some Like It Hot), satire (Dr. Strangelove), parody (Young Frankenstein), neurotic comedy (Annie Hall), Dionysian comedy (Animal House), mockumentary (Waiting for Guffman), and animated comedy (South Park: Bigger,Trade ReviewTueth (communication and media studies, Fordham Univ.) analyzes 12 US comedies as representative of 11 genres. Duck Soup is clearly anarchic comedy; It Happened One Night, romantic; Singin' in the Rain, musical; Some Like It Hot, sex farce; Dr. Strangelove, satire; Young Frankenstein, parody; Annie Hall, neurotic; Animal House, Dionysian; Waiting for Guffman, mockumentary; and South Park, feature animation. For screwball, Bringing Up Baby is joined by its undervalued remake, What's Up, Doc?. Each chapter provides an excellent introduction to its film(s). The author nods to the literary antecedents, chats about production details, cites other critics effectively, and moves easily between the film's general significance and close readings of important scenes. With all the quoted jokes and recollections, this makes for a delightful read, especially as Tueth prefers the subject texts over any imported theory. This excellent book would be valuable as a textbook and a solid basis for more extensive explorations of less examined genres (neurotic, Dionysian, mockumentary, and animation). Summing Up: Highly recommended. * CHOICE *This is an important work for film buffs that will probably be most used in the circulating collection. * American Reference Books Annual *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter One: Anarchic Comedy: Duck Soup Chapter Two: Romantic Comedy: It Happened One Night Chapter Three: Screwball Comedy: Bringing Up Baby and What's Up, Doc? Chapter Four: Musical Comedy: Singin' in the Rain Chapter Five: Sex Farce: Some Like It Hot Chapter Six: Satire: Dr. Strangelove Chapter Seven: Parody: Young Frankenstein Chapter Eight: Neurotic Comedy: Annie Hall Chapter Nine: Dionysian Comedy: Animal House Chapter Ten: Mockumentary: Waiting for Guffman Chapter Eleven: Animated: South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut Bibliography Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisHybrid films that straddle more than one genre are not unusual. But when seemingly incongruous genres are mashed together, such as horror and comedy, filmmakers often have to tread carefully to produce a cohesive, satisfying work. Though they date as far back as James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein (1935), horror-comedies have only recently become popular attractions for movie goers. In The Laughing Dead: The Horror-Comedy Film from Bride of Frankenstein to Zombieland, editors Cynthia J. Miller and A. Bowdoin Van Riper have compiled essays on the comic undead that look at the subgenre from a variety of perspectives. Spanning virtually the entire sound era, this collection considers everything from classics like The Canterville Ghost to modern cult favorites like Shaun of the Dead. Other films discussed include Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, House on Haunted Hill, ParaNorman, Scream, Vampire's Kiss, and Zombieland. Contributors in this volume considTrade ReviewMiller and Van Riper provide a lively autopsy of a body of horror-comedy films. Grounded in Henri Bergson’s theories, the essays excavate a veritable graveyard of comic horror films. The five essays in the first section, ‘Playing with Genre,’ address generic transformations with the comic, transforming the horrific into the zany and providing cultural analyses. The six essays in the second section, ‘Horror, in Theory,’ theorize horror films through unexpected comic perspectives, showing how mirth and menace play off each other. Chris Yogerst eulogizes the familiar rules for survival in films such as Zombieland. The final five essays, under the heading ‘There Goes the Neighborhood,’ look at how the intersection of horror and comedy provides a lens to critique the basic conventions of the horror film and its spectators. In his essay, Van Riper considers how comedy enables viewers to contend with the angst of everyday life. Miller wraps up with a provocative essay challenging the scientific elite, giving the creative power of life to ordinary people. Insightful and remarkably readable, these stimulating essays will delight, leaving readers laughing, screaming, and thinking. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; professionals; general readers. * CHOICE *

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Book SynopsisBy the end of 1914, Charlie Chaplin had become the most popular actor in films, and reporters were clamoring for interviews with the comedy sensation. But no reporter had more access than Fred Goodwins. A British actor who joined Chaplin's stock company in early 1915, Goodwins began writing short accounts of life at the studio and submitted them to publications. In February 1916 the British magazine Red Letter published the first of what became a series of more than thirty-five of Goodwins's articles. Written in breezy prose, the articles cover a two-year period during which Chaplin's popularity and creativity reached new heights. Only one copy of the complete series is known to exist, and its recent rediscovery marks a significant find for Chaplin fans.Charlie Chaplin's Red Letter Days: At Work with the Comic Genius is a vivid account of the ebb and flow of life at the Chaplin studio. Goodwins was an astute observer who deepens our understanding of Chaplin's artistry and sheds new ligTrade Review[T]his compilation of articles, republished exactly as they appeared in the English movie-fan magazine Red Letter in 1916, is of significance for students of Charlie Chaplin and the history of film. Goodwins, a member of Chaplin’s acting troupe, gives a weekly account of the screen’s first superstar. His praise can be fawning, but his account makes Chaplin’s genius undeniable as the comic brings a deft comic twist to commonplace situations while also filling the roles of writer, director, editor, set designer, and prop master. Chaplin’s artistic development is chronicled as he moves from mere slapstick to romance and even drama tinged with social criticism, with his Little Tramp character taking on upper-class villains. For context and a more dispassionate perspective, editors’ notes are sprinkled throughout. The only real criticism here, offered by the editors, is that Chaplin rarely gave credit to others for providing him with ideas. Despite Goodwins’s lack of objectivity, his look at the mechanics and techniques of silent filmmaking is informed and informative.... [H]is access makes the book enjoyably breezy and personal. * Publishers Weekly *Dan Kamin’s annotations throughout the book are crucially important and set each diary-like entry into a larger context.... The text is accompanied by rare illustrations and some additional articles published around the same time as Goodwins’ stories. I consider this a must for every Chaplin buff. * Leonard Maltin *Dan Kamin's terrific new book [is] called Charlie Chaplin's Red Letter Days. [I]t reproduces, for the very first time, Fred Goodwins' first-hand accounts of day-to-day life at the Chaplin studio during the Mutual period (& the end of the Essanays). These accounts originally appeared in Red Letter, a British magazine, in 1916, and have been unseen for nearly a century until film historian, and the book's editor, David James, discovered the magazines at the British Library in 2013.... It is a wonderful first-hand account of this period of Chaplin's career that we haven't seen any where else. Goodwins' text is accompanied by helpful annotations and commentary by Chaplin expert Dan Kamin.... There are some wonderful behind-the-scenes stories about not only the movies but the people, including Edna Purviance learning Cockney rhyming slang, Eric Campbell's preference for things that are small, and Charlie's concern when his beloved pet goat, Billy, gets injured. The book is [is] ... well worth it. * Discovering Chaplin *

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Book Synopsis Historian Johan Huizinga once described game playing as the motor of humanity''s cultural development, predating art and literature. Since the late 20th century, Western society has undergone a ludification, as the influence of game-playing has grown ever more prevalent. At the same time, new theories of postmodernism have emphasized the importance of interactive, playful behavior. Core concepts of postmodernism are evident in pen-and-paper role-playing, such as Dungeons and Dragons. Exploring the interrelationships among narrative, gameplay, players and society, the author raises questions regarding authority, agency and responsibility, and discusses the social potential of RPGs in the 21st century.

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Book Synopsis During the Must See TV 1990s, Americans enjoyed such immensely popular sitcoms as Friends, Seinfeld, Home Improvement and The Drew Carey Show. Shows that did not make the ratings cut numbered in the hundreds--the emergence of new networks and cable channels airing original programming resulted in a vast increase in short-lived sitcoms over the previous decade. Some of these flops were actually quite good and deserved a better fate. The author revisits them--along with the dramedies of the day--with detailed entries providing production and broadcast information, along with critical analyses, and recollections by cast and crew members. A subsection highlights sitcoms that returned for an abbreviated second season. Dozens of cast and crew photographs are included.

