Theatre: technical Books

Book SynopsisThe definitive text for today's and tomorrow's lighting designers, covering the complete history, theory and practice of lighting design. With over four hundred illustrations and nearly sixty colour photographs, as well as interviews with many well-known professionals, Stage Lighting Design is a comprehensive, insightful and inspiring book that every designer and would-be designer should own. It is arranged in four sections: Design: the basic principles, illustrated with reference to specific productions History: a brief survey of the historical development of stage lighting The Life: interviews with 14 other lighting designers, plus notes on Pilbrow's own career Mechanics: a comprehensive section dealing with all the technical data today's designer will need.Trade Review'Comprehensive, readable and inspiring... Pilbrow's great knowledge and practical experience shine out from every page' * ReviewsGate.com *'If you believe in learning from pioneers with pedigree, Richard Pilbrow is your man. For the aspiring lighting designer, the wealth of knowledge and the insight into this strange profession are invaluable' * www.onstagelighting.co.uk *Table of ContentsPart 1/ Design:1. Living Light for Living People2. How to Do It: An IntroductionDemonstration 1: Typical Box Set3. Procedure: PreparationDemonstration 2: Juno and the Paycock4. Procedure: ProductionDemonstration 3: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead5. Design Challenges: Colour6. Design Challenges: StagingDemonstration 4: The Storm7. Design Challenges: The Behaviour of Light in Nature - And Upon the StageDemonstration 5: Four Baboons Adoring the Sun8. Design Challenges: Musical, Ballet & Opera: Lighting in the RepertoireDemonstration 6: Show Boat9. Design Challenges: Widening the ViewpointDemonstration 7: Busker Alley10. TomorrowPart 2/History11. Oil Lamp to Laser12. A Historical FootnotePart 3/The Life12. Training13. Andrew Bridge14. Pilbrow Story 1: Beginnings15. Ken Billington16. Pilbrow Story 2: Theatre Projects Begins17. Jules Fisher18. Brian Gale19. Pilbrow Story 3: Starting as a Lighting Designer20. David Hersey21. Pilbrow Story 4: Meeting 'Sir'22. Peter Maradudin23. Pilbrow Story 5: Hospitality24. Luc LaFortune25. Pilbrow Story 6: Horror Stories26. Anne Militello27. Pilbrow Story 7: To Russia with 'Sir'28. Jim Moody29. Pilbrow Sotry 8: Darkness30. Tom Munn31. Pilbrow Story 9: America32. Tharon Musser33. Pilbrow Story 10: Theatre Design34. Michael Northern35: Pilbrow Story 11: Diversity & Proportion36. Chris Parry37. Patrick Woodroffe38. Pilbrow Story 13: MoneyPart 4/Mechanics

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Book SynopsisThe art of wig making and wig dressing has been practised for centuries, and continues to be an exciting and essential part of costume production for theatre and film. With style inspiration ranging from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, A Practical Guide to Wig Making and Wig Dressing is a comprehensive introduction to the knowledge and techniques required to produce beautiful, durable and historical hairstyles able to withstand the demands of performance. Featuring over 700 photographs, this book offers detailed step-by-step instructions on how to make a wig, how to dress it according to time period, and how to fit and remove it, as well as advice on tools, products and suppliers. The work of current industry practitioners is showcased throughout the book, offering key insights into career pathways and professional styling gained from a wealth of experience. Additional material includes: a history of the use and development of wigs; examples of wig foundation making and wig knotting; an introductuion to facial hair making and dressing and finally, how to make hairpieces, sets and dressing for male and female hairstyles.

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Book SynopsisMaking Stage Props is a book for anyone involved in prop-making who wishes to explore the wealth of materials and techniques open to them.

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Book SynopsisStage Lighting: The Fundamentals is written specifically for introductory stage lighting courses. The book begins with an examination of the nature of light, perception, and color, then leads into a conversation of stage lighting equipment and technicians. Lamps, luminaries, controls/dimming, and electricity form the basis of these chapters. The book also provides a detailed explanation and overview of the lighting design process for the theatre and several other traditional forms of entertainment. Finally, the book explores a variety of additional areas where lighting designers can find related future employment, such as concert and corporate lighting, themed design, architectural and landscape lighting, and computer animation.New for this edition:enlarged full-color illustrations, photographs, light plots and examples of lighting design;updated information on LED lighting and equipment;expanded discussion of the practical use of colTable of ContentsPart One: Light: The Medium1. The Nature of Light2. Light and Perception3. Color and Its Effect Part Two: The Tools4. Electricity5. Lamps and Other Light Sources6. Luminaires7. Lighting Control8. Projections and LightingPart Three: Light: Design Fundamentals9. Essentials of Lighting Design10. Basics of General Illumination11. Plotting the Design12. Moving Into the Venue and the Rehearsal Process13. Variations on Essential Theatrical Design Part Four: Light: Design Applications14. The Practitioners15. Traditional Areas of Theatrical Lighting Design16. Non-Traditional Lighting Design Applications

