Theatre studies Books

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Book Synopsis"A fascinating close-up of Mr. Strasberg''s philosophy of theatre and method of working with actors."--Eliot Fremont-Smith, The New York Times Unavailable for over fifteen years, these transcripts of Strasberg''s private acting classes provide a revealing look at one of the nation''s most famous acting schools and its controversial leader.

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Book Synopsis Newly revised and expanded, Women in American Theatre is a unique resource that challenges preconceptions by exploring and celebrating the heritage of women in American theater. In this new edition, the editors have collected a series of interviews and essays that address the contributions of women to theater, the recurring patterns of their participation and the problems as well as successes they have encountered in developing their careers. Helen Krich Chinoy is professor emeritus of theater at Smith College, where she taught for over 25 years. Linda Walsh Jenkins formerly was a theater professor at Northwestern University and a dramaturg in Chicago theater.

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Book SynopsisThe resident repertory company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, affiliated with Harvard and known as the American Repertory Theatre, has long been considered one of the country’s most innovative cultural resources. The quality of its productions and the issues it has raised about the nature of the creative life have distinguished it among American theatre groups. Here is a treasury of criticism, reflection, observation, and insight from the ART’s post-production symposia, and pre-show talks, illustrated with photographs and drawings from ART archives. The notable contributors include a great many brilliant poets, novelists, dramatists, critics, scholars, lawyers, theatre directors, designers, and clowns, many of the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners. Whether Susan Sontag reflects on Milan Kundera’s Jacques and His Master, or Jonathan Miller on Sheridan’s School for Scandal, or Jan Kott on Hamlet, or Carlos Fuentes on Calderon’s Life is a Dream, or Derek Walcott on his musical Steel, or Harold Bloom on Ibsen’s Hedda Gabbler, or Anatole Smeliansky on Bulgakov’s Black Snow, the discourse is heightened and passionate. The book also includes revealing interviews with major theatrical figures—Dario Fo, Philip Glass, Robert Wilson, Andrei Serban, David Mamet, and many others—and lively articles from the ART’s founding artistic director Robert Brustein, its managing director Robert J. Orchard, and a variety of literary directors and dramaturges. In all, The Lively A.R.T. is a bountiful theatre experience, better than two on the aisle.Trade ReviewAn invaluable overview of contemporary theatrical and dramatic theory. * Library Journal *Impressive...a fine resource for the trends in theatre which provides much food for thought. -- Henry Lowenstein * The Bloomsbury Review *The top names in todayís theatre world are all in here. * American Theatre *

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Book SynopsisThere's a reason ÊLa Boh¬meÊ has been staged at the Met more often than any other opera: Puccini's enticing music perfectly conveys the enchantment of new young love and the anguish that comes with loss and death. ÊLa Boh¬meÊ the passionate and timeless story of love among impoverished young artists in Paris can stake its claim as the world's most popular opera. It has a marvelous ability to make a powerful first impression (even on those new to opera) and to reveal unexpected treasures after dozens of hearings. At first glance ÊLa Boh¬meÊ is the definitive depiction of the joys and sorrows of love and loss; on closer inspection it reveals the deep emotional significance hidden in the trivial things (a bonnet an old overcoat a chance meeting with a neighbor) that make up our everyday lives. This touching story of tenderness and tragedy never fails to move audiences and melt hearts.ÞThis gorgeous souvenir libretto includes extensive background notes and photos from productions through the years.

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Book SynopsisFour plays dramatising aspects of American history and culture that dramatise the presence and contributions of Africans and African Americans in the shaping of the United States.

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Book SynopsisA tragic African play that seeks to unearth the complexities of Africa's political and moral dilemma.

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Book SynopsisWhen Reynold Levy became the new president of Lincoln centre in 2002, New York Magazine described the situation he walked in to as a community in deep distress, riven by conflict." Ideas for the redevelopment of Lincoln centre's artistic facilities and public spaces required spending more than 1.2 billion, but there was no clear pathway for how to raise that kind of unprecedented sum. The individual resident organizations that were the key constituents of Lincoln centre,the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the Juilliard School, and eight others,could not agree on a common capital plan or fundraising course of action. Instead, intramural rivalries and disputes filled the vacuum.Besides, some of those organizations had daunting problems of their own. Levy tells the inside story of the demise of the New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera's need to use as collateral its iconic Chagall tapestries in the face of mounting operating losses, and the New York Philharmonic's dalliance with Carnegie Hall.Yet despite these and other challenges, Levy and the extraordinary civic leaders at his side were able to shape a consensus for the physical modernization of the sixteen-acre campus and raise the money necessary to maintain Lincoln centre as the country's most vibrant performing arts destination. By the time he left, Lincoln centre had prepared itself fully for the next generation of artists and audiences. They Told Me Not to Take That Job is more than a memoir of life at the heart of one of the world's most prominent cultural institutions. It is also a case study of leadership and management in action. How Levy and his colleagues triumphantly steered Lincoln centre,through perhaps the most tumultuous decade of its history to a startling transformation,is fully captured in his riveting account.Trade ReviewNew York Times bestseller "The most entertaining passages of the book chronicle the indefatigably upbeat Levy's fight to get a tangled web of stakeholders onboard with the project. He is unafraid to name the names of those who fought against the redevelopment [of Lincoln Center] at the beginning and he is refreshingly candid about what he perceives as the misguided policies of some of Lincoln Center's constituent organizations... it attests to the energy of his account and to the passion of his diagnoses of the Center's persistent, if alleviated, ills, that he pushes the reader into the future, projecting new problems and envisioning solutions." --New York Times Book Review "Sure to make waves in the genteel world of New York's elite cultural institutions, where foes tend to exchange air kisses in public and keep their battles private. Mr. Levy's willingness to name names may not quite reach you'll-never-eat-lunch-in-this-town-again levels but could make for some awkward encounters at the chic Lincoln Ristorante." --The New York Times "Levy, with his persuasive and owlish mien, proved to be the administrative virtuoso Lincoln Center had been waiting for. No need to take his word for it. Just walk around. The campus today is what he and architect Elizabeth Diller said it would be, only busier, more open, more glamorous, more comfortable and more fun. If the renovation [of Lincoln Center] were a movie, its credit roll would run for 20 minutes, but it would be fair to call it a Reynold Levy production." --Vulture "Levy's unabashed enthusiasm for the non-profit arts helps us understand why a place like Lincoln Center is important, even in this profit-oriented era...They Told Me Not to Take that Job provides a good, sometimes sad look at what the arts have been going through over the last couple of decades." --Maclean's "Reynold Levy has a rare blend of talents, all of which are on display in this compelling book, a memoir that is neither self-reverential nor full of false pieties. There is no bitterness, but there is surprising candor. Prominent people should be shamed, including those who nearly ran great cultural institutions into the ground. The lessons to be extracted could fuel an entire curriculum at the Harvard Business School, or a Department of Psychology." --Ken Auletta, bestselling author and writer for The New Yorker