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Book Synopsis Fashion is synonymous with change yet the iconic showgirl costume--feathers, sparkle and revealing clothes--has remained largely unchanged since the early 20th century. Beginning in the 1800s, a couture of the risque evolved from Paris nightclubs to Las Vegas casinos. The concept of glamour itself was based on what Parisian courtesans and burlesque performers wore. A tall pretty girl with headdress, nude core with spangles, high heels and dramatic makeup became a Gallic symbol and later the trademark of Hollywood musicals. France exported costumes and millinery--as well as whole productions from the Moulin Rouge, the Lido and Folies Bergere --to the U.S. and the world. More recently, cabaret styling has translated into today''s day, sport and evening clothes.

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Book Synopsis Critical humorists and religion are steeped in a long-standing cultural antagonism. This book recounts the dramatic skirmishes between religion--its dogma and edicts, political manifestations, and the nature of faith--and the satire, parody, jokes and hyperbole of popular wits. The writings of Twain, Vonnegut, Mencken and Hitchens are included, along with the films of Monty Python, the cartoons of Charlie Hebdo, the animated television series The Simpsons and South Park, the comedy of George Carlin and Bill Maher, the music of Randy Newman and Pussy Riot, the performance monologue of Julia Sweeney and the magic of Penn Jillette.

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Book Synopsis For decades, eighteenth-century Paris had been declining into a baroque backwater. Spectacles at the opera, once considered fit for a king, had become hell for the ears, wrote playwright Carlos Goldoni. Then, in 1774, with the crowning of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, Paris became one of the world''s most vibrant musical centers. Austrian composer Christophe-Willibald Gluck, protege of the queen, introduced a new kind of tragic opera--dramatic, human and closer to nature. The expressive pantomime known as ballet d''action, forerunner of the modern ballet, replaced stately court dancing. Along the boulevards, people whistled lighter tunes from the Italian opera, where the queen''s favorite composer, Andre Modeste Gretry, ruled supreme. This book recounts Gluck''s remaking of the grand operatic tragedy--long symbolic of absolute monarchy--and the vehement quarrels between those who embraced reform and those who preferred familiar baroque tunes or the

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Book Synopsis The first of its kind, this book focuses on the value of inclusivity in the tap dance studio, instructing on how to bring the rhythmic world of tap dance into the lives of individuals living with disabilities or mobility issues. No longer should those with mobility challenges be denied the opportunity to enjoy the unique delight, challenge and excitement of tap dancing. Based on the author''s inclusive program called Tap for All, this book is part inspirational memoir and part instructional manual, detailing how tap dance''s enormous cognitive benefits can benefit those living with Alzheimer''s, dementia, cerebral palsy, arthritis, traumatic brain injuries and more. The author outlines her experience opening the hearts and minds of other dance instructors and studio owners, showing that shifting their perspective about dance is beneficial to both client and studio. Chapters also instruct on the physiological effects of music and dance, guide the development of dance routTable of ContentsAcknowledgments by Victoria Moore viiiPrefaceIntroduction 1. Tap: Exclusive to Inclusive 2. Dance: Mind, Body, and Soul Benefits 3. Diseases, Conditions, and Age Groups 4. The Power of Music 5. Tap Styles: Rhythmic vs. Broadway 6. Choreography vs. Improvisation 7. Beginning and Beginning II Levels 8. Extra Combinations: (Beginning / Beginning II Levels) 9. Beginning III / Intermediate / Advanced Levels10. Extra Combinations: (Beginning III / Intermediate /   Advanced Levels)11. Intermediate / Advanced, Advanced Levels12. Time Steps / Time Step Breaks: (Beginning III /   Intermediate / Advanced Levels)13. Professional Physically Integrated Dancers Spotlight14. The Evolution of TapAppendix: Tap Glove / Mitten and Tap Board InstructionsGlossaryBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAristophanes was clearly anxious about the role of the sophists and the new education in Athens. After the perceived failure of Clouds in 423 and its subsequent, unperformed revision, Aristophanes, this book argues, returned in 414 with Birds, a continuation and deepening of his critique found in Clouds. Peisetaerus or persuader of his comrades, the protagonist of Birds, though an old man, is clearly a student of Socrates' phrontisterion. Unlike Socrates, however, he is political and ambitious and he understands the whole of human nature, both rational and irrational. Peisetaerus employs the various deconstructive techniques of Socrates and his allies (which is summed up on the comic sage in the image of father-beating) to overturn not just human society, but, with the help of his new allies, the divine and musical birds, the cosmos. After his new gods and bird city, Cloudcuckooland, are actually established, however, the hero re-introduces the old ways - justice, moderation, and obediTrade ReviewIn this impressive and original study of Aristophanes’ longest and most spectacular comedy, Daniel Holmes shows convincingly how the protagonist, adept in the rhetoric of the sophists, exercises persuasion to bring about a new society – one that is functional but lacking in joy and beauty. Along the way, Holmes offers illuminating insights into the sophist movement, utopian theories, and popular attitudes toward politics in classical Athens. -- David Konstan, New York UniversityTable of ContentsChapter 1: Peisetaerus and Euelpides Chapter 2: Persuading Tereus Chapter 3: Persuading the Birds Chapter 4: Persuading Human Beings Chapter 5: Nephelokokkygia I: Before the City is Founded Chapter 6: Nephelokokkygia II: After the City is Founded Chapter 7: The Return of Nomos Chapter 8: Persuading the Gods Chapter 9: Peisetaerus Tyrannos Conclusion Appendix 1: Line Allocation of the Prologue (1–161) Appendix 2: Pederasty in Aristophanes