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Book SynopsisThe Handbook of Model-making for Set Designers describes the entire process of making scale models for stage sets, from the most basic cutting and assembling methods to more advanced skills, including painting, texturing and finishing techniques, and useful hints on presenting the completed model. Many drawings and colour photographs of the writer's own work illustrate the text. Some state-of-the-art computerized techniques are described here for the first time in a book of this kind, including many ways in which digital techniques can be used in combination with the more traditional methods to enhance the model-maker's work. This book will be of use not only to theatre designers, but to anyone with an interest in scale models of any kind.

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Book SynopsisCostume Design for Performance offers a detailed insight into the creative process behind designing costumes for the performing arts, including theatre, opera, dance and film. Guiding the reader through the essential steps of the designing process, Bettina John combines extensive knowledge of the industry with insights gleaned from leading experts in the performing arts. Featuring over 200 original artworks by more than thirty designers, this book gives a rare insight into this highly individual and creative process. Topics covered include script analysis; in-depth research techniques; practical techniques to explore design; basic drawing techniques; character development; the role of the costume designer and wider team and finally, advice on portfolio presentation.

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Book Synopsis''In life, I want students to be alive and on stage I want them to be artists'' Jacques LecoqJacques Lecoq was one of the most inspirational theatre teachers of our age. In The Moving Body, he shares with us first-hand his unique philosophy of performance, improvisation, masks, movement and gesture, which together form one of the greatest influences on contemporary theatre.Neutral mask, character mask and counter masks, bouffons, acrobatics, commedia, clowns and complicity: all the famous Lecoq techniques are covered in this book - techniques that have made their way into the work of former collaborators and students including Dario Fo, Ariane Mnouchkine, Yasmina Reza and Theatre de Complicite. The book contains a foreword by Simon McBurney, a critical introduction by Mark Evans and an afterword by Fay Lecoq, Director of the International Theatre School in Paris.Trade ReviewHe taught us how to be artists * Steven Berkoff, on Jacques Lecoq *In a very accessible language and with clear exemplifications and illustrative drawings, Lecoq sheds light on a vision of mime considered as training for theatre and for life … Both for the actor, and for the researcher interested in Lecoq’s theatre, this book is an essential read; for the theatre historian it is also a theoretical source on “dramatic mime” and on the expressive body that transversally influenced dance and theatre in the twentieth century. * Skenè: Journal of Theatre and Drama Studies *Table of ContentsForeword by Simon McBurney 1. Personal Journey 2. The World and Its Movements 3. The Roads to Creativity 4. New Beginnings

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Book SynopsisA guide to directing, covering all the stages of theatrical production.Trade Review"Not only are the manuals attractive, they are practical, concise and free from theories."—Times Educational Supplement

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Book SynopsisA practical, accessible and inspiring guide to using puppetry in theatre - the perfect entry point for anyone looking to use puppets in their productions, to explore what puppets can do, or to develop their puppetry skills. Written by an experienced theatre and puppetry director, Puppetry: How to Do It focuses on the performer and the craft of bringing any puppet to life. No puppet-making is required to use this book: starting just with simple objects, it lays out the skills required to unlock a puppet's limitless potential for expression and connection with an audience. Inside you'll discover fifty practical, easy-to-follow exercises - for use in a group or on your own - to develop elements of the craft, build confidence and help you improve your puppetry through play and improvisation. Also included are sections on different types of puppet, thinking about how the puppeteer is presented on stage and how to direct and devise puppet performances Ideal for actors and performers, for directors and designers, and for teachers and students of all ages and levels of experience, this book will demystify the art of puppetry, and help you become more confident and creative with all kinds of puppets and objects on stage. 'Based on the workshops he developed for training performers for War Horse, Mervyn has written this book to share his craft... the exercises are clear and easily reproducible for many different types of participants... a wonderful gift to the field of puppetry. I hope that it will be used widely to introduce adventurous spirits to this dynamic art form.' Cheryl Henson, President of the Jim Henson Foundation, from her Foreword.Trade Review'Brilliantly demystifies the art of puppetry and places the development of the performer at its heart… a clear, accessible and playful guide… the exercises are so well-constructed that you will immediately want to test them out' * Drama Magazine *'A treasure trove of practical advice and insights into puppetry, suitable for people at all levels… with its clear, engaging style, this book will add a new dimension to drama classes, enabling teachers to build on students' existing skills and develop new ones in a fresh, innovative way' * Teaching Drama *'An invaluable resource… Millar's obvious enthusiasm for puppetