Theatre studies Books
Oxford University Press Shakespeare and Science
Book SynopsisAs a figurehead for the literary humanities, and a dramatist whose plays feature fairies, ghosts, and spirits, Shakespeare may not be the first author that comes to mind when thinking about science. Tom Rutter shows, however, that in his plays and poetry Shakespeare made detailed use of the knowledge and theories of the cosmos, the natural world, and human biology that were available to him. These range from astronomical and anatomical ideas derived from medieval scholars, Islamic philosophers, and ancient Greek and Roman authorities, through to the challenges issued to those earlier models by more recent figures such as Copernicus and Vesalius. Shakespeare''s treatment of these materials was informed by the poetic and dramatic media in which he worked; the dialogic nature of drama enabled an approach that could be provisional, exploratory, and tolerant of uncertainty and contradiction. Shakespeare made the early modern playhouse a venue for the production of scientific understanding t
£47.50
Oxford University Press Inc A Fine Romance Adapting Broadway to Hollywood in
Book SynopsisHow do we compare a Broadway musical to its Hollywood counterpart? A Fine Romance: Adapting Broadway to Hollywood in the Studio System Era answers this question by exploring the symbiotic relationship between a dozen Broadway musicals and their Hollywood film adaptations. From enduring classics like Oklahoma!, Brigadoon, and West Side Story to lesser-known gems such as Cabin in the Sky, Call Me Madam, and Silk Stockings, author Geoffrey Block examines some of the best loved stage and screen musicals of all time as well as neglected works that deserve our attention and respect.Block delves into what happens during the transfer of stories from stage to film, the critical criteria that motivates decisions to alter or preserve stage elements when adapting to film, and the dramatic and musical consequences at play in these artistic and commercial choices. In telling this story, A Fine Romance engages with aesthetic and critical concerns while also considering the social issues around Broadway and Hollywood film through the lenses of race and ethnicity, class, gender, and sexual identity. Beginning with the stage debut of Show Boat in 1927 and concluding with the release of Bob Fosse''s cinematic re-envisioning of Cabaret nearly a half century later in 1972, the romance between Broadway and Hollywood was frequently turbulent. Differing commercial and aesthetic models and goals of Broadway and Hollywood created both conflicting and harmonious collaborations. Attempts at economic and artistic domination, irreconcilable differences, and occasional broken promises ensued. At other times, the screen and stage creative teams aligned, resulting in well-crafted, much admired, and frequently breathtaking films.Trade ReviewA Fine Romance, Geoffrey Block's excellent new book from Oxford University Press. * Peter Filichia, Broadway Select *In this lively and illuminating book, Geoffrey Block reveals the often productive but sometimes fraught relationship between the Broadway musical and the Hollywood studio system that brought it to the big screen. The volume is packed with new information and revealing analysis that will make the reader want to return to it time and again. A showstopper among the scholarship on the American musical! * Dominic Broomfield-McHugh, Professor of Musicology at the University of Sheffield and author of Loverly: The Life and Times of "My Fair Lady" *A quarter of a century ago, Geoffrey Block's Enchanted Evenings opened a door for the serious study of American musical theater. Now, this pioneering and prolific scholar has produced another compelling and meticulous exploration of the musical, bringing unusual empathy and enthusiasm for both stage and screen, and again offering a vivid and inspiring model for future work. * Jeffrey Magee, author of Irving Berlin's American Musical Theater *Geoffrey Block's A Fine Romance makes meticulous, detailed comparisons between the stage and screen versions of 12 musicals that shaped American popular culture. The film versions of these musicals brought their stories, songs, and dances to more audiences than the theater versions ever could. Rather than assuming the inferiority of the film versions because of their commercialism or broad appeal, Block gives them an open-minded treatment. He notes that the medium of film is different from the stage and reveals the many ways that artists took advantage of this to create film adaptations that merit serious treatment and admiration. In reading the book I gained a deeper appreciation of the versatility of the musical as a genre. * Kara Gardner, author of Agnes de Mille: Telling Stories in Broadway Dance *A Fine Romance in a seminar-style course on musicals. All in all, Block's most recent entry in his influential body of musical-theater scholarship continues his innovative and thorough research in the field. * Megan Woller, Notes: the Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association vol. 80 *Table of ContentsPreface 1. The Hollywood Studio System and a Brief Survey of Film Adaptations from Show Boat to Cabaret 2. Surviving in the 1930s Movie Studio Jungle: Jerome Kern and Show Boat, The Cat and the Fiddle, and Roberta 3. Challenging the Hollywood Studio Model: On the Town vs. Call Me Madam 4. 1940s Stage Musicals and Their Screen Adaptations: Cabin in the Sky, Brigadoon, and Oklahoma! 5. More Than a
£23.27
Oxford University Press Inc Broadway Bodies A Critical History of Conformity
Book SynopsisBroadway Bodies offers a new telling of Broadway history, exploring how ability, sexuality, and size intersect with gender, race, and ethnicity in casting and performance. Author Ryan Donovan unpacks Broadway's inclusion of various forms of embodied difference while exposing its simultaneous ambivalence toward non-conforming bodies.Trade ReviewSkillfully written in sharp, crystalline prose, the book comprises three case studies, each taking a deep dive into a musical whose casting demonstrates a particular type of body bias, then explicating that bias in a follow up chapter via other relevant shows. * Lisa Jo Sagolla, American Theatre *Ryan Donovan's fascinating and groundbreaking book explores what Broadway musical theatre hides in plain sight: bodies on stage and the politics of casting some bodies and not others. Through impeccable historical research, probing interviews, incisive performance analysis, and vivid firsthand experience, Donovan offers a new history of Broadway musicals that shines a light on the industry's troubling and often shocking casting practices. This essential-reading volume unearths how size, ability, and sexuality delimit the 'Broadway body' and mask casting's misogyny, racism, ableism, and fat phobia. * Stacy Wolf, Princeton University *Ryan Donovan's book immediately shifts the conversation on how we talk about musical theatre. Broadway Bodies is deeply knowledgeable, politically astute, and highly readable. I loved the book's clarity and purpose—this is a must-read for theatre and performance scholars and for anyone who cares about American theatre. * David Roman, University of Southern California *Broadway Bodies is a wake-up call for anyone interested in equity. It requires that we ponder what it is about ourselves that we really want our American musical theatre to reflect. * Lisa Jo Sagolla, American Theatre *Broadway Bodies, while eminently readable, is dense with sociopolitical context, historical research, and data surrounding casting practices. For those who study bodies in representation, specifically in the context of performance, this volume is a welcome contribution and is certain to serve as an anchor in this growing field. * Jennifer-Scott Mobley, Fat Studies *Donovan's well-analyzed arguments on unresolved problems of access and his profound understanding of the form lead the way. This treatise has much to offer and raises the prospect of a similar examination of nonmusical theater forms. * Choice *Table of ContentsPart I: Broadway Bodies Introduction: The Broadway Body 1. "I Saw What They Were Hiring": Casting and Recasting A Chorus Line Part II: Size 2. Dreamgirls, Size, and the Body Politics of Padding 3. "Must Be Heavyset": Casting Fat Women in Broadway Musicals Part III: Sexuality 4. La Cage aux Folles and Playing Gay 5. "Keeping It Gay" on The Great White Way Part IV: Ability 6. Deaf West's Awakening of Broadway 7. Musicals, Physical Difference, and Disability Epilogue: Recasting Broadway Bibliography Index
£26.12
Oxford University Press Inc How to Market the Arts A Practical Approach for