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Book SynopsisConflicts are increasingly recognised as situated in local contexts with culturally specific elements playing important roles. At the same time, conflicts reflect and contribute to global dynamics. Seeking peace within this complexity requires curious, creative and critical approaches that can account for politics.But how can peacebuilders account for unique local settings while also recognising multiple and diverse perspectives within and between them? Reflecting on this question, Dancing through the dissonance explores the relationship between peacebuilding and dance in pluralist societies, examining the practice of dance-focused peacebuilding programmes in Colombia, the Philippines and the United States. Incorporating participant voices, critical political analysis and reflections on dance practice, the authors reveal the implications and nuances of arts-based peace initiatives.This book offers a unique insight into the application, practice and analysis of dance-focused peacebuilding programmes, building on a critical understanding of the politics of integrating dance into peacebuilding and the ways in which these programmes fit into global debates around peace and conflict.As the global community continues to seek inclusive pathways to peace that improve upon, supplement, or replace existing dominant approaches, this book provides a valuable in-depth analysis and recommendations for arts-based peacebuilding approaches.Table of ContentsIntroduction1 Finding our rhythm: Why and how to think about dance and peace2 Young people as peer leaders for peace: Emerging strategies3 Local/global dance ‘hubs’ for peace4 Finding empathy and practising peace through dance: Through a mirror darkly? 5 Embodying peace: Prospects for self-care within conflicted settingsConclusionReferences