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Book SynopsisExplore the creative evolution of James Cameron through this exclusive journey into his personal art archives, showcasing a range of rare and never-before-seen works from the acclaimed director’s private collection.James Cameron has blazed a trail through the cinematic landscape with a series of groundbreaking films that have each become deeply embedded in the popular imagination. But while Cameron has created and employed advanced filmmaking technologies to realize his unique vision, his process of creative ideation began with pen, pencil, and paints long before he picked up a camera.  Cameron displayed remarkable ability at an early age, filling sketchbooks with illustrations of alien creatures, faraway worlds, and technological wonders. As he grew older, his art became increasingly sophisticated, exploring major themes that would imbue his later work—from the threat of nuclear catastrophe to the dangers inherent in the development of artificial intelligence. Working in the film industry in his twenties, Cameron supported himself by illustrating theatrical posters and concept art for low-budget films before creating the visionary concept pieces that would help greenlight his first feature, The Terminator. For the first time, Tech Noir brings together a dazzling and diverse array of personal and commercial art from Cameron’s own collection, showcasing the trajectory of ideas that led to such modern classics as The Terminator, Aliens, Titanic, and Avatar. Including everything from his earliest sketches through to unrealized projects and his acclaimed later work, this book features the filmmaker’s personal commentary on his creative and artistic evolution throughout the years. A unique journey into the mind of a creative powerhouse, Tech Noir is the ultimate exploration of one of cinema’s most imaginative innovators.

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Book SynopsisIn a roving, shimmering conversation that took place in May 2021, scholar, poet, and activist Alexis Pauline Gumbs and playwright, songwriter, performance artist, and educator Daniel Alexander Jones discuss love as a foundational principle of artistic practice and societal change. Reflecting on Love Like Light, Daniel Alexander Jones's collection of seven plays and performance texts (published by 53rd State in July 2021), DAJ and APG illuminate the ways in which an attention to care, community, nuance, invitation, perceptual particularities, and embodied conditions can resist the profoundly extractive context in which life is lived and art is made. As they discuss the work of Audre Lorde, Billie Holiday, Beah Richards, Bayard Rustin, and Malcolm X, as well as that of DAJ's grandma Daisy Mae and APG's grandmother, aunt, and niece, DAJ and APG propose that love, like light, suffuses everything, and that love, like light, creates a field in which transformation, justice, healing, and radical beauty are not just possible—they are already, now.

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Book SynopsisBased on new research, this profusely illustrated book draws together for the first time a group of works from public and private collections to examine the relationship that Thomas Gainsborough had with the theatrical world and the most celebrated stage artists of his day. Thomas Gainsborough (1727–88) was linked with the stage through personal friendships with James Quin, David Garrick and Sarah Siddons, the most renowned actors of the eighteenth century. He painted notable portraits of these and twenty others, including dramatists, dancers and composers. Not long after Gainsborough moved from Bath to London in 1774, the management of the Drury Lane theatre passed to the artist's friends Richard Brinsley and Thomas Linley. At this time, London's theatres were undergoing regular refurbishment to take account of technical innovations in lighting and stage machinery. At the King's Theatre in Haymarket in 1778, the 'elegant improvements' included frontispiece figures emblematic of Music and Dancing, and were painted in monochrome by Gainsborough. This publication firmly establishes the artist’s place within the theatrical worlds of Bath and London and shows why the art of ballet, and in particular Gainsborough’s sitters Gaetan Vestris, Auguste Vestris and Giovanna Baccelli, rose to prominence in 1780. It examines parallels between Gainsborough’s much admired painterly naturalism and the theatrical naturalism of David Garrick and Mrs Siddons, with whom he had personal friendships.Trade Review...the catalogue stands as an important work in its own right and will, no doubt, be useful for both theatre and art historians. * British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies *Table of ContentsForeword - Chris Stephens Gainsborough and the Theatre - Susan Sloman ‘English nature does not act much’ - Gainsborough, the Theatre and Nature - Susan Sloman Catalogue - Hugh Belsey Notes Bibliography Image Credits Index

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Book Synopsis"I go half way round the world and back thinking I’d made some sort of discovery and come back to find the same damn lies, the same white lies, the same black lies." Alvin and Errol can’t picture much of a future for themselves. They’re young, Black and living in England in the 1980s, with an entire country and political system set against them. Instead they focus firmly on their past – the sunny Caribbean and heroic father they left behind when their mother brought them to England twenty years ago. But when Alvin returns home from his grandfather’s funeral a new version of their past emerges, and the two brothers are caught in a desperate struggle to unearth the truth about their existence. Powerful and compelling, Strange Fruit by Caryl Phillips (winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize) is the story of a family caught between two cultures, and the uncrossable no man’s land that can come between parents and their children.

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Book SynopsisA new Danish play by Line Mørkeby shining a light on how we talk about death. A dad loses his six-year-old daughter to cancer, and his world falls apart. He doesn’t know how to process the life-shattering void following her premature death. He starts running to deal with his loss. Only, he can’t stop. He runs through the pain, the memories and the grief to try and find the point where he no longer runs, but soars – the point where he is close to her again. I Run is a fast-paced, explosive and moving one-man play about running, grief and missing someone we love. About how you survive the death of your child. Why do we find it so hard to talk about death?

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Book Synopsis“People of the internet, people of the world, you wanna see your Environment Minister SOLVE some shit, this is the soundtrack…” What happens when the unstoppable force of climate change meets the immovable object of Australian politics? Environment Minister Gwen Malkin's plan to stop climate change is rudely interrupted when a group of eco-terrorists storm Australia's Parliament House during a Fleetwood Mac concert. Blending fact and fiction, David Finnigan’s bold new satire is a manic spin on a world on the brink of turmoil. A daring new play that asks – what would it take to actually stop climate change dead in its tracks? Science? Recycling? Experts? Or maybe: techno, guns and revolution?Trade ReviewCreates a thrilling, almost dangerous theatrical experience where anything could happen, no laugh-line is too weird and we accept an Environment Minister shooting an activist and then posing for Instagram pictures without a second thought. * TimeOut Sydney *

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Book SynopsisA beautiful gift book packed with pictures from over twenty productions from the year 2018-19 at The Royal Ballet - a richly illustrated companion to The Royal Ballet company.Table of ContentsWelcome to the Royal Ballet: A Season in Pictures 2018/19 The 2018/19 Season at a Glance Photographs Artists and Staff at the Royal Ballet 2018/19

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Book SynopsisJesus didn’t die so we could be reborn, lady, the stars did. The writer leads his followers towards the end of this world and the start of a new one. The book he’s written predicts it all – the equations, the black hole, all the words we’ll speak till then. On this last day, at this last hour, a defector finds her voice and returns.