Book SynopsisIn How to Market the Arts: A Practical Approach for the 21st Century, expert authors Anthony Rhine and Jay Pension provide a new and practical paradigm to explain how nonprofit arts marketing can and should work.Trade ReviewThis is a much-needed resource and exploration of what it takes to promote the nonprofit arts sector at this time of change and transformation. Rhine and Pension have created a new approach, not only to how we sell our work, but how we can view the process of making and selling more holistically, as two halves of the same necessary whole. * Melia Bensussen, Artistic Director, Hartford Stage & Professor, Emerson College *This book proposes a compelling new approach that transforms conventional marketing paradigms into a more flexible and appropriate framework for nonprofit arts organizations. By redefining notions of marketing and "engagement," the authors help us see that the art we create and present is not an end in itself, but rather a powerful vehicle to serve our community and transform the world. Artists and arts administrators alike should take notice. * Jeffrey Nytch, author of The Entrepreneurial Muse: Inspiring Your Career in Classical Music *Through a practical lens, Rhine and Pension provide the reader with a clear understanding on marketing and engagement. The text covers a complete range of topics fundamental to the four Ps of marketing to the four Es of engagement. This invaluable resource is not only effective for performing arts administrators, but also business and management students, liberal arts students, and anyone enrolled in a leadership program. Their theoretical approach emphasizes a review of nonprofit arts, as well as useful steps an organization might take to increase its visibility and appeal. * James A. Filippelli, Associate Professor of Fine and Performing Arts, Dominican University, located in Rockland County, New York *Education, experience, engagement, environment, and ease of access complete the model for success. This book clearly develops a new approach to marketing the arts and, as a result, will prove beneficial for all. * James Filipelli, Dominican University New York *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Part 1: Marketing Versus Engagement Chapter 1: Setting the Stage: A Shift from Traditional Marketing Chapter 2: Engagement Part 2: Education Chapter 3:Contrasting Frameworks: Promotion and Education Chapter 4: Promotion and the Arts Chapter 5: Education and the Arts Part 3: Experience Chapter 6: Contrasting Frameworks: Product and Experience Chapter 7: Product and the Arts Chapter 8: Experience and the Arts Part 4: Environment Chapter 9: Contrasting Frameworks: Place and Environment Chapter 10: Place and the Arts Chapter 11: Environment and the Arts Part 5: Ease of Access Chapter 12: Contrasting Frameworks: Price and Ease of Access Chapter 13: Price and the Arts Chapter 14: Ease of Access and the Arts Conclusion: Piecing Everything Together
£26.59
Oxford University Press Inc Singing Utopia
Book SynopsisSinging Utopia is a unique and ambitious work which asks us to listen differently to voice in musical theatre. Across fifteen case studies from Florodora to Hadestown, Ben Macpherson hears something utopian in the extraordinary, emotional, and situational directness of singing voices as they escape the confines of everyday life. Yet, as this book discovers, the very nature of utopia is paradoxical, fraught with undercurrents of nostalgia, melancholy, and the perpetual threat of the dystopian. Singing Utopia listens across these fault lines in our understanding of utopia and asks what it means for a musical to give voice to an imagined world which is always a contradiction in terms. Who gets to inhabit such a world? Who is excluded? How can we locate utopia in musical theatre voices, and what might be the consequences when its complexities are exposed?Listening for answers to these questions, implicitly connected with concerns of class, race, gender, and culture, the author draws on a diverse range of approaches, including voice studies, musicology, sound studies, literary studies, political philosophy, and ethnography. In doing so, Singing Utopia examines current ways of listening while moving beyond them to develop a series of new terms, including ''decadent appropriation'', ''simuloquism'', two kinds of ''voiceworld'', and three new approaches to the chorus and ensemble. This book offers an original and provocative account of musical theatre singing, exposing the power, possibilities, and paradoxes heard in voices that promise ''something better''-whatever, in the end, that might be.
£35.29
Oxford University Press Inc Heres to the Ladies
Book SynopsisA fascinating look at the careers of some of Broadway''s greatest female performers in their own wordsIn Here''s to the Ladies, the follow-up to Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical Theater, theatre journalist Eddie Shapiro sits down for intimate, career-encompassing conversations with yet more of Broadway''s most prolific and fascinating leading women. Full of detailed stories and reflections, his conversations with such luminaries as Barbara Cook, Kelli O''Hara, Heather Headley, Faith Prince, Stephanie J. Block, Tonya Pinkins, and a host of others dig deep into each actor''s career -together, these chapters tell the story of what it means to be a leading lady on Broadway over the past fifty years. Alan Cumming described Nothing Like a Dame as an encyclopedia of modern musical theatre via a series of tender meetings between a diehard fan and his idols. Because of Eddie Shapiro''s utter guilelessness, these women open up and reveal more than they ever haveTrade ReviewEddie Shapiro has gathered the best in business for another fascinating collection of interviews. Reading his work is like sitting down with old friends, where the conversation is easy and the laughs are plenty. This backstage tour de force is one of my all-time favorites and a must-have for any theater loverâs library. * Susan Stroman, LGBTQ+ Studies *Table of Contents1. Barbara Cook 2. Tonya Pinkins 3. Faith Prince 4. Charlotte D'Amboise 5. Mary Beth Peil 6. Judy Kuhn 7. Beth Leavel 8. Carolee Carmello 9. Rachel York 10. Melissa Errico 11. Alice Ripley 12. Sherie Rene Scott 13. Kerry Butler 14. Heather Headley 15. Karen Olivo 16. Kelli O'Hara 17. Stephanie J. Block 18. Adrienne Warren 19. Jessie Mueller 20. Marin Mazzie
£30.99
Oxford University Press Inc Storytelling in Motion
Book SynopsisHow do filmmakers guide viewer attention through the frame using the movement of bodies on screen? What do they seek to communicate with their cinematic choreography, and how were those choices shaped by the industrial conditions available to them?Storytelling in motion: Cinematic Choreography and the Film Musical demonstrates how figure movement can serve as a versatile strategy of meaning-making, particularly when filmmakers attend to the relationship between choreographed movement and film style. Using Franco-American film musicals as case studies, this book analyses the narrative and stylistic impact of figure movement in cinema and the subtle power of cinematic choreography, those moments when filmmakers deliberately combine the strengths of film style and organized figure movement to convey narrative meaning through motion. Cinematic choreography emphasizes musical conventions in Singin'' in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952), prejudiced conflict in West Side Story (Je
£22.99
Oxford University Press Inc Psychiatry on the Stage
Book SynopsisPsychology and theater have often intersected in the most interesting ways to describe characters, situations, and interactions. Neuroscience is in the process of discovering how the brain longs for patterns that we find in theater and other art forms, and practitioners in psychiatry frequently refer to literature and drama to better understand patients. For instance, the Oedipal complex was first illustrated in Sophocles'' Oedipus Rex, and Sigmund Freud largely derived his understanding of psychiatric complexes from his familiarity with Greek mythology.Psychiatry on the Stage presents an overview of basic psychiatric principles applied to plays from the Greeks to modern times. Additional features include illustrative vignettes from the author''s practice and several detailed indexes comprised of plays, corresponding playwrights, and various psychiatric and neurological disorders. As a board-certified psychiatrist and playwright, Dr. Berman is uniquely qualified to explore the connections between psychiatry and theater. This book is sure to appeal to both practitioners in the field of psychiatry and theater enthusiasts alike.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Overview 1. The Greeks 2. Shakespeare 3. Modern Plays 4. Freud's Contribution 5. Jungian Concepts 6. Adlerian Complexes 7. Reich's Ideas 8. Klein's Positions 9. Personality Disorders 10. Depression and Bipolar Disorder 11. Psychosis 12. Substance Abuse 13. Identity Issues 14. What We Learn From Plays
£38.99
Oxford University Press Inc Manuel de Fallas El amor brujo
Book SynopsisSince its 1915 premiere, artists and arrangers ranging from the classical pianist Artur Rubinstein to pop luminaries such a Fred Waring and Spike Lee have found El amor brujo attractive. In Manuel de Falla's El amor brujo, author Carol A. Hess explores the ways in which music, class, and race are intertwined in the unusually rich history of this piece.