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Book SynopsisThis edited collection brings together essays presenting an interdisciplinary dialogue between theatre and performance and the fields of care ethics, care studies, health and social care. The book advances our understanding of performance as a mode of care, challenging existing debates in this area by re-thinking the caring encounter as a performed, embodied experience and interrogating the boundaries between care practice and performance. Through an examination of a wide range of different care performances drawn from interdisciplinary and international settings, the book interrogates how performance might be understood as caring or uncaring, careless or careful, and correlatively how care can be conceptualised as artful, aesthetic, authentic or even ‘fake’ and ‘staged’.Trade Review'... 13 rigorous essays that utilize theory, analysis, and critique to interrogate “care as embodied knowledge, and care as emotional labor” (p. 3). The collection effectively complicates discourse around philosophies of care, allowing space for the critical considerations of age, gender, abilities, and memories.'CHOICE(Reprinted with permission from Choice Reviews. All rights reserved. Copyright by the American Library Association.)'This book is an invaluable addition to the relevance of our modality and contains many crossovers with which our practice is affiliated... The global COVID-19 pandemic witnessed the power that the arts hold in keepingpeople creative, playful and, most importantly, connected. Care is ultimately about our relationship with others. This book is tantamount for exploring how and why it is so important to enmesh the arts within the caring professions.'Dramatherapy -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: caring performance, performing care – Amanda Stuart FisherPart I Performing interrelatedness1 Care ethics and improvisation: can performance care? – Maurice Hamington2 Towards an aesthetics of care – James Thompson 3 Performing tenderness: fluidity and reciprocity in the performance of caring in Fevered Sleep’s Men & Girls Dance – Amanda Stuart FisherPart II Care-filled performance4 Caring beyond illness: an examination of Godder’s socially engaged art and participatory dance for Parkinson’s work – Sara Houston5 Convivial theatre: care and debility in collaborations between non-disabled and learning disabled theatre makers – Dave Calvert6 Road care – Jen Archer-Martin and Julieanna PrestonPart III Care deficits7 Clean Break: a practical politics of care – Caoimhe McAvinchey8 Performing a museum of living memories: beholding young people’s experiences and expressions of care through oral history performance – Kathleen Gallagher and Rachel Turner-King9 'Still Lives': Syrian displacement and care in contemporary Beirut – Ella Parry-DaviesPart IV Care as performance10 Verbatim practice as research with care-experienced young people: an ‘aesthetics of care’ through aural attention – Sylvan Baker and Maggie Inchley11 Acts of care: applied drama, 'sympathetic presence' and person-centred nursing – Matt Jennings, Pat Deeny and Karl Tizzard-Kleister12 Taking care of the laundry in care homes – Jayne Lloyd 13 Performing the ‘aesthetics of care’ – James Thompson

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Book SynopsisThis edited collection brings together essays presenting an interdisciplinary dialogue between theatre and performance and the fields of care ethics, care studies, health and social care. The book advances our understanding of performance as a mode of care, challenging existing debates in this area by re-thinking the caring encounter as a performed, embodied experience and interrogating the boundaries between care practice and performance. Through an examination of a wide range of different care performances drawn from interdisciplinary and international settings, the book interrogates how performance might be understood as caring or uncaring, careless or careful, and correlatively how care can be conceptualised as artful, aesthetic, authentic or even ‘fake’ and ‘staged’.Trade Review'... 13 rigorous essays that utilize theory, analysis, and critique to interrogate “care as embodied knowledge, and care as emotional labor” (p. 3). The collection effectively complicates discourse around philosophies of care, allowing space for the critical considerations of age, gender, abilities, and memories.'CHOICE(Reprinted with permission from Choice Reviews. All rights reserved. Copyright by the American Library Association.)'This book is an invaluable addition to the relevance of our modality and contains many crossovers with which our practice is affiliated... The global COVID-19 pandemic witnessed the power that the arts hold in keepingpeople creative, playful and, most importantly, connected. Care is ultimately about our relationship with others. This book is tantamount for exploring how and why it is so important to enmesh the arts within the caring professions.'Dramatherapy -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: caring performance, performing care – Amanda Stuart FisherPart I Performing interrelatedness1 Care ethics and improvisation: can performance care? – Maurice Hamington2 Towards an aesthetics of care – James Thompson 3 Performing tenderness: fluidity and reciprocity in the performance of caring in Fevered Sleep’s Men & Girls Dance – Amanda Stuart FisherPart II Care-filled performance4 Caring beyond illness: an examination of Godder’s socially engaged art and participatory dance for Parkinson’s work – Sara Houston5 Convivial theatre: care and debility in collaborations between non-disabled and learning disabled theatre makers – Dave Calvert6 Road care – Jen Archer-Martin and Julieanna PrestonPart III Care deficits7 Clean Break: a practical politics of care – Caoimhe McAvinchey8 Performing a museum of living memories: beholding young people’s experiences and expressions of care through oral history performance – Kathleen Gallagher and Rachel Turner-King9 'Still Lives': Syrian displacement and care in contemporary Beirut – Ella Parry-DaviesPart IV Care as performance10 Verbatim practice as research with care-experienced young people: an ‘aesthetics of care’ through aural attention – Sylvan Baker and Maggie Inchley11 Acts of care: applied drama, 'sympathetic presence' and person-centred nursing – Matt Jennings, Pat Deeny and Karl Tizzard-Kleister12 Taking care of the laundry in care homes – Jayne Lloyd 13 Performing the ‘aesthetics of care’ – James Thompson

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a transnational perspective on interwar circuses and its modes of exotification and Orientalising foreign worlds. It explores how international and national forces shaped the German and British circus, combining interwar popular culture, its globalising forces, and the circus's ties to European imperialism. -- .