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Book Synopsis‘He was a boy, she was a girl. Can I make it any more binary?’ When friends die and pronouns change, what’s left of the memories that don’t fit anymore? Brought to life with storytelling, an original pop music score, and way too many America’s Next Top Model references, Since U Been Gone is a moving and powerful autobiographical account about childhood co-stars, teenage rebellion, growing up queer in the mid-noughties, and finding yourself while losing a friend.Trade Review‘Bold, honest and swollen with love’ – The Guardian * The Guardian *

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Book SynopsisAnyone can learn maps and battles. Geezer, I feel it! I live it! I’m giving everything to this beautiful, wild, absolutely pure British thing. Like, do you know what it took to get here, man? Stevie is a disillusioned academic who once wrote an unfashionable book on youth movements in Britain, now struggling to cope after a painful break-up. His misery is interrupted by Jimmy who lands unexpectedly on his doorstep beaming with excitement. Jimmy is 100% Mod: oversized military parka, fitted Italian suit, dessy boots, pork pie hat. The full package. Jimmy is seeking asylum in the UK. With just a few days before the substantive interview that’s going to decide his fate, the stakes are high. So he came up with a brilliant plan. A plan that’s going to work against all odds. It has to work. He can’t go back. And Stevie has an important part to play.

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Book Synopsis"Ranging across the years, In Search of Jerusalem conjures up the spirited encounters of Michael Kustow's many-sided life: a tender evocation of his parents; portraits of actors, stage directors, painters, film-makers; vivid descriptions of post-war and modern Paris, Mumbai, Tel Aviv and the occupied West Bank; the early days of Channel 4 television; and new insights a moment of challenge and change. A life shaken up is re-assembled in Kustow's cavalcade of survival and renewal."Trade Review"""One of the biographies of our generation - richly layered, funny, argumentative, moving and intellectually admirable. A great achievement"" Melvyn Bragg "

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Book SynopsisAt a time when expectations and assumptions about the delivery of services to children and adolescents are being reconfigured - for example, around the rights of children and adolescents as young citizens - adults are seeking to ensure that they deliver services in creative and empowering ways, ensuring that the opinions of young people are actively solicited and encouraged. Action methods - communication methods using the body as well as speech - provide non-threatening ways of communicating which can be understood by children of all ages and from many cultures.This book places action methods in a theoretical, technical and political framework and documents examples of good practice. Discussion of the application of action methods to work with young people focuses on differing issues and populations, for example children and adolescents who face life-threatening illnesses, or those involved in peer counselling in schools. Contributions from several different countries emphasise the wide potential of action methods for use with young people. This book provides a comprehensive and wide-ranging resource for those interested in exploring and understanding why action methods are particularly useful when working with young people.Trade ReviewThis is a challenging and exciting book and I loved it. It grapples with some of the most pressing issues facing both organisations and individuals seeking to work with young people in empowering ways.There is a real richness in the variety of contributions many showing snapshots of young people taking centre stage in their own life dramas. The contributors offer us a variety of experiences in different contexts, including health, education and juvenile youth justice. This book doesn't shy away from the politics of working with young people and is not afraid of discussing some of the contradictory tensions and dynamics that are at play in this work. It manages to be both a valuable resource and also deeply optimistic - an irresistible combination. -- British Journal of PsychodramaThis book is a rich source of case studies which catalogues and promotes the use of action methods used in healing of pain and hurt experienced by young people. In perfect mirror image of the principles of such a child centred discipline, the young people hold the centre stage and starring roles, and therapists and the therapeutic process serve as the supporting cast. -- Youth & Policy Vol 80 Oct 03Table of ContentsPart I: The Curtain Rises. 1. Warming up: Introducing action methods and work with young people, Anne Bannister and Annie Huntington. 2. Setting the scene: Child development and the use of action methods, Anne Bannister. 3. Pause for thought: Action or stillness in therapeutic work with young people? Sue Jennings and Andy Hickson. Part II: Action across organisational divides: Health, education and the juvenile justice system. 4. Freeing the self: Psychodrama techniques with children and adolescents who stammer, Gail Smith. 5. Where there is drama there can also be art: Using creative media with children living with life threatening illness, Kate Kirk. 6. Can we do something? Young people using action methods to support each other in school, Nick Luxmoore. 7. Let's make a bridge!: Working in action with autistic children, Sandra Grieve and Ioanna Gagani. 8. Providing dance movement therapy within a mainstream school, Sue Curtis. 9. Psychodrama with 'at risk' youth: A means of active engagement, Erica Hollander. 10. Drago-drama: Archetypal sociodrama with adolescents, Mario Cossa. Part III: Action methods and child maltreatment. 11. The use of action methods in the treatment of the attachment difficulties of long-term fostered and adopted children, Paul Holmes. 12. The Yellow Brick Road: Helping children and adolescents to recover a coherent story following abusive family experiences. Facilitated contact with birth parents using the Therapeutic Spiral Model, Chip Chimera. 13. Touch me - NO! Creative therapies with young sexually abused children, Cristina Citron. Part IV: The Curtain Falls. 14. Resisting change: What stops us acting for young people? Annie Huntington. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisReminiscence theatre is about seeing and realising the dramatic potential in real life stories. It takes verbatim memories as the basis for theatre scripts, using the experiences of older people as a source of artistic productions and therapeutic creativity.This book is a comprehensive guide to the nature, practice and therapeutic effects of reminiscence theatre. Drawing on examples from a range of real-life case studies, Pam Schweitzer provides practical advice on the process of taking an oral history, creating from it a written script and developing that into a dramatic production, on whatever scale.The book outlines five components of key significance that the form affords: artistic development through creating original productions; cultural development, by creating reminiscence theatre in multi-cultural contexts, including dual-language productions; educational development through the intergenerational sharing and enactment of memories; psycho-social development for older people by reliving and reshaping past experiences; and health care, by using improvised reminiscence drama therapeutically with people with dementia and their carers.This book will be of great interest to theatre workers, social work professionals and carers of older people, arts therapy practitioners and students in these fields.Trade ReviewThe vast scope of the work recounted in this book as well as the detailed guidance it provides will become an invaluable resource for anyone who wishes to mine the riches of reminiscence work and to transform the spoken word into tangible artistic forms. -- Faith Gibson, Emeritus Professor of Social Work, University of UlsterThis highly-readable and engaging book is drawn from the experiences of working within the arena of reminiscence theatre. Everyone has a voice - Schweitzer has provided another avenue for us to explore. Impressively. -- SignpostSchweitzer demonstrates an uncanny ability to adapt and invent genres and techniques.Schweitzer provides compelling accounts of workshop exercises during which older participants describes their experiences of scarcity and constraint and challenged their younger partners to recognize and grapple with the limitations on personal freedom and control that these entailed. -- Cambridge University PressIt is inspirational in demonstrating that the dedication, commitment and enthusiasm of one person can make a difference and has laid foundations which will ensure reminiscence theatre work will continue to develop and diversify. -- Journal of Social Work PracticeThis book is a marvelous treasure chest of experience and will enrich any reader. -- Leveson NewsletterThis book is aimed at anyone- health or social care staff, actors, musicians, artists, teachers - who has an interest in creative reminiscence and in how to transform individual's verbal memories into interactive pieces of theatre. The book systematically and comprehensively outlines the processes involved in the various forms of re-enacting reminiscences. Whilst it acknowledges some of the body of research into this area and illustrates how the author has contributed to research projects, it is the use of practical examples and the occasionally moving dialogue and anecdotes that bring the book alive and help to illustrate the value of reminiscence. The author's conviction that presenting reminiscence in this way is beneficial is convincingly relayed to the reader. It is a valuable resource for anyone with an interest in creative reminiscence to enhance self-identity and esteem. -- Occupational Therapy for Older PeopleThis is a welcome addition to an era of literature that is somewhat sparse and it will certainly be of great interest to theatre workers, social work professionals as well as carers of older people, arts therapies practitioners and students in these fields... This is a well-structured book that is easy to read and assimilate. What I found most useful were the introductions to each chapter briefly outlining what was contained therein, and the summary at the end, which I felt consolidated the understanding of what one had read. To complete the enjoyment, the book is shot through with some stunning photographs of the various projects that Schweitzer undertook (the "child aspect" in me loves a book with pictures) during her long association with Age Exchange Theatre.One example is a particularly poignant picture of an elderly couple enacting their wedding day memories.The author's enthusiasm and passion for reminiscence work shines through the text and her regard for all the people that she has worked with is always evident.The many examples of the company's work will act as a spur for all practitioners in this field and should lead to some really constructive work between generations in the future. The main message of the book stresses that it is really important to keep memories alive, they are, after all, lived experiences and the history of future generations. -- DramatherapyThis book certainly leaves the reader with a very clear understanding of the aim of reminiscence theatre and the diverse nature of approaches. I particularly enjoyed the multicultural projects that described the cultural isolation of older people when they moved to England from overseas. -- Nursing Older PeopleIn her book, "Reminiscence Theatre" Pam Schweitzer draws on and documents 23 years of practical experience as Artistic Director of Age Exchange Theatre Trust which she founded in 1983. It is a memoir, a history of Age Exchange's pioneering theatre and intergenerational practice and also a practical "how to do it" manual, with useful analysis of the many processes of making theatre from memory. -- Interrogational Practice NewsletterSheds new light on complex human issues and the message is loud and clear: reminiscence and reminiscence theatre can make a profound improvement in real people's real lives. -- from the Foreword by Glenda Jackson MPTable of ContentsForeword by Glenda Jackson MP. Preface. Introduction by Faith Gibson. About this book. Background. Part 1. Reminiscence Theatre. Process and Product. 1. Setting Up a Reminiscence Theatre Company. 2. From Interviews to Verbatim Script. 3. Development of Verbatim Plays. 4. Reflecting a Multi-cultural Society. 5. Dramatising Jewish and Irish Elders' Memories. 6. A Sense of Time and Place. 7. Staging and Touring Reminiscence Theatre. Part 2. Participatory and Inter-generational Projects. 8. Theatrical Scenes Stimulating Audience Participation. 9. Reminiscence Theatre-in-Education Projects. 10. Reminiscence in a Youth Theatre Context. 11. Inter-generational Playmaking in Schools. Part 3. Older People Dramatising their Own Memories. 12. Older People Enacting their Own Memories. 13. Minority Ethnic Elders Make Theatre from their Lives. 14. Using Drama in Outreach Work and in Dementia Care. Conclusion. References. Index.