£15.82
Oxford University Press Inc The Politics of the Musical Theatre Screen
Book SynopsisHollywood''s conversion to sound in the 1920s created an early peak in the film musical following the immense success of The Jazz Singer. The opportunity to synchronize moving pictures with a soundtrack suited the musical in particular, since the heightened experience of song and dance drew attention to the novelty of the technological development. Until the near-collapse of the genre in the 1960s, the film musical enjoyed around thirty years of development, as landmarks such as The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, Singin'' in the Rain, and Gigi showed the exciting possibilities of putting musicals on the silver screen. The first of three volumes, The Politics of the Musical Theatre Screen Adaptation: An Oxford Handbook traces how the genre of the stage-to-screen musical has evolved, starting with early screen adaptations such as the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers movie Roberta and working through to Into the Woods (2014). Many chapters examine specific screen adaptations in depth, while others deal with broad issues such as realism or the politics of the adaptation in works such as Li''l Abner and Finian''s Rainbow. Together, the chapters incite lively debates about the process of adapting Broadway for the big screen and provide models for future studies.Volume I: The Politics of the Musical Theatre Screen AdaptationVolume II: Race, Sexuality, and Gender and the Musical Screen AdaptationVolume III: Stars, Studios, and the Musical Theatre Screen AdaptationTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. 'And I'll Sing Once More': A Historical Overview of the Broadway Musical on the Silver Screen 2. Refashioning Roberta: From Novel to Stage to Screen 3. Getting Real: Stage Musical versus Filmic Realism in Film Adaptations from Camelot to Cabaret 4. The Party's Over: On the Town, Bells Are Ringing, and the Problem of Adapting Postwar New York 5. Into the Woods from Stage to Screen 6. Li'l Abner from Comic Strip to Hollywood 7. Fidelity versus Freedom in Milos Forman's Film Version of Hair 8. 'An Elegant Legacy?': The Aborted Cartoon Adaptation of Finian's Rainbow 9. Little Shop of Horrors: Breaking the Rules All the Way to the Big (Enormous, Twelve-inch) Screen 10. The Fascinating Moment of Godspell: Its Cinematic Adaptation in the Shadow of Jesus Christ Superstar and Leonard Bernstein's Mass
£28.94
Oxford University Press Inc Race Sexuality and Gender and the Musical Screen
Book SynopsisHollywood''s conversion to sound in the 1920s created an early peak in the film musical, following the immense success of The Jazz Singer. The opportunity to synchronize moving pictures with a soundtrack suited the musical in particular, since the heightened experience of song and dance drew attention to the novelty of the technological development. Until the near-collapse of the genre in the 1960s, the film musical enjoyed around thirty years of development, as landmarks such as The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, Singin'' in the Rain, and Gigi showed the exciting possibilities of putting musicals on the silver screen. The second of three volumes, Race, Sexuality, and Gender and the Musical Screen Adaptation: An Oxford Handbook, traces how the genre of the stage-to-screen musical has evolved, focusing in particular of issues of race, gender and sexuality. Enduringly popular adaptations such as Kiss Me Kate and Pal Joey are considered through the lens of identity, while several chapters consider how different adaptations of the same stage musical reflect shifting historical contexts. Together, the chapters incite lively debates about the process of adapting Broadway for the big screen and provide models for future studies.Volume I: The Politics of the Musical Theatre Screen AdaptationVolume II: Race, Sexuality, and Gender and the Musical Screen AdaptationVolume III: Stars, Studios, and the Musical Theatre Screen AdaptationTable of Contents1. Adapting Pal Joey: Postwar Anxieties and the Playmate 2. Too Darn Hot: Reimagining Kiss Me, Kate for the Silver Screen 3. 'A Humane, Practical, and Beautiful Solution': Adaptation and Triangulation in Paint Your Wagon 4. 'A Great American Service': George M. Cohan, the Stage, and the Nation in Yankee Doodle Dandy 5. Cole Porter's List Songs on Stage and Screen 6. The Shifting Sand of Orientalism: The Desert Song on Stage and Screen 7. 'You Will Know That She is Our Annie': Comparing Three Adaptations of a Broadway Classic 8. The Many Faces of Rio Rita
£24.99
Oxford University Press Inc On Bette Midler
Book SynopsisBette Midler today is a beloved legacy star, best known for her comic witch in Disney''s Hocus Pocus (1993) and its 2022 sequel. She has also gained prominence for sentimental, anthemic ballads like Wind Beneath My Wings, her initiation of green space projects in New York City, and tussling with Donald Trump on Twitter. Her profile is that of an articulate, civic-minded matriarch enjoying thoroughly mainstream stardom. But more than fifty years earlier she emerged from the steam of the subterranean Continental Baths as the Divine Miss M, the bawdy, campy, fearless alter ego she created in front of an audience of towel-clad gay men who came to the baths seeking not just sex, but a sense of community and safety from an often-harrowing outside world. I was able to take chances on that stage that I could not have taken anywhere else, she later wrote. Ironically, I was freed from fear by people who, at the time, were ruled by fear. And for that I will always be grateful. Overnight, Bette Mi
£21.84
Oxford University Press Inc Tiktok Broadway
Book SynopsisAre you a musical theatre fan who loves TikTok? Or are you curious about how this social media app has changed musical theatre fandom - and even the concept of the musical itself? TikTok Broadway: Musical Theatre Fandom in the Digital Age takes readers inside the world of TikTok Broadway, where fans create, expand, and canonize musical theatre through viral videos. It argues that TikTok democratizes musical theatre fan cultures and spaces, creating a new canon of musical theatre that reflects the preferences and passions of the fans. Readers will also see how TikTok Broadway influences other aspects of U.S. popular culture, from Broadway shows to TV adaptations.From Six and Beetlejuice to Wicked and Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, this book covers the most popular and innovative musical theatre content on TikTok. Author Trevor Boffone, a musical theatre scholar and a TikTok creator, shows how fans use the app to express their love for musical theatre, and how they collaborate to produ
£21.84
Oxford University Press Inc Closer than Ever
Book SynopsisHow do musical theater songs actually get written? What enables some composer and lyricist partnerships to last for decades?Composer David Shire and lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr., two of the most gifted songwriters of our time, are revered among musical theater lovers for their ground-breaking off-Broadway revues Starting Here, Starting Now and Closer Than Ever, as well as for the Broadway musicals Baby and Big. Rosenblum sets out to increase appreciation for Maltby and Shire''s large and impressive body of work and establish their place in musical theater history. This book chronicles their sixty-six-year (and counting) partnership, giving full behind-the-scenes accounts of their musicals, interspersed with deep-dive analyses of standout individual numbers. Other well-known artistic figures who feature prominently in the Maltby/Shire story include Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Michael Stewart, Francis Ford Coppola, Craig Lucas, Mike Ockrent, Susan Stroman, John Weidman, Charles Strouse
£21.84
Clarendon Press The Stagecraft of Aeschylus The Dramatic Use of Exits and Entrances in Greek Tragedy Clarendon Paperbacks
Book SynopsisThe visual effect of the staging of Aeschylus'' plays was an essential part of their impact. And yet all that survives today are the scripts. Imagination, helped by anachronistic sources, has played the chief role for those dealing with the dramaturgy of Aeschylus'' works, and the result has usually been stages crowded with extras and equipment.In this book, the author approaches the subject from a completely different angle. He clears the stage and looks for clues of Aeschylus'' stagecraft in the texts of the plays themselves. He concentrates his study in an analysis of the exits and entrances in Aeschylus'' works with constant reference to the practice of Sophocles and Euripides as well. His arguments and conclusions are fascinating and thought-provoking, and make the book indispensable for anyone interested in ancient Greek drama and its staging.Trade Review'A fascinating commentary. Every controversial passage (and there are many) is discussed with incisive intelligence, great learning, and also good-humoured respect for opposing views.' Bernard Knox, Times Literary Supplement'Dr Taplin has made Greek tragedy more vivid and more accessible to us all, to the professional classicist, to the historian of the stage, and to would-be performers of ancient drama. Mark Griffith, Phoenix'This substantial and original work of scholarship is essential for anyone who wants to gain a serious understanding of Greek tragedy in performance. It is the combination of the attempted reconstruction of the stage-action with sustained, perceptive reading of the plays in the light of this reconstruction that gives this study its specific value.' Christopher Gill, University of Exeter, Theatre Research International Autmun '90Table of ContentsPersai; seven against Thebes; Hiketides; Prometheus; Aganemnon; Choephoroi; Eumenides.
£65.55
Oxford University Press National Theatre Playscripts Emil and the
Book SynopsisOn his first train journey alone to Berlin, the young Emil is robbed by a mysterious stranger. Emil thinks he has lost everything and the play follows his attempts to track down the thief. However, he is not alone in this endeavour. He teams up with a gang of young detectives who try to solve the mystery together.
£15.85
Oxford University Press National Theatre Playscripts War Horse
Book SynopsisWar Horse is the story of Joey, young Albert's beloved horse. Joey is sold to the cavalry during the First World War and sent to France to fight on the frontline. Albert is desperate to be reunited with Joey and he too enlists and faces the tragedy of war in his attempts to rescue Joey. Nick Stafford transforms Michael Morpurgo's novel for stage.
£15.85
Oxford University Press National Theatre Playscripts Treasure Island
Book SynopsisYoung Jim Hawkins' quiet life at the Admiral Benbow Inn is interrupted by the arrival of Billy Bones and a treasure map. Jim leaves behind her peaceful life in search of the treasure. Along the way she encounters Long John Silver and a crew of bloodthirsty pirates and she realises this voyage may be more dangerous than she first thought.