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Book SynopsisAiring from 1982 to 1993, Cheers was both critically acclaimed and one of the most popular television shows of all time, earning over 100 Emmy nominations and securing 28 wins, including four for best comedy series. The show followed a group of Boston, Massachusetts locals who frequently gathered to drink and socialize. Bar owner Sam Malone was the de facto leader of the group and boss to Carla Tortelli, Coach Ernie Pantuso, Woody Boyd, and Diane Chambers, Sam’s on-again, off again paramour. Regular patrons Norm Peterson and Cliff Claven completed this ersatz family, later joined by Frasier Crane, his wife Lilith, and Rebecca Howe, a new foil for Sam. Cheers not only provided laughs for eleven seasons, it revolutionized American sitcoms with its long-running stories and famous will-they-won’t-they relationship. In Cheers: A Cultural History, Joseph J. Darowski and Kate Darowski offer an engaging analysis of the show, providing insights into both the onscreen stories as well as the efforts behind the scenes to shape this beloved classic. The authors examine the series as a whole, but also focus on the show’s key characters, narrative arcs, and many themes, ranging from alcoholism to adultery. This volume also provides close looks at how set design, class issues, and gender roles informed the series throughout its run. Also included is a compendium of opinionated reviews of every episode, highlighting the peaks and dips in quality across more than a decade of television. Cheers: A Cultural History will appeal to the show’s many fans and bring back beloved memories of the place where everybody knows your name!Trade ReviewThe authors follow up their recent Frasier: A Cultural History (2017) with an equally interesting look at that show’s predecessor, the classic sitcom that introduced the character of Frasier Crane, not to mention Sam Malone, Diane Chambers, Ernie Pantusso, Carla Tortelli, Norm Peterson, Cliff Clavin, Woody Boyd, and Rebecca Howe (among others). Cheers, the show about a bar and its patrons that would have been canceled after its disastrously low-rated first season if NBC had had anything better to put on the air, ended up running for 11 seasons, a major accomplishment for a half-hour comedy, then and now. The Darowskis look at the reasons why the show became a smash hit: the writing, the casting, the stories, the setting (most episodes took place entirely in the bar). Cheers, the authors assert, was a revolutionary show, with many of its key elements, such as multi-episode story arcs, having now become standard; however, the show also had its flaws, including an attitude toward women that would not be permitted in the current climate. Combining perceptive analysis with infectious enthusiasm, this is a must-read for Cheers devotees. * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisBefore The Cradle Will Rock, before War of the Worlds, before Citizen Kane—there was Marching Song. At the age of 25 Orson Welles co-wrote, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane, widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. But this was not the first achievement in the young artist’s career. A few years earlier he terrorized America with his radio broadcast of War of the Worlds. And even before he conquered the airwaves, Welles had made a name for himself in New York theatre, with his dynamic stagings of Shakespeare classics and the politically charged musical The Cradle Will Rock. But before all of these there was Marching Song—a play about abolitionist John Brown—that Welles had co-written at the age of 17. While attending the Todd School for Boys, Welles collaborated with Roger Hill, the schoolmaster at Todd, to produce this full-length drama. Marching Song: A Play is a work by one of America’s true geniuses at an early stage of his creative growth. Steeped in historical detail, the play chronicles Brown’s fight against slavery, his raid on Harper’s Ferry, his capture, his conviction for treason, and his execution. In addition to the entire text of the play, this volume features a biographical sketch of Welles and Hill—written by Hill’s grandson—during their days together at Todd. A fascinating dramatization of a pivotal event in American history, this play also demonstrates Welles’ burgeoning development as social commentator and an advocate for human rights, particularly on behalf of African Americans. Featuring a foreword by noted Welles biographer, Simon Callow, Marching Song: A Play is an important work by an American icon.Trade ReviewThis script of an action-filled play about John Brown that was never performed on stage raises profound questions about the role of violence in the crusade against slavery. The drama is compelling--no surprise, since one of the playwrights was Orson Welles, master of stage, screen, and radio, who uses this medium to illustrate a key event that brought on the Civil War. -- James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of FreedomThose of us who love Orson Welles owe a large debt of gratitude to Todd Tarbox for continuing to fill in the amazing puzzle pieces of Welles’ extraordinary creative life. That Orson was able to write as mature a piece as Marching Song at the age of 17 defies belief. But then he did make Citizen Kane at 25, not to mention all the masterpieces that followed, including The Other Side of the Wind, shown for the first time 40 years after he shot it, and still it seems ahead of its time. But even from the grave, Orson is unstoppable. -- Peter Bogdanovich, Director of The Last Picture ShowA must-have for any serious Welles fan, Marching Song: A Play is bookended by two illuminating essays by Tarbox. [It] will be devoured by those looking for insight into the mind of one of the most creative men of the 20th century. -- Ray Kelly, Wellesnet.comA significant cultural event. . . One of the first things that strikes the reader about Marching Song is that it is more advanced in its approach—one might say, far more advanced—than virtually anything else in the American theater in the 20th century—including the efforts, as sincere and serious as they certainly were, of Eugene O’Neill, Arthur Miller, Clifford Odets, Tennessee Williams, William Inge, Edward Albee, etc. Welles’ play owes far more to Shakespeare and other epic traditions than it does to the cramped psychological drama so beloved by American playwrights. * The World Socialist Website *