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Book Synopsis‘Despite his deep sense of privacy, Beckett’s persona has been so widely written about that it has become unavoidably mixed up in our imagination with what Bernold calls his “creatures”. Whether or not Barthes and Foucault were right to dismiss the figure of the author, when confronted with Vladimir wincing or Krapp hunched over his tape recorder or Molloy resting on his bicycle, one’s mind always seems to turn to the “gentle mask” placed over the “severe ossature” that has been immortalized in John Minihan’s photographs, surely among the most iconic images of the twentieth century. We simply cannot help it.’ (From the translator’s preface) Meeting in the cafés and streets of Paris, with conversations noted and hesitancies observed, the gradual exfoliation of a personality is revealed across the last decade of Beckett’s life as one intellectual appraises another. This is a charming and sympathetic study of one of literature’s most opaque writers and of his interests in music, philosophy, visual arts and the spoken arts. In shedding sympathetic light on a famously private Irishman abroad, these verbal exposures complement John Minihan’s contemporaneous and intimate black-and-white photographs, taken in the same environs.

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Book SynopsisThe essential guide to getting into drama school. Packed with sound advice and essential information for young people who want to train as actors and performers (including musical theatre), this clear and honest guide is written by a teacher and audition panellist with a lifetime’s experience of the audition process. It will help all aspiring actors develop the self-confidence, motivation and skills required to get into the drama school of their choice. Topics include: • Researching and selecting the appropriate drama school • Making yourself the best prepared candidate • Choosing and preparing your speeches and songs • Developing your working process and your self-awareness • Coping with the audition day itself • Considering your next steps if you do (or don’t) get in. Also includes suggestions of speeches and songs to look at (as well as those you should avoid), information about the major UK drama schools, how to obtain funding, suggested further reading, and an introduction to the theatrical terms and genres that every prospective student should know.Trade Review'Provides precisely the information and advice aspirant actors need... if you are a potential drama student, or the parent of one, buy this book' * The Stage *'Full of useful information... there's not a page in this book that doesn't contain something useful and important' * ReviewsGate.com *

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Book SynopsisA unique collection of everything that Chekhov wrote about the theatre. Chekhov started writing about theatre in newspaper articles and in his own letters even before he began writing plays. Later, he wrote in detail about his own plays to his lifelong friend and mentor Alexei Suvorin, his wife and leading actress, Olga Knipper, and to the two directors of the Moscow Art Theatre, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. Collected for this volume, these writings reveal Chekhov's instinctive curiosity about the way theatre works – and his concerns about how best to realise his own intentions as a playwright. Often peppery, passionate, even distraught, as he feels his plays misinterpreted or undermined, Chekhov comes over in these pages as a true man of the theatre.Trade Review'Chekhov is an acute observer who could easily have made his way as a director or dramaturg judging by his ability to spot strengths and weaknesses in not only his own writing but that of others. This book builds a strong picture of theatrical life in Moscow and St Petersburg just before and at the turn of the last century, with vast amounts of bitching seemingly a commonplace. It can also serve as a tangential autobiography since, through its pages, it is possible to learn much about its subject's life and work.' * British Theatre Guide *