£15.74
Oxford University Press National Theatre Playscripts The Wardrobe
Book SynopsisCommissioned as part of the National Theatre's Connections programme, he Wardrobe explores the image of wardrobes as a shelter from the outside world where children can seek refuge. But is the wardrobe really safe? Placing the wardrobe at different points in British history, the play investigates how the past is connected to the present.
£15.85
Oxford University Press AQA Drama and Theatre A Level and AS
Book SynopsisPlease note this title is suitable for any student studying: Exam Board: AQA Level: AS/A Level Subject: Drama and TheatreFirst teaching: 2015First exams: 2017This student book comprehensively covers both the AQA AS and A Level Drama and Theatre specifications and has been approved by AQA. It provides coverage of the set texts, guidance on interpretations and support for studying a range of practitioners, advice on approaching and assessing theatre visits and support for creating original drama and the Working Notebook. Structured so as to allow for co-teachability of AS and A Level and developed from OUP''s well-loved resources for the previous specification, this new student book will provide all the support and guidance students need as they engage in their studies and prepare for assessments.
£56.05
Oxford University Press The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes
Book SynopsisThis is the ultimate anthology of theatrical anecdotes, edited by lifelong theatre-lover Gyles Brandreth in the Oxford tradition, and covering every kind of theatrical story and experience from the age of Shakespeare and Marlowe to the age of Stoppard and Mamet, from Richard Burbage to Richard Briers, from Nell Gwynn to Daniel Day-Lewis, from Sarah Bernhardt to Judi Dench.Players, playwrights, prompters, producers--they all feature. The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes provides a comprehensive, revealing, and hugely entertaining portrait of the world of theatre across four hundred years.Many of the anecdotes are humorous: all have something pertinent and illuminating to say about an aspect of theatrical life--whether it is the art of playwriting, the craft of covering up missed cues, the drama of the First Night, the nightmare of touring, or the secret ingredients of star quality.Edmund Kean, Henry Irving, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Ellen Terry, Edith Evans, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren--the great ''names'' are all here, of course, but there are tales of the unexpected, too--and the unknown. This is a book--presented in five acts, with a suitably anecdotal and personal prologue from Gyles Brandreth--where, once in a while, the understudy takes centre-stage and Gyles Brandreth treats triumph and disaster just the same, including stories from the tattiest touring companies as well as from Broadway, the West End and theatres, large and small, in Australia, India, and across Europe.Trade ReviewIt is impossible to do justice here to the fullness of Brandreth's bran tub. It's a hamper of a book, overflowing with delights and the odd occasion for serious reflection... * Simon Callow, The Sunday Times *... cracker of a book... with theatres closed because of coronavirus, The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes is about as close to a play we can get at the moment and it is well worth the admission price. * Sunday Express *The mix of solemnity and humour is perhaps a suitable homage to a great industry now in danger of dying, leaving in its wake only anecdotes about old times. * Lindsay Duguid, Times Literary Supplement *Brilliantly wide-ranging collection of showbiz tales with an anecdote-packed introduction from the man himself. * James Walton, Readers Digest *... a chunky tome of a book containing scrupulously researched snippets of amusing theatrical chat... The prologue to the book is a mini masterpiece in itself and demonstrates with a quiet strenth and a familiar humour, the depth of Brandreth's love for the theatre and his remarkable insight into it... makes you smile, wonder and sympathise... * Sandra Callard, ON-Yorkshire Magazine *Brandreth is always reliably funny... * Literary Review *... a sheer delight... this meaty volume will transport the reader into the world of make-believe and recount the very real exploits of the wizards who create it. * John Badenhorst, Press and Journal *This, of course, is not a book to read from cover to cover - it's one to dip into as and when the mood takes you. I heartily recommend you take the plunge. * Stephen Griffin, Camden New Journal *Funny, cringe-worthy, witty and wise, it's the perfect book for theatre-goers. * Surrey Life *...provides a fascinating perspective on the history of British (and sometimes American or Australian) theatre... there's so much to enjoy here: it really is a book that keeps on giving, and will keep the reader happily dipping in and out for many weeks... * Shiny New Books *The ever wonderful Gyles Brandreth edits this joyous and hugely entertaining new anthology of theatrical anecdotes... a comprehensive, revealing, and hugely entertaining portrait of the world of theatre across four hundred years. * The Arts Shelf *Completely brilliant. Gyles knows all the best theatre stories and he has collected them just for us. What a treat! * Dame Judi Dench *Table of ContentsPrologue Act One: Players from WIlliam Shakespeare to Henry Irving Act Two: Players from Sarah Bernhardt to Tallulah Bankhead Act Three: Players from Ralph Richardson to Naeem Hyat Interval: Audiences and Critics Act Four: Playwrights, Producers, and Directors Act Five: Unforeseen Circumstances Epilogue
£13.49
Oxford University Press Shakespeare A Playgoers Readers Guide
Book SynopsisShakespeare: A Playgoer''s & Reader''s Guide is your essential companion to all Shakespeare''s extant works (as well as those known to be lost). Two of our most eminent Shakespeare scholars guide us through his sonnets, his poems, and his plays, providing the reader with detailed scene-by-scene plot synopses, cast lists, notes on the texts and sources, discussions of artistic features, and accounts of significant productions on stage and screen.Derived from the acclaimed Oxford Companion to Shakespeare, and fully updated to reflect the latest scholarship and most recent notable productions, it is the ideal compact guide for students and theatre-goers needing a helpful plot summary, or readers wishing to browse on fascinating background information.Trade Review...crammed with information of the most detailed kind. One particularly magnificent section gives the entire chronology of every one of the families involved in the history plays... This is a book with no messing about. It gives its information clearly and in a pithy manner which enables the reader to absorb a great deal of information without too much cerebral effort...this little book has a wonderfully powerful kick. * ON: YORKSHIRE *A thorough and accessible resource... * Nick Smurthwaite, Drama & Theatre Magazine *Distilled and updated from OUP's earlier Oxford Companion to Shakespeare , this book would be a fine starting point for anyone wanting or needing to know more about the man and his work. * Susan Elkin, School Librarian *Table of ContentsPreface All Is True All's Well That Ends Well Antony and Cleopatra As You Like It Cardenio The Comedy of Errors Coriolanus Cymbeline Edward III First Part of the Contention of the Two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster (2 Henry VI) Hamlet Henry IV Part 1 Henry IV Part 2 Henry V Henry VI Part 1 Julius Caesar King John King Lear A Lover's Complaint Love's Labour's Lost Love's Labour's Won Macbeth Measure for Measure The Merchant of Venice The Merry Wives of Windsor A Midsummer's Night Dream Much Ado About Nothing Othello Pericles The Phoenix and the Turtle The Rape of Lucrece Richard Duke of York (3 Henry VI) Richard II Richard III Romeo and Juliet Sir Thomas More Sonnets The Taming of the Shrew The Tempest Timon of Athens Titus Andronicus Troilus and Cressida Twelfth Night The Two Gentlemen of Verona The Two Noble Kinsmen Venus and Adonis The Winter's Tale A Short Life of William Shakespeare Shakespeare's Life, Works, and Reception: A Partial Chronology, 1564-2020 Family Tree of Characters in the English Histories Some Suggested Further Reading
£15.29
Oxford University Press Shakespeare on Page and Stage