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Book SynopsisPolitical humor and satire are, perhaps, as old as comedy itself, and they are crucial to our society and our collective sense of self. Satire is confrontational. It's about push back, descent, discord, disappointment, and demonstrating the absurdity of the status quo. This book is an attempt to explore the sane foundations of satire in our lives. Aristotle famously said that humans are naturally political animals. We need political community to flourish and live good lives. But politics also always entails unpopular decisions and power struggles. Satire is a form of humor that allows us to reflect on the irrational, incomprehensible, and intolerable nature of our lives without becoming totally despondent or depressed. In a poignant, pithy, but not a ponderous manner, Al Gini and Abraham Singer delve into the history of satire to rejoice in its triumphs and watch its development from ancient graffiti to the latest late night TV talk show.Table of ContentsPrologue: We Can't Do Without Satire! Section I: The Satirical Imperative What Came First, the Fart Joke or the Political Joke?The 7 Social Functions of Satire.Section II: There's More Than One Way to Speak Truth to Power "We Hold These Punchlines to be Self-Evident." Black Comedy: Dark Humor. Women and Comedy: The Personal is Satirical."Why'd you have to choose us?" On Jews and Their Jokes.It's Not Fake News! Political Humor after Jon Stewart.Section III: The Ethics of Satire Punch Up? A Sorta (Groucho) Marxist CritiqueAmerica the Satirical: Do We Joke Too Much?Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis is the first book to provide practical guidance for library staff on virtual storytime planning and production. Learn how to design virtual youth services tailored to patrons in different communities, and how virtual programs serve as a form of community outreach. Included in this guide: Case studies of successful virtual storytime programs Creative examples of potential programs, which can be developed and adapted Simple tips on how to increase production value, regardless of available space and equipment Features of virtual storytime software with which presenters should familiarize themselves A comprehensive list of websites, software applications, and assets for creating and sharing virtual programs An overview of laws concerning online privacy and the use of copyrighted materials in virtual storytimes Background information and talking points addressing the benefits and drawbacks of screen time for young patrons Sample training syllabus, outline, script, and reflection questions for virtual storytime staff Children’s librarians will find useful case studies, tips, and resources in this volume.Table of ContentsPrefaceChapter 1: Choosing A Virtual FormatIdentifying audiences and developing goalsSynchronous versus asynchronous storytimesExploration of virtual formatsChapter 2: Technological ConsiderationsHardware requirements and recommendations for library staff and patronsAccessibility best practices Web conferencing software featuresImage, presentation, and video software featuresFile storage and organizationChapter 3: Legal IssuesPrivacy LawsStorytime and Fair UsePublic domain and original contentCreative Commons and attributionCopyright and permissionsAvoiding issues with copyright algorithmsChapter 4: Planning and PreparationPlanning: Now With More TechnologyProduction quality tipsPlanning interactive virtual storytimesBook and media selectionPreparing outlines and scriptsChapter 5: ShowtimeStrategies for common challengesBest practices during synchronous storytimesBest practices for recording Finishing touches in editingChapter 6: Engaging StaffKey competencies for virtual storytime staffScreen time and media mentorshipTraining for virtual storytimeAvoiding and addressing staff burnoutChapter 7: Outreach and PromotionCreating meaningful partnershipsThe marketing funnelDigital marketing best practicesSocial media engagement methodsAppendix A: Software and Websites for Content CreatorsAppendix B: Case Study: Read With Us TV SeriesAppendix C: Case Study: Daniel Tiger Storytime on Facebook LiveAppendix D: Sample Outline, Script, and Reflection