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Book SynopsisA truthful, personal and insightful exploration of the state of arts funding and carrying on in the face of adversity, by the renowned founder of Out of Joint. One March morning, out of the blue, Max Stafford-Clark learned that the Arts Council had drastically cut their grant to his theatre company, Out of Joint, leaving it in danger of imminent collapse. Journal of the Plague Year is his account of what happened next, as he sets out to contest the cut, make the case for public funding of the arts, and continue producing the work for which he and his company are renowned. Max's journal often takes on an autobiographical flavour, including the unexpectedly moving story of his two fathers, his surreal encounter with the New York theatre world, and the shocking details of what it is to suffer a massively debilitating stroke. By turns funny, alarming and deeply personal, Journal of the Plague Year offers a fascinating exposé of the often Kafkaesque workings of arts subsidy in England, and the financial and artistic manoeuvrings which are a fact of life for every arts organisation today. It is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the state of our arts, from students to theatregoers, and from struggling arts workers right up to the Secretary of State for Culture.Trade Review'Fascinating... reads like an unpublished work by Franz Kafka... both horrifying and startling' * British Theatre Guide *'Eloquent... Combative, wry and stimulating throughout' * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisJust when you thought it was safe to go back in the West End… West End Producer, the masked man of Theatreland and author of the definitive guide to acting*, returns with the ultimate guide to the theatregoing experience – for anyone who's ever been to the theatre, or who thinks they might like to try it one day. As the Godfather of theatre producers, with an enviable track-record in uncovering new talent (via his competitions Search for a Twitter Star and Search for a Twitter Composer) and a regular column in The Stage newspaper, WEP is a cult figure in London's theatre scene, frequently attending press nights with his trusty Jean Valjean teddy by his side. Now he's ready to share his industry secrets once again, this time coming to the aid of audience members everywhere as they embark on the most perilous quest of all: going to the theatre. Packed with insider know-how and naughty advice, this book will tell you how to make your West End adventure as smooth as Craig Revel Horwood's nose, including tips and advice on: What shows to see and what to avoid (how to see the hits and not the shits) Where to sit (without developing ongoing neck problems and deep vein thrombosis) How to combat theatre rage (and get to the ladies' loos before anyone else) What to eat (crisps, sweets, or kebabs?) What to wear (from the correct attire at press night, to the importance of a good, reliable codpiece at Shakespeare's Globe) And, crucially, how to leave early if the show is rubbish (a 'shrubbish') It will even help you save a bit of money as well.** Also included are many of WEP’s most wickedly astute tweets, potted histories of some of the greatest West End shows, and handy instructions on how to become one of West End Producer's Theatre Prefects – protecting theatres from phone users, snorers, and persistent latecomers. So, put on your nicest frock, grab your tickets, and don't be late. This book will begin in five minutes. I repeat: five minutes, dear. 'All the crucial facts, naughty wit and insider knowledge that every theatregoer needs to have. Hysterically accurate, bitingly savage. Read this before buying your theatre ticket. Fab-u-lous, darling!' Craig Revel Horwood 'This book had me snorting prosecco out of my nostrils, dear. Hilarious yet chock-full of insider tips – and some stuff we all think about the theatre we know and love, but wouldn’t dare say whilst sober. Glorious.' Meera Syal 'West End Producer is shaping up to be the theatre's version of William Goldman: funny, astute and incisive, slyly twitching aside the curtains of the West End to reveal its most embarrassing secrets. A must for theatre-lovers (and haters).' Joanne Harris 'WEP does it again! His shrewd observation and deliciously waspish words neatly skewer and illuminate the rarefied world of theatre. I recommend everyone to read the section on what not to say to actors and applaud WEP's suggestion of a Theatre Prefect Programme. Theatre may be too dear – but WEP is very dear too.' Colin Baker * Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Acting, But Were Afraid To Ask, Dear ** After all, the Dom Pérignon won't buy itself.Trade Review'Go and buy several copies of this book and give it to your luvvie friends… the perfect combination of real knowledge and witty, slightly silly jokes that make you feel like an insider… a joy' * Drama Magazine *'Definitely the best theatre book of 2017… funny because it's so irreverently acute… anyone who teaches drama, goes to the theatre, works in the industry, is training to do so, or would like to, will recognise all this and smile. And at times they will split their sides. Buy several copies!' * Ink Pellet *'Hilarious but accurate... wonderful' * The Stage *'Packed with info and full of inventive innuendo' -- Baz Bamigboye * Daily Mail *'There's a lot crammed into this book, everything is in there' * The Curtain Up Show *'Provides a laugh a minute with every page turn' * Broadway World *'It's accessible, very readable, and gives a comprehensive no-holds-barred overview about every aspect of attending the theatre… for all the humour, this genuinely is a book that can be used as a guide to actual theatregoing' * LondonTheatre1 *

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Book SynopsisA passionate, illuminating exploration of Shakespeare's greatest plays and characters, by the director of acclaimed theatre company Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory. Combining close textual analysis with practical insights based on his extensive experience of directing Shakespeare's plays, Andrew Hilton delves into a fascinating range of topics such as emotional truth in the comedies, the importance of the plays' social dynamics, the choice of settings and periods, making and withholding moral judgements, working with different versions of the texts, and even adapting them. Throughout, Hilton urges us as audiences and theatre-makers to set aside our preconceived notions, and instead to approach Shakespeare's plays with an open mind, moment by moment, so that we can connect with them in fresh and vital ways. 'The clear-sightedness, wit and depth of knowledge and insight into the plays and their worlds is unparalleled... should be required reading for everyone approaching these plays... A fabulous book, brimful of wisdom and revelations and a gift to anyone interested in Shakespeare or, quite frankly, in people' John Heffernan, actor 'Andrew Hilton's Tobacco Factory Shakespeares were an inspiration... What audiences saw and heard was not a display but an uncovering. His productions did not add to the drama: they revealed it... In Shakespeare on the Factory Floor, Hilton has once again lit up Shakespeare: lucid and penetrating on the page and on the stage' Susannah Clapp, theatre critic of the Observer 'The detail and simplicity of Andrew Hilton's directing is as potent in his writing as it is in the rehearsal room... A wonderful book' Dorothea Myer-Bennett, actor 'Andrew Hilton has used his rich experience of many years to create a penetrating, timely and distinctive study of the plays… I only wish this book had been around when first I read Shakespeare. It would have opened my eyes and my mind much earlier' Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, Former Rector of the Royal College of Art and Chair of Arts Council England 'Andrew Hilton's fascinating book reveals how theatrical performance offers insights into longstanding questions of literary interpretation… Written in an engaging and readable style, it will be of interest to actors, directors, scholars and anyone who enjoys reading Shakespeare's plays or seeing them performed' Lesel Dawson, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of BristolTrade Review'What an illuminating book this is… a wonderful starting point for practitioners: a stripping back of superfluous assumptions to the core structures of character and word' * British Theatre Guide *