Book SynopsisThis volume presents a winning selection of the very best essays from the long and distinguished career of Stanley Wells, one of the most well-known and respected Shakespeare scholars in the world. Wells''s accomplishments include editing the entire canon of Shakespeare plays for the ground-breaking Oxford Shakespeare, and over his lifetime he has made significant contributions to debates over literary criticism of the works, genre study, textual theory, Shakespeare''s afterlife in the theatre, and contemporary performance. The volume is introduced by Peter Holland, and its thirty chapters are divided into themed sections: ''Shakespearian Influences'', ''Essays on Particular Works'', ''Shakespeare in the Theatre'', and ''Shakespeare''s Text''. An afterword by Margreta de Grazia concludes the volume.Trade ReviewHis breadth and judiciousness are generously on view in an essay "On Being a General Editor," with advice that I have long taken to heart as to whether notes should appear at the foot of the page, how to keep the text as free as possible from algebraic signs, how to persuade individual editors in a series to absorb and act upon the advice they are given, and much more. These are only a few instances of enlightenment afforded by this immensely valuable collection of essays. * David Bevington, Renaissance Quarterly *Another collection poised at the intersection of theatrical practice and historical scholarship ... The essays in this collection exhibit Well's extraordinary critical range, as well as his characteristic clarity, wisdom, and wit. * Kevin Curran, Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 *[An] expansive, insightful essay collection ... [Wells's] engagement with the material is lively enough that [readers will be inspired] to dust off their old editions of the plays from their school days and dive back in. * Publishers Weekly *At their best (and they are often at their best), these essays display the tough-minded wit that John Donne might have brought to, as well as found in, Shakespeare: wreathed, ingenious, supple, sophisticated - and delivered with a wink. * Times Literary Supplement *For decades, the dean of British Shakespeare studies and Shakespeare's most sedulous ambassador worldwide, Stanley Wells, has been a critic of astonishing range. Here we see what he brought to and learned from his executive roles with the Shakespeare Institute and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, his editorships of the Oxford Shakespeare Complete Works and Shakespeare Survey, and his engagement with and mentorship of countless scholars. Close reading, contextual reading, textual editing, performance analysis, theatre history, cultural history--all are to be encountered in this astutely curated collection. There are pleasures of discovery and rediscovery: how fresh the work remains, how searching, and how revelatory. * Lena Cowen Orlin, Executive Director, The Shakespeare Association of America. *Stanley Wells's contribution to Shakespeare studies has been profound. This collection of his finest essays--ranging widely from stagecraft to theatre criticism, and from textual studies to explorations of individual works--confirms why he continues to serve as such an incisive and brilliant guide to the plays and poems. * James Shapiro, author of 1599 and 1606 *Stanley Wells is the most Shakespearian of Shakespearians. He epitomizes what makes the humanities humane. Great learning lightly worn; hard work disguised as play. A love of beauty and of truth. A deep commitment to the difficult work of understanding the human past. Curiosity, empathy, generosity, modesty. The clarity and passion of all great teachers. A twinkle in the eye, and in the prose. * Gary Taylor, Apprentice; Collaborator; Beneficiary *Table of ContentsPeter Holland: Introduction I. Shakespearian Influences 1: Shakespeare: Man of the European Renaissance 2: Tales from Shakespeare II. Essays on Particular Works 3: The Failure of The Two Gentlemen of Verona 4: The Taming of the Shrew and King Lear: A Structural Comparison 5: The Integration of Violent Action in Titus Andronicus 6: The Challenges of Romeo and Juliet 7: Juliet's Nurse: The Uses of Inconsequentiality 8: The Lamentable Tale of Richard II 9: A Midsummer Night's Dream Revisited 10: Translations in A Midsummer Night's Dream 11: The Once and Future King Lear 12: Points of Stagecraft in The Tempest 13: 'My Name is Will': Shakespeare's Sonnets and Autobiography 14: Shakespeare Without Sources 15: Shakespeare and Romance III. Shakespeare in the Theatre 16: Boys Should be Girls: Shakespeare s Female Roles and the Boy Players 17: Staging Shakespeare's Ghosts 18: Staging Shakespeare's Apparitions and Dream Visions 19: Shakespeare in Planché's Extravaganzas 20: Shakespeare in Max Beerbohm's Theatre Criticism 21: Shakespeare in Leigh Hunt's Theatre Criticism 22: Shakespeare in Hazlitt's Theatre Criticism 23: Peter Hall's Coriolanus, 1959 IV. Shakespeare's Text 24: On Being a General Editor 25: Editorial Treatment of Foul-Paper Texts: Much Ado About Nothing as Test Case 26: Money in Shakespeare's Comedies 27: To Read a Play: The Problem of Editorial Intervention 28: The First Folio: Where Should We be Without it? 29: The Limitations of the First Folio Margreta de Grazia: Afterword Notes Select List of Publications Acknowledgements Index
£16.99
Oxford University Press Fathoming the Deep in English Renaissance Tragedy
Book Synopsis
£23.75
Oxford University Press, USA How Plays Work
Book SynopsisWhy are readers who are generally at home with narrative and discursive prose, and even readily responsive to poetry, far less confident and intuitive when it comes to plays? The complication lies in the twofold character of the play as it exists on the page - as a script or score to be realized, and as literature. Martin Meisel''s engaging account of how we read play plays on the page shows that the path to the fullest imaginative response is an understanding of how plays work. What is entailed is something like learning a language - vocabulary, grammar, syntax - but learning also how the language operates in those concrete situations where it is deployed.Meisel begins with a look at matters often taken for granted in coding and convention, and then - under ''Beginnings'' - at what is entailed in establishing and entering the invented world of the play. Each succeeding chapter is a gesture at enlarging the scope: ''Seeing and Hearing'', ''The Uses of Place'', ''The Role of the AudiencTrade Reviewlearned and jargon-free * Alex Danchev, Times Literary Supplement *Table of Contents1. Introduction: The art of reading plays ; 2. Beginnings ; 3. Seeing and hearing ; 4. The uses of place ; 5. The role of the audience ; 6. The shape of the action ; 7. The action of words ; 8. Reading meanings ; 9. Primal attractions
£62.70
Oxford University Press, USA Shakespeares Names Oxford Shakespeare Topics Hardcover
Trade ReviewMaguire seems to have enjoyed writing Shakespeare's Names and it is correspondingly enjoyable to read. * Tom Rutter Notes and Queries *...a crucial text not only for those interested in Shakespearian drama but for anyone interetsed in language more generally... * Edel Lamb MLR *Her detailed account of performances...are hugely illuminating. This is a book as much for theatre lovers as for linguists. And anyone who tries to be both will be delighted that she has written it. * David Crystal, Around the Globe *[a] stimulating book... criticism of such distinction * Alastair Fowler, Times Literary Supplement *engaging, learned, and far-reaching... Shakespeares Names is, to borrow a phrase from Loves Labours Lost, a great feast of language (5.1.36-7), both in its graceful writing and its endearing subject. * David Bevington, Modern Philology *the book's tone and level of discussion will appeal to a wide variety of readers...it evinces... the antiquary's delighted love for his or her material, a form of delight that this book communicates with intelligence and generosity. * Philip Schwyzer, Times Higher Education *[A] witty and learned study * Stratford-upon-Avon Herald *a reader-friendly delight to academics, students and Shakespeare nuts alike. * Annie Martirosyan, Huffington Post *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. What's in a name? ; 2. The patronym: Montague and Capulet ; 3. The mythological name: Helen ; 4. The diminutive name: Kate ; 5. The place name: Ephesus ; Works Cited
£62.10
Oxford University Press, USA Theatre Censorship From Walpole to Wilson
Book SynopsisUsing previously unpublished material from the National Archives, this book provides a thoroughgoing account of the introduction and abolition of theatre censorship in England, from Sir Robert Walpole's Licensing Act of 1737 to the successful campaign to abolish theatre censorship in 1968. It concludes with an exploration of possible new forms of covert censorship.Trade Review`This book, well researched, cogently argued, and frequently revealing, is an important addition to the scholarly literature on theatrical censorship in Britain.' Jeffrey M. Richards, Comparative Drama`a lucid and thorough account' Alec Patton, Theatre JournalTable of ContentsTimeline. Statutory Theatre Censorship ; 1. Theatre Censorship under the Royal Prerogative ; 2. Statutory Theatre Censorship: 1737-1892 ; 3. The 1909 Challenge to Statutory Theatre Censorship ; 4. The Inter-War Years ; 5. The 1949 Bid to end Statutory Theatre Censorship ; 6. Further Attempts to end Statutory Theatre Censorship ; 7. The 1960s and the 1968 Theatres Act ; 8. The Aftermath: British Theatre following the Abolition of Statutory Censorship ; Conclusion
£123.75
Oxford University Press Modern Drama A Very Short Introduction Very Short
Book SynopsisThe story of modern drama is a tale of extremes, testing both audiences and actors to their limits through hostility and contrarianism. Spanning 1880 to the present, Kirsten E. Shepherd-Barr shows how truly international a phenomenon modern drama has become, and how vibrant and diverse in both text and performance. This Very Short Introduction explores the major developments of modern drama, covering two decades per chapter, from early modernist theatre through post-war developments to more recent and contemporary theatre. Shepherd-Barr tracks the emergence of new theories from the likes of Brecht and Beckett alongside groundbreaking productions to illuminate the fascinating evolution of modern drama.ABOUT THE SERIES:The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewShepherd-Barr manages to survey over a hundred years of Western drama in this pocket-sized book ... Providing a cursory, but considered, overview that introduces the reader to the richness and diversity of the topic in an engaging and readily comprehensible manner. That is no mean feat. * Adrian Curtin, Studies in Theatre and Performance *an excellent and insightful short introduction to modern drama * Adrian Curtin, Studies in Theatre and Performance *Modern Drama: A Very Short Introduction, is something of a marvel. A clear case is made for each of the eras of modern drama while also demonstrating the lasting influence of directors, playwrights, and styles. * Lee Jacobus, Emeritus Prof. of English, UConn, Storrs *Table of Contents1. 1880-1900: realism, naturalism and symbolism ; 2. 1900-1920: sex, suffrage, and scandal ; 3. 1920-1940: metatheatre and modernity ; 4. 1940-1960: salesmen , southerners, anger and ennui ; 5. 1960-1980: absurdism, protest and commitment ; 6. 1980-2000: bearing witness ; 7. 2000-present: contemporary theatre