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Book SynopsisWomen and Comedy: History, Theory, Practice presents the most current international scholarship on the complexity and subversive potential of women’s comedic speech, literature, and performance. Earlier comedy theorists such as Freud and Bergson did not envision women as either the agents or audiences of comedy, only as its targets. Only more recently have scholarly studies of comedy begun to recognize and historicize women’s contributions to—and political uses of—comedy. The essays collected here demonstrate the breadth of current scholarship on gender and comedy, spanning centuries of literature and a diversity of methodologies. Through a reconsideration of literary, theatrical, and mass media texts from the Classical period to the present, Women and Comedy: History, Theory, Practice responds to the historical marginalization and/or trivialization of both women and comedy. The essays collected in this volume assert the importance of recognizing the role of women and comedy in order to understand these texts, their historical contexts, and their possibilities and limits as models for social engagement. In the spirit of comedy itself, these analyses allow for opportunities to challenge and reevaluate the theoretical approaches themselves.Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments List of Illustrations Preface 000 Regina Barreca Introduction: Dorothy Parker’s Headache Peter Dickinson, Anne Higgins, Paul Matthew St. Pierre, Diana Solomon, Sean Zwagerman Part I: Histories, Politics and Forms Laughing Aphrodite Laurie O’Higgins Comedy in Ancient Greece and Rome: What Was Funny, Whose Humor Was It, and How Do We Explain the Jokes without Killing Them? Barbara Gold Mary and Her Sisters Anne Higgins Feminist Humor without Women: The Challenge of Reading (in) the Middle Ages Lisa Perfetti Laugh, or Forever Hold Your Peace: Comic Crowd Control in Margaret Cavendish’s Dramatic Prologues and Epilogues Diana Solomon Domestic Manners of the Americans: A Transatlantic Phenomenon Linda Morris Part II: Approaches, Texts and Audiences The Business of British Burlesque Jacky Bratton The Comic Bodies and Obscene Voices of Burlesque Joanna Mansbridge Elsie and Doris Waters: Four Songs Paul Matthew St. Pierre “I’m Daphne”: On the Comedy of Cross-Dressing and Metamorphosis in Wilder’s Some Like it Hot, Lubitsch’s I Don’t Want to be a Man, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses Kay Young Biting the Hand that Feeds Her: Patronage and Comedy in Nineteenth-Century Theatre Gilli Bush-Bailey Out of the Box: Comedy in Disability Theater by Canadian Women Kirsty Johnston Part III: Topics, Theories and Practices Humoring the Female Pol: Irony, Consciousness-Raising, and “Third-Culture” Discourse Tarez Samra Graban An American Treasure: The Wit and Wisdom of Ann Coulter A Cautionary Tale: Ann Coulter and the Failure of Humor Sean Zwagerman Lesbian Stand-Up Comics and the Politics of Laughter Joanne Gilbert Layla Siddiqui as Holy Fool in Little Mosque on the Prairie Shannon Hengen Postmodernity and the Gendered Uses of Political Satire Lisa Colletta Coda: Try This at Home Peter Dickinson Bibliography Contributors Index

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