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Book SynopsisPeter Bowles invites us backstage to witness the job of acting as it really is. This is a warm-hearted look at the lived experience of a jobbing actor – and a survival guide to anyone thinking of entering this most emotionally gruelling of industries. Behind the Curtain is the inside scoop on ‘the profession’as told by a master raconteur – one who has trodden the boards in the West End for five decades. Armed with an array of classic anecdotes, Bowles shares some of the infamous ad-libs, opening night disasters and dressingroom dramas that he has been party to over the years. Full of sage advice about the pitfalls of celebrity and thefluctuating fortunes of an actor – and his own journey fromTV stardom to the labour exchange and back again. With tales of some biggest personalities in the historyof showbiz such as Michael Gambon, Noel Coward,Rex Harrison, Laurence Olivier & John Gielgud, this is a book that captures the acting professionin all its eccentric glory.Trade Review[An] enjoyable little hardback - packed with good, solid pieces of advice for would-be actors as well as many humorous anecdotes - [contains] a number of fresh ideas and stories that will not be known to the general reader - should prove to be popular with the millions of fans of this versatile actor as well as youngsters keen to make their way in one of the most difficult professions that anyone could choose. Every purchaser will come away better informed and greatly entertained, which is no bad recommendation * British Theatre Guide *It's a book full of insights - literally - and will be eagerly lapped up I think, by theatre buffs who see shows only from the auditorium. I'd also recommend it warmly to anyone in training as an actor or thinking of embarking on training to be one as a way of finding out from a dishy old pro exactly what an actor's life is like ... some lovely stories... fascinating * The Stage *Full of witty asides and apercus * What's On Stage *Table of Contents"Overture and Beginners The Actor Prepares The Brown Envelope How Do You Learn Your Lines? Theatres and Dressing Rooms Billing The Actor and the Audience Touring Television and Films Auditions Sitcoms TV Commercials and Voiceovers Actor or Celebrity (and getting older)

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Book SynopsisDuring the eighteenth century, treatises on the science of elocution, gesture and naturalness abounded. This title draws together a representative selection of the most difficult-to-access texts in the period. It helps cultural historians to examine the place of stagecraft in the eighteenth-century imagination.

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Book SynopsisDramatherapy is now well-established and widely used in a variety of settings with diverse groups of people. In this book, Sue Jennings presents a 'healing theatre' approach to dramatherapy, showing how it is part of our total cultural experience of theatre art, and how it can be used to find a bearable means of facing the beast at the heart of the labyrinth.Challenging received views from psychology and psychotherapy on the theoretical base of dramatherapy, she argues that the dramatic development of the individual is a primary developmental process, which is influential from conception and is shaped by cultural context. She maintains that by participating in drama and theatre as well as exploring our 'dramatic' past, a new pathway to self-knowledge and fulfilment is opened as a viable alternative to conventional practice.Illustrated with many examples, the book also includes exercises and questionnaires which can be used in practice, with students, or for self-study, illuminating the relationship between theatre and healing, and the theatrical basis of dramatherapy.Trade ReviewMy clinical background is very different from that of a dramatherapist and I was eager to find out whether my interest would be sustained throughout the book and whether I might be stimulated to find out more. I was pleasantly surprised. In summary I found this book to be both interesting and enjoyable as an introduction to the subject of Dramatherapy, without being overwhelming. -- DramatherapyI am extremely grateful to Sue for opening up immense possibilities of our work - dramatherapy is a "therapy of optimism", as this book describes; a therapy that does not simply reach back endlessly into our individual pasts for clues to the present, but states now, in the immediacy of the present, our hopes, fears, needs, desires, thereby weaving us a direct thread to our collective future, as well as our past. As you take hold of the thread of this book, I hope your journey is as exciting and fruitful as mine continues to be. -- from the foreword by Clare HigginsTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Story of Ariadne. 1. Why Drama and Dramatherapy? 2. Understanding Your Dramatic Experience. 3. Drama at the Centre and Drama at the Margins: `Threading Our Way Through'. 4. Processing Your Own Dramatised History: `Untangling the Thread'. 5. Transitional Dramas: `Threading Your Way'. 6. Your Own Dramatised Present: `Weaving Your Own Threads'. 7. Drama Ritualisation and The Living of Life: `The Need for Knots'. 8. Dramatherapy Core Concepts: `The Thread Has Led Us Through the Maze'. 9. Dramatherapy in Practice: `Who Holds the End of the Thread'. 10. My Own Personal Drama: `Hanging by a Thread'. Appendix: Dramatherapy Questionnaire. Bibliography. Further Reading.