£9.49
Oxford University Press Inc Philip Roth
Book SynopsisThis new biography of the controversial, influential, and prize-winning American novelist Philip Roth, a writer with an international reputation for inventive, original novels from Portnoy's Complaint to American Pastoral and The Plot Against America, is based on new access to archival documents and new interviews with Roth's friends and associates.Trade ReviewNadel's research is so thorough that even Beth Roth's recipe for marble pound cake appears in full in the endnotes (chapter 8, note 101). There will be other biographies of Roth and his work, biographies that offer different understandings, but they will likely always find themselves competing with this volume, which for now at least is in the class of the heavyweights. * J. A. Zoller, emeritus, Houghton College *This deeply thought book is rich with information and insight and will be a huge benefit to the scholarly community mushrooming up around Roth's works as well as to the general reader interested in the riveting life of an important American writer. * Brett Ashley Kaplan, Cercle *Sizeable, solidly researched, intelligently wrought. * London Review of Books *In its critical substance — scholarship and literary insight – it's really a better book, a more understanding book, than Bailey's. * Josh Gidding, Metapsychology.net *Well researched and clearly written... full of insights. * Jewish Chronicle *Ira Nadel's Philip Roth: A Counterlife is an intense and illuminating study of the life, times, and work of the Jewish man from Newark who became one of America's most original and provocative writers. * Kristine Morris, Foreword Reviews *In Philip Roth: A Counterlife, Ira Nadel exposes the multifaceted disposition of this major voice in American letters: Roth the realist, the ironist, the ventriloquist, the impersonator, the bard. In navigating the intricacies and dualities of the public and private Roth, Nadel shows the complexities, the contradictions, and the counterlives both lived and imagined. As literary sleuth, Nadel has enriched the myriad possibilities for understanding this exacting and defiant writer and his work. * Victoria Aarons, O.R. & Eva Mitchell Distinguished Professor of Literature, Department of English, Trinity University *Professor Nadel's study is always very readable and compelling but its discussion of material that has never been accessed before is particularly exciting. * David Brauner, Professor of Contemporary Literature, The University of Reading *Philip Roth: A Counterlife engages and illuminates the scenes of discontent, betrayal, illness, and rage in Roth's own life that allow for new understandings of his work and relationships. Drawing on such primary source material as interviews, personal correspondence, and site visits, Nadel's biography penetrates the carefully composed narrative Roth presented publicly in order to present a "counter" Philip Roth, one who is at once more sympathetic to his readers than critics realize and more dynamic than even his self-creation allows. Nadel seamlessly weaves his interpretations of Roth's most provocative texts into the story of Roth's own life: a life shadowed by pain, illness, and personal injustices, but also illuminated by the joys of writing, ideas, and friendships that will persist long after his death. * Aimee Pozorski, Co-executive editor of Philip Roth Studies, Professor of English, Central Connecticut State University *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Newark, Newark 2. Declaration of Independence 3. An Education in Intensity 4. "Walked out on the Platinum!" or New York, New York 5. Death and Freedom 6 Portnoy: Let it Rip! 7. Jewish Wheaties 8. Traveling with Kafka 9. Supercarnal Productions 10. Zuckerman Live! 11. Psychoanalysis and Laxatives, or Democracy in America 12. Quintet or The Jersey Style 13. Coda: "It's a miserable life" Index
£24.74
Oxford University Press Landscape of the Now A Topography Of Movement Improvisation
Book SynopsisLandscape of the Now takes readers on a deep journey into the underlying processes and structures of movement improvisation. Based on interviews with Steve Paxton, Simone Forti, Nancy Stark Smith, and others, this book offers the rare opportunity to find some clarity in what is often a complex and confusing creative experience.Trade ReviewDe Spain is a master storyteller. More than that, he is a philosopher who uses his exceptional analytical skills to get to the heart of what defines postmodern improvisation as improvisation. This quest - a personal passion for De Spain - energizes the book. * David Gere, co-editor, Taken By Surprise: A Dance Improvisation Reader *Improvisation is the alchemy of giving form to the present moment. Contained within are essentially master classes in addressing some of the varied mysteries and issues that can emerge from the practice of improvisation. De Spain's book shines a bright light on how these eight groundbreaking artists wrap words around their processes of inquiry and their experiences of the embodied mind in motion. * Eric Handman, Assistant Professor of Dance, University of Utah *I began to read and realized I had started my next dance. De Spain's invitation to your own practice is waiting. De Spain, with his curiosity and engagement, has brought eight master artists to our studio doors. * Bebe Miller, Artistic Director, Bebe Miller Company *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; What and Who ; Section One: Issues ; Agendas ; Tracking ; Verbal/Nonverbal Awareness ; The Audience/Improviser Relationship ; Intentionality ; What is Good? ; The Transpersonal ; Section Two: Resources ; Body ; Movement ; The Senses ; Space ; Time ; Artistic Form ; Images and the Imagination ; Cognitive Skills ; Emotion ; Memory ; Structures ; Attention ; Conclusion ; Appendix ; Suggested Reading ; Index
£36.54
Oxford University Press Gestures of Music Theater The Performativity Of Song And Dance
Book SynopsisGestures of Music Theater explores examples of Song and Dance as performative gestures that entertain and affect audiences. The chapters interact to reveal the complex energies of performativity. In experiencing these energies, music theatre is revealed as a dynamic accretion of active, complex and dialogical experiences.Trade ReviewThis book makes for a very rewarding read: it combines an excellent selection of emerging and established scholars and practitioners' voices and despite its diversity with regard to genre, time, methodology and focus, it is held together firmly by a very specific and timely common research question: how song and dance can be read as performative gestures. The editors and contributors demonstrate vividly how song and dance are not merely the concern of a limited group of musicologists and dance scholars, but are omnipresent in our culture and provide a fascinating prism through which to see and understand human communication. * Dr. David Roesner, University of Kent *This impressive volume offers important new insights on the act of music theatre and the performativity of song and dance. The collection of essays on vocality and physical gesture expands our understanding of how voices and bodies can be located in multiple theatrical contexts. * Dr. William A. Everett, University of Missouri-Kansas City *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Singing the Dance, Dancing the Song ; Chapter 1: The Song's the Thing: Capturing the "Sung" to Make it "Song" ; Chapter 2: The (Un)Pleasure of Song: On the Enjoyment of Listening to Opera ; Performativity as Dramaturgy ; Chapter 3: Relocating the Song: Julie Taymor's Jukebox Musical Across the Universe (2007) ; Chapter 4: Dynamic shape: the Dramaturgy of Song and Dance in Lloyd Webber's Cats (1981) ; Performativity as Transition ; Chapter 5: Dance Breaks and Dream Ballets: Transitional Moments in Musical Theater ; Chapter 6: "Love Let Me Sing you": The Liminality of Song and Dance in La Chiusa's Bernarda Alba (2006) ; Performativity as Identity ; Chapter 7: Tapping the Ivories: Jazz and Tap Dance in Jelly's Last Jam (1992). ; Chapter 8: Everything's Coming up Kurt: the Broadway Song in Glee ; Chapter 9: Angry Dance: Postmodern Innovation, Masculinities and Gender Subversion ; Performativity as Context ; Chapter 10: Deconstructing the Singer: the Concerts of Laurie Anderson ; Chapter 11: Singing and a Song: The "Intimate Difference" in Susan Philipsz's Lowlands (2010) ; Chapter 12: Acting Operatically: Body, Voice and the Actress in Beckett's Theater ; Performativity as Practice ; Chapter 13: Vox Elettronica: Song, Dance and Live Electronics in the Practice of Sound Theater ; Chapter 14: From Ear to Foot: How Choreographers Interpret Music ; Chapter 15: Singing from Stones: Physiovocality and Gardzienice's Theater of Musicality ; Performativity as Community ; Chapter 16: Singing the Community: the Musical Theater Chorus as Character ; Chapter 17: Singing and Dancing Ourselves: The Politics of the Ensemble in A Chorus Line (1975) ; Performativity as Writing ; Bibliography ; Index ; Bibliography
£44.80
Taylor & Francis Inc Play Directing Analysis Communication and Style
Book SynopsisPlay Directing describes the various roles a director plays, from selection and analysis of the play, to working with actors and designers to bring the production to life. The authors emphasize that the role of the director as an artist-leader collaborating with actors and designers who look to the director for partnership in achieving their fullest, most creative expressions. The text emphasizes how the study of directing provides an intensive look at the structure of plays and acting, and of the process of design of scenery, costume, lighting, and sound that together make a produced play.Table of ContentsDedicationPreface and Credits for Photographs. 1. Why the Director? 2. What Is a Play? Analysis and Improvisation.I. PLAY-ANALYSIS: TAKING A PLAY APART. 3. The Foundation and Facade of the Playscript: Given Circumstances and Dialogue. 4. The Core of the Playscript: Dramatic Action and Characters. 5. Idea and Rhythm-Mood Beats. 6. The Director's Preparation.II. COMMUNICATION 1: THE DIRECTOR-ACTOR RELATIONSHIP AND STAGE BLOCKING 7. Directing Is Working with Actors 1. 8. Learning to See: The Games of Visual Perception. 9. Helping Actors Communicate through Groundplans.10. Composition: Helping Actors Discover and Project Basic Relationships.11. Helping Each Actor Intensify: Gesture and Improvisation with Properties.12. Picturization: Helping a Group Intensify.13. The Dynamic Tool of Movement.14. Coordinating the Blocking Tools in Director-Actor Communication.15. Helping Actors “Speak” a Play16. Directing is Working with Actors 2.Major Project 1A: Scene Practice.Major Project 1B: Diagnostic Criticism.COMMUNICATION THROUGH STAGING OPTIONS .17. The Director’s Responsibility for Working Effectively with Design.18. The Director and the Stage Machine: Symbolization and Synthesis.19. Director's Options: Choice of the Stage.20. Director's Options: Scenery, Properties, and Lighting.21. Director's Options: Costume, Makeup, and Sound.HELPING AUDIENCES RECEIVE A PLAY.22. Responsibility to Audiences.Major Project 2: Designing and Directing Your Own One-Act Play Production.III. INTERPRETATION: A MATTER OF STYLE.23. Style Is Individual Expression.24. Style in Playwriting and Playwrights.25. The Director's Analysis of Style in a Playscript.26. Style in Production: Making Decisions.27. Style in Production: Modern Plays.28. Style in Production: New Plays.29. Style in Production: Plays of Past Ages.IV. COMMUNICATION 2: THE DIRECTOR-DESIGNER RELATIONSHIP30. Preparing To Be a Collaborator in the Design Process31. Directing Is Working with DesignersMajor Project 3: Directing a Full-Length, Fully-Produced Play with DesignersAppendix 1. Directing Musical Theatre and Opera.Appendix 2. The Director and the Dramaturg.Appendix 3. Your Future as a Director.Bibliography.Index.
£147.25
Pearson Education (US) Managing Business Professional Communication
Book SynopsisTable of Contents Preface UNIT I Foundations of Business and Professional Communication CHAPTER 1 Introducing Business and Professional Communication 1 Communication Gaps in the Workplace What General Communication Competencies Are Needed in Organizations? Communication Competencies Expected in Organizations Definition and Model of Business and Professional Communication Assumptions About Communication: A Word on Axioms Business and Professional Communication in Four Contexts In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References CHAPTER 2 Managing Leadership Communication in Organizational Cultures Organizational Culture as a Context for Communication Features of Organizational Culture Leadership in Organizational Cultures: Structures and Styles In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References UNIT II Interpersonal Communication in Business and Professional Communication CHAPTER 3 Managing Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace Interpersonal Communication Principles in the Workplace Social Equity Theory Managing Interpersonal Communication Skills Managing Social Networking as Interpersonal Communication In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References CHAPTER 4 Managing Listening Communication in the Workplace The Significant of Listening in Organizations Concepts That Explain Listening Deficits Avoid Communication Omission How to Improve Listening Skills Active Listening In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References CHAPTER 5 Managing Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace Defining Nonverbal Communication Importance of Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace Functions and Rules of Nonverbal Communication Elements of Nonverbal Communication Using Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References CHAPTER 6 Managing Communication Conflict in the Workplace Conflict in the Workplace Communication Skills in Managing Conflict Communication Skills in Managing Negotiation In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References CHAPTER 7 Managing Intercultural Communication in the Workplace Definition and Model of Intercultural Communication Understanding Cultural Diversity Importance of Managing Cultural Diversity Intercultural Communication Strategies for Promoting Unity In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References Unit III Small Groups and Teams in Business and Professional Communication CHAPTER 8 Managing Group Communication and Workplace Teams Defining Small-Group Communication Group Outcomes Communication Networks in Small Groups Leadership in Teams and Small Groups Conducting Results-Oriented Group Communication Strategies for Conducting Large Group Meetings Strategies for Team Building in the Workplace Definition and Model of Teams How to Facilitate High Functioning Workplace Teams What Makes a Successful Team? Outcomes of Successful Teams In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References CHAPTER 9 Managing Interviews in the Workplace Importance of Interviewing Types of Interviews Structuring Effective Interviews Interview Questions In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References UNIT IV Public Presentations in Business and Professional Communication CHAPTER 10 Managing Public Presentations in the Workplace Importance of Making Public Presentations Building Credibility Building Confidence Consulting for Audience Analysis In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References CHAPTER 11 Managing Presentational Skills in the Workplace Elements of Language Style Elements of Delivery Methods of Delivery Presentation Technology and Communication Ethics and Presentations In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References CHAPTER 12 Managing Informative Presentations in the Workplace Developing Informative Presentations Principles for Topic Selection In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References CHAPTER 13 Managing Persuasive Presentations in the Workplace Persuasion Changes or Reinforces Attitudes, Values, Beliefs, and Behaviors Beginning Theories Underlying Persuasion Developing Persuasive Presentations In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References CHAPTER 14 Managing Customers and Client Communication and Sales Definition and Model of Customer Service Communicating to Enhance Customer Service Changing the Organizational Culture to Enhance Customer Service Managing Sales Presentations in the Workplace Principles of Sales Communication Strategies for Effective Sales Communication In Perspective Discussion Questions Exercises References What Can You Do with a Communication Major ? Appendix A: Communication Style in the Workplace Appendix B: Changes in Organizational Cultures Appendix C: Communication Networks in the Workplace Appendix D: Written Communication in the Workplace: Reports, Proposals, Resumes, Letters, and Email Etiquette Appendix E: Speech Evaluation Forms Glossary Index Photo Credits
£131.35
University of Chicago Press Magic Flutes and Enchanted Forests
Book SynopsisDrawing on hundreds of operas, sing-spiels, ballets, and plays with supernatural themes, this book argues that the tension between fantasy and Enlightenment-era rationality shaped some of the most important works of eighteenth-century musical theater and profoundly influenced how audiences and critics responded to them.Trade Review"This book brings to the fore, for the first time, a significant aspect of eighteenth-century opera, providing a new means of understanding elements of the marvelous, the supernatural, and the magical that operate across genres and national boundaries. The reach of David Buch's investigation - over such a broad time span and including such vast repertories - is outstanding. Magic Flutes and Enchanted Forests is an astonishing achievement." - Marita P. McClymonds, University of Virginia"
£52.25
The University of Chicago Press Murder by Accident Medieval Theater Modern Media
Book SynopsisDrawing on four medieval events in which a theatrical performance precipitated deadly consequences, this book contends that the marginalization of intention in critical discourse is a mirror for the marginalization - and misunderstanding - of theater.Trade Review"Jody Enders's Murder by Accident offers an extraordinary amalgam of historical work and contemporary theory. We have here, as in her earlier work, richly detailed evocations of the social world of medieval spectacle. But we also have the theoretical and ethical concerns that her historical readings raise brought front and center. This book engages issues critical to anyone interested in art or in accountability (legal and moral) - that is, all of us." - Julie Stone Peters, Harvard University"
£57.98
The University of Chicago Press Five Tales for the Theatre