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Book SynopsisThis textbook is for all students and practioners of psychodrama and drama, and professionals seeking to extend their knowledge of creative arts therapies. The author provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of psychodrama, presenting a systematic analysis of its essential therapeutic ingredients. He specifies the core issues involved, discussing the interpersonal, the emotional, the imaginary, the behavioural and the cognitive elements.The book examines the professional roles assumed by psychodramatists and establishes the skills required in each role. Explored is the use of the concept of acting out, both in psychodrama and psychoanalysis, and the author also discusses the problem of resistance, and the importance of the concept and technique of closure in each psychodrama. A processing checklist is added at the end of the book as a systematic aid in evaluating the professional skills of the psychodramatist.The chapters are both pragmatic and solidly grounded in theory, thereby providing students with an effective, in-depth alternative to the traditional verbal therapies.Trade ReviewThe contributors to this book provide persuasive evidence of how psychodrama can safely be used to create paths of change for even the most severe traumatization. They discuss the possible transmission of trauma patters across generations. Using psychodrama, they create a place to act out unprocessed trauma within the containment of therapy, in order to stop the obsessive repetition of the past. -- The Bulletin of the British Psychodrama AssociationThis well-known and respected textbook is for all students and practitioners of psychodrama seeking to extend their knowledge. The author provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of psychodrama, presenting a systematic analysis of its essential therapeutic ingredients. -- The Bulletin of the British Psychodrama AssociationWith this volume his ingenious and highly original work will not only help create a sounder conceptual basis for psychodrama therapy, it will also establish Kellermann as one of a precious handful of significant thinkers on the foundations of psychodrama. -- from the ForewordThe wide-ranging knowledge and experience that Kellermann demonstrates is impressive, and the results of these explorations are often convincing... this is an important book. Not an easy one perhaps, but one which addresses difficult and complex issues and will hopefully stimulate further structured thinking about the therapeutic factors in psychodrama. -- Journal of the British Psychodrama Association... this work shows evidence of a good deal of thought and effort and raises some very interesting points. -- Contemporary PsychologyBuy it! This is an excellent book on psychodrama written by one of the few true scholars in our field - the work of J L Moreno is being productively expounded by rigorous, original analyses of psychodramatic theory represented in Kellerman's work. A particularly useful inclusion in the book is the "Psychodrama Director Processing Checklist"... the book is eminently buyable. -- BPA JournalThis is an extremely wide-ranging and perceptive study which provides a detailed overview of the theories supporting the therapeutic claims made for psychodrama. There is much here that the drama/theatre worker could draw upon in non-clinical contexts particularly in the search for answers to the vexing question of precisely how people learn through imagined experience. -- 20DramaTable of ContentsForeword (Jonathan Moreno). Introduction. Chapter 1. Definition. Chapter 2. Theory. Chapter 3. The Psychodramatist. Chapter 4. Charismatic Leadership. Chapter 5. Therapeutic Aspects.ÿ20Chapter 6. Catharsis. Chapter 7. Action-Insight. Chapter 8. Tele. Chapter 9. As-If . Chapter 10. Acting Out. Chapter 11. Magic . Chapter 12. Resistance. Chapter 13. Closure. Chapter 14. Processing. References. Name and Subject Index.

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Book SynopsisThis is a clear and comprehensive work which stems from the author's broad knowledge and experience of psychology, the theatre and psychodrama. It includes discussion of the theory behind psychodrama as well as the methods used in its practice; Roine writes of technical concepts in a comprehensible and accessible style, giving examples from her work in America and Norway. As well as examining the specific field of psychodrama, she relates the topic to the history and practice of the theatre, providing new angles and insights.Expressive therapies including psychodrama are becoming steadily more influential and this book has already played a part in its development. It addresses the needs of professionals, students and teachers directly involved in psychodrama and will also be of interest to professionals in other fields.Trade ReviewThis book by the distinguished Norwegian psychodramatist Eva Roine holds much information for the dramatherapist, psychdramatist or researcher who wishes to discover the theatrical roots of the therapy. The book is a fascinating read. -- DramatherapyIn a clear and accessible style, this book includes discussion of the theory behind psychodrama, as well as the methods used in its practice. E. Roine relates also the topic of psychodrama to the history and practice of the theatre, providing new angles and insights. -- International Theatre InformationsIt was a pleasure reading and reviewing this book. [T]he first chapter includes a lot of detailed information about theory and theatre which is helpful for a practitioner who does not come from a theatrical backgorund. Thre are many helpful illustrations from her own psychodrama practice in different settings relevant to the theme covered. Her caring and warmth comes through in the way she describes her work with clients. [The book] is rich in its descriptions and its use of material from other therapeutic methods and linking them to psychodrama practice. I would recommend it to anyone interested in psychodrama, and in particular to people with an interest in theatre and its connections to psychodrama. -- CounsellingTable of ContentsForeword. 1. Theory. 2. Techniques. 3. Additional Methods. 4. Psychodrama in Practice. 5. Norwegian Experiences in Retrospect. Supplement 1. Supplement 2.

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Book Synopsis'A wonderful book to help set up a drama group for those with learning difficulties, to help them express themselves through drama. It is a step by step guide to running a group from the basics of finding the setting right through to the final performance. Covering all topics from creative expression, acting skills, working with others to eye contact and character building. Great encouragement for those who would like to explore drama as a part of a therapuetic learning programme.' - Adders.org Special Talents, Special Needs is a handbook for teachers and facilitators working with people with learning disabilities who are interested in creative expression through drama. Based on their considerable experience working with the Strathcona Theatre Company (Europe's leading professional company of actors with learning disabilities), Ian McCurrach and Barbara Darnley have created a step-by-step guide to running a drama group. Beginning with the first steps of finding an appropriate setting and assessing the group, this guide progresses through five parts and thirty different sessions to conclude with the planning of a showing or performance. Each part covers a general topic such as introducing creative expression, exploring theatre skills and working with people with profound disabilities, while the individual sessions have a diversity of themes from trust and eye contact to building a character. The course may be followed step-by-step or simply used as a foundation upon which to base individual ideas. Although drama workshops of this kind do not provide formal therapy, the authors' experience has repeatedly shown that such work with people with learning disabilities not only increases communication skills but also promotes independence and self-esteem.Table of ContentsPreface. Introduction. Part 1: An Introduction to Creative Expression Through Drama. 1. Getting to Know You. 2. Communication. 3. Eye Contact. 4. Listening. 5. Concentration. 6. Trust. 7. Memory. 8. Feelings. 9. Sounds and Rhythm. 10. Basic Improvisation. Part 2: Progressing and Developing the Work - Exploring Theatre Skills. 11. Introducing or Finding a Theme. 12. Building Confidence and Presentation. 13. Progressing from Movement to Dance. 14. Discovering Your Voice. 15. Status and Mime. 16. Style. 17. Building a Character. 18. Using the Right Words (Technical Terms for Actors and Director). 19. Recording and Listening to Your Voice. 20. Videoing and Watching Yourself. Part 3: Working Towards a Performance or Showing of Work. 21-30 The Rehearsal Process and Final Show. Part 4: Working with People with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities. Part 5: Touring Survival Guide. References.

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Book SynopsisA practical handbook for those wanting to use drama and theatre to explore personal and social issues in their work with young people, Making a Leap Theatre for Empowerment has developed from ten years of active research in community settings. The authors' holistic approach to theatre-making draws on a range of disciplines, including theatre in education, community theatre, youth work, group work and conflict resolution. Suitable for use by both experienced theatre practitioners and beginners, the book provides a model that is adaptable for work with diverse groups of young people over different timescales -a day, a week, or a period of months Making a Leap -Theatre for Empowerment is a flexible resource for all professionals working with drama and young peopleTrade ReviewThis book offers the reader a comprehensive way of devising issue-based theatre with young people. The model is based on a ten-week full-time Leap project which involves three weeks of group work and training, three weeks of devising and rehearsing, and four weeks of touring. The characters are created as group members research the theme and draw on their own experiences. It allows the young people to be in control of the product they create, supported by the faciitators. There is a strong sense of empowerment. -- Arts Research DigestTable of ContentsForeword, Alec Davison. Preface. The Leap Metaphor. Introduction. The Facilitator's Guide. 1. Preparation. 2. Training. 3. Devising the show. 4. The tour. 5. Evaluation. 6. Conflict. 7. Ending. 8. Practicalities. Epilogue. Index.