Book SynopsisFor Count Carlo Gozzi (1720-1806), theater was a fabulous world apart, in which human beings, statues, and animals change places by magical transformations. Gozzi's stage becomes a multiscenic home for adventures, loves, enmities, and dazzling visual effects. This collection brings together for the first time modern English translations of five of Gozzi's most famous plays: The Raven, The King Stag, Turandot, The Serpent Woman, and The Green Bird, each annotated by the translators and preceded by the author's preface. Ted Emery's Introduction places Gozzi in his social and historical context, tracing his world view in both the content and the form of his tales. In the ten works he called fiable or fairy tales, Gozzi intermingled characters from the traditional and improvised commedia dell'arte with exotic figures of his own invention. During Gozzi's lifetime, Goethe and Schiller translated and produced some of his dramas at the Weimar Theatre. In our century, the dramas have reasserted
£94.00
The University of Chicago Press Five Tales for the Theatre
Book SynopsisFor Count Carlo Gozzi (1720-1806), theater was a fabulous world apart, in which human beings, statues, and animals change places by magical transformations. Gozzi's stage becomes a multiscenic home for adventures, loves, enmities, and dazzling visual effects. This collection brings together for the first time modern English translations of five of Gozzi's most famous plays: The Raven, The King Stag, Turandot, The Serpent Woman, and The Green Bird, each annotated by the translators and preceded by the author's preface. Ted Emery's Introduction places Gozzi in his social and historical context, tracing his world view in both the content and the form of his tales. In the ten works he called fiable or fairy tales, Gozzi intermingled characters from the traditional and improvised commedia dell'arte with exotic figures of his own invention. During Gozzi's lifetime, Goethe and Schiller translated and produced some of his dramas at the Weimar Theatre. In our century, the dramas have reasserted
£28.50
The University of Chicago Press The National Stage Paper Theatre and Cultural
Book SynopsisThe idea of staging a nation dates from the Enlightenment, but the full force of the idea emerges only with the rise of mass politics. Comparing English, French, and American attempts to establish national theatres at moments of political crisisfrom the challenge of socialism in late nineteenth-century Europe to the struggle to salvage democracy in Depression AmericaKruger poses a fundamental question: in the formation of nationhood, is the citizen-audience spectator or participant? The National Stage answers this question by tracing the relation between theatre institution and public sphere in the discourses of national identity in Britain, France, and the United States. Exploring the boundaries between history and theory, text and performance, this book speaks to theatre and social historians as well as those interested in the theoretical range of cultural studies.
£26.60
The University of Chicago Press A Short Introduction to the Ancient Greek Theater
Book Synopsis
£17.00
University of Chicago Press Persecution Plague and Fire Fugitive Histories
Book SynopsisPresents a study of playhouse catastrophes and the theory of performance they convey. Bringing together dramatic theory,theatrical, religious, and cultural history, this title reveals the period's radical take on the history and the future of the stage to show just how critical the relation was between early modern English theater and its public.Trade Review"Persecution, Plague, and Fire is a provocative and important book, one of the few - in some senses, the only - to engage both pro- and antitheatrical discourse in early modern England. MacKay's effort to track a kind of conceptual aporia in the early modern theater's understanding of its historical position, and indeed of its effective means, is developed in great detail and with significant interpretive flair and originality. It's a very powerful book." (W. B. Worthen, Barnard College, Columbia University)"
£52.49
The University of Chicago Press Shakespeares Lyric Stage Myth Music and Poetry
Book SynopsisWhat does it mean to have an emotional response to poetry and music? And, just as important but considered less often, what does it mean not to have such a response? What happens when lyric utteranceswhich should invite consolation, revelation, and connectionsomehow fall short of the listener's expectations? As Seth Lerer shows in this pioneering book, Shakespeare's late plays invite us to contemplate that very question, offering up lyric as a displaced and sometimes desperate antidote to situations of duress or powerlessness. Lerer argues that the theme of lyric misalignment running throughout The Tempest, The Winter's Tale, Henry VIII, and Cymbeline serves a political purpose, a last-ditch effort at transformation for characters and audiences who had lived through witch-hunting, plague, regime change, political conspiracies, and public executions. A deep dive into the relationship between aesthetics and politics, this book also explores what Shakespearean lyric is able to recupera
£76.00
The University of Chicago Press Shakespeares Lyric Stage Myth Music and Poetry in
Book SynopsisWhat does it mean to have an emotional response to poetry and music? And, just as important but considered less often, what does it mean not to have such a response? What happens when lyric utteranceswhich should invite consolation, revelation, and connectionsomehow fall short of the listener's expectations? As Seth Lerer shows in this pioneering book, Shakespeare's late plays invite us to contemplate that very question, offering up lyric as a displaced and sometimes desperate antidote to situations of duress or powerlessness. Lerer argues that the theme of lyric misalignment running throughout The Tempest, The Winter's Tale, Henry VIII, and Cymbeline serves a political purpose, a last-ditch effort at transformation for characters and audiences who had lived through witch-hunting, plague, regime change, political conspiracies, and public executions. A deep dive into the relationship between aesthetics and politics, this book also explores what Shakespearean lyric is able to recupera
£22.80
The University of Chicago Press The Public Mirror Moliere the Social Commerce
Book SynopsisPairing close readings of Moliere's comedies with accounts of French social history and aesthetics, this book aims to show how Moliere perceived satire as a public mirror provoking dynamic exchange and conflict with audience members obsessed with their own images.
£80.00
The University of Chicago Press The Public Mirror Moliere and the Social Commerce
Book SynopsisPairing close readings of Moliere's comedies with accounts of French social history and aesthetics, this book aims to show how Moliere perceived satire as a public mirror provoking dynamic exchange and conflict with audience members obsessed with their own images.
£26.60
The University of Chicago Press Theaters of Madness
Book SynopsisIn the mid-1800s a utopian movement to rehabilitate the insane resulted in a wave of publicly funded asylums - many of which became unexpected centers of cultural activity. This work prompts us to reflect on what our society can learn from a generation that urgently and creatively tried to solve the problem of mental illness.
£26.60
The University of Chicago Press The Acoustic World of Early Modern England
Book SynopsisIn this journey into the sound-worlds of Shakespeare's contemporaries, the text explores the physical aspects of human speech (ears, lungs, tongue) and the surrounding environment (buildings, landscape, climate), as well as social and political structures.
£34.20
McGill-Queen's University Press Political Adaptation in Canadian Theatre
Book SynopsisIn Canada, adaptation is a national mode of survival, but it is also a way to create radical change. Throughout history, Canadians have been inheritors and adaptors: of political systems, stories, and customs from the old world and the new. More than updating popular narratives, adaptation informs understandings of culture, race, gender, and sexuality, as well as individual experiences. In Political Adaptation in Canadian Theatre Kailin Wright investigates adaptations that retell popular stories with a political purpose and examines how they acknowledge diverse realities and transform our past. Political Adaptation in Canadian Theatre explores adaptations of Canadian history, Shakespeare, Greek mythologies, and Indigenous history by playwrights who identify as English-Canadian, African-Canadian, French-Canadian, French, Kuna Rappahannock, and Delaware from the Six Nations. Along with new considerations of the activist potential of popular Canadian theatre, this book outlines eight straTrade Review"One comes away from Political Adaptation in Canadian Theatre with a renewed appreciation not just of the politics of adapting cultural texts, but of the plays discussed as truly impressive works of Canadian theatre. In a series of intellectually thorough and ethically careful analyses, Kailin Wright walks her reader through some of the ways that Canada is facing up to its past – and its future." Barry Freeman, University of Toronto Scarborough and author of Staging Strangers: Theatre and Global Ethics
£27.90
McGill-Queen's University Press Blowing up the Skirt of History Recovered and
Book SynopsisReviving a dramatic past in which women playwrights used theatre to empower their culture and themselves.Trade Review“Kym Bird’s Blowing up the Skirt of History is a dynamic and compelling anthology [that] collects some of the earliest English plays from different regions in Canada. With verve and humour, Bird uses public theory and feminism to analyze the plays’ constrained performance of nationalism and racial privilege. Bird’s energetic writing style will certainly appeal to undergraduate students and help make early Canadian theatre more accessible. Blowing up the Skirt of History is an important work for anyone interested in early Canadian drama and feminist literature.” Canadian Literature
£35.10