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Book SynopsisIn a world where natural, social and political disasters are a daily reality, the therapist is increasingly called upon to find rapid and effective methods of treating the survivors of trauma, including sexual abuse, torture, war-related trauma, addiction, depression and bereavement. The contributors to this book provide persuasive evidence of how psychodrama can safely be used to create paths of change for even the most severe traumatization and they also discuss the possible transmission of trauma patterns across generations. Research following World War II, neurobiological studies and other recent research into PTSD has shown that many trauma symptoms are unconscious, non-verbal, right-brained experiences which cannot be accessed through talk therapy. Psychodrama creates a place to act out unprocessed trauma within the containment of therapy, in order to stop the obsessive repetition of the past.Psychodrama with Trauma Survivors documents the impact of trauma and explores the development of treatment, providing integrated models of experiential treatment for clinicians to use. It is an invaluable resource for those interested in psychodrama and those working with trauma survivors.Table of ContentsForeword. Introduction. Part 1. Treating Trauma in Action. 1. The Therapeutic Aspects of Psychodrama with Traumatized People, Peter Felix Kellermann. Part 2. Loss: The Core Emotion of Trauma. 2. Psychodramatic Methods for Facilitating Bereavement, Adam Blatner. 3. Brief Psychodrama and Bereavement, Marisol Filgueira Bouza and Jose Antonio Espina Barrio. Part 3. Traumatized People: From Victims to Survivors. 4. Psychodrama of Rape and Torture: A Sixteen-year Follow-up Case Study, Marcia Karp. 5. The Use of Psychodrama with Trauma Victims, Eva Roine. 6. Prisoners of the Family: Psychodrama with Abused Children, Anne Bannister. 7. The Use of Psychodrama in the Treatment of Trauma and Addiction, Tian Dayton. 8. Psychodrama with Adolescent Sexual Offenders, Marlyn Robson. 9. Time's Distorted Mirror: Trauma Work with Adult Male Sex Offenders, Clark Baim. 10. Psychodramatic Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder, Kerry Paul Altman. 11. Appearance and Treatment of Dissociative States of Consciousness in Psychodrama, Grete A. Leutz. 12. Psychodrama with Survivors of Traffic Accidents, Jorg Burmeister. Part 4. Experiential Models of Healing. 13. The Therapeutic Spiral Model: Treating PTSD in Action, M.K.Hudgins. 14. Cycles of Healing: The Treatment of Developmental Trauma, John Raven Mosher and Brigid Yukman. Part 5. Breaking the Links: Transmission. 15. Health and Death: Hidden Links Through the Family Tree, Anne Ancelin Schutzenberger. 16. Psychodrama with Vietnam Veterans and their Families: Both Victims of Traumatic Stress, Michael Burge. 17. Secondary Victims of Trauma: Producing Secondary Survivors, Rory Remer. Index.

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Book SynopsisBased on a study conducted with chronically ill children, Pediatric Dramatherapy: They Couldn't Run So They Learned To Fly shows how children who are unable to verbalize their feelings or inner conflicts can do so through dramatherapy. The major sources of stress for chronically ill children are examined as they relate to situations within selected stories. Through detailed case studies, commentaries and analysis this groundbreaking book demonstrates a connection between the child's symbolic expression and the struggle with illness. The use of puppets, masks, make-up and costume accessories enhances the children's ability for self expression.This fascinating study will be a significant resource for all those working with traumatized children as well as an important contribution to the emerging field of arts medicine.Trade ReviewThe format of the book makes it very simple and easy to read. This is a well-researched book which provides a rare insight into an area of work which is not well documented. -- DramatherapyTable of ContentsList of illustrations. Acknowledgements. Foreword, by Robert J. Landy. 1. An Introduction. 2. Journey through the literature. 3. Prelude to the magic: The method. 4. Their stories unfold. 5. Afterthoughts. Appendix A: Results. Appendix B: Story Selection. References. Further reading. Subject index. Name index.

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Book SynopsisAn unrivalled unofficial history of the rise – and partial fall – of fringe theatre, Mike Bradwell's deadpan account of his adventures is one of the funniest and angriest books to come out of theatre today. Winner of the 2010 Theatre Book Prize awarded by the Society for Theatre Research. As he travels through a counterculture peopled by nutters, chancers, dreamers and prophets, Bradwell makes us marvel at his resilience and creativity, captured in a succession of vivid – and often laugh-out- loud – episodes such as: creating a character with Mike Leigh; enjoying the onstage mass orgasms of The Living Theatre; eating fire with Bob Hoskins; becoming an underwater escapologist (reluctantly) in the Ken Campbell Roadshow; creating Hull Truck; and doing battle with the Health and Safety brigade, the funding bodies and a Polish heavy-metal disco during his ten years running the famous Bush Theatre in West London. Bradwell is a passionate champion of the alternative as well as an admired and successful director. He makes a compelling – and urgent – case for preserving the true and subversive spirit of theatre from castration at the hands of bankers, consultants, stakeholders, cultural-diversity compliance monitors and the Arts Council. 'Towards the end of this brilliant account of his epic forty-year journey, Mike tells us, 'I don't believe that theatre is safe in the hands of grown-ups', and it is his healthy, eternal youthfulness that makes the book so inspiring' Mike Leigh, from his ForewordTrade Review'Inimitably filthy, achingly funny... Bradwell is one of the most colourful figures in theatre today' -- Ian Herbert * The Stage *'Both a history and a pointer to the future of theatre, written by one of its most courageous and effective champions' * Theatres Magazine *'Funny and rude, bloody-minded and undervalued, much like the theatre to which he has given his all' * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisJust like Robert Tanitch's critically acclaimed book on the London stage in the twentieth century, this wonderful new book is 'fascinating - absolutely wonderful for finding what you aren't looking for'. Presented chronologically, the concise and well-crafted entries describe all of the major new plays and revivals, great actors, famous performances and spectacular productions, with a wicked sprinkling of acerbic reviews and spicy criticism. Over 250 contemporary illustrations of theatres, actors, playbills and productions help evoke the dramatic atmosphere of a period in which the lavish was expected - including erupting volcanoes, one performance with a cast of 650, and a reconstruction of Henley Regatta, complete with real boats and 200 tons of water. This is a joyous celebration of 100 years of all things theatrical. A total pleasure to dip into - and a real feast for the eye - this book is a must for theatre-lovers the world over.

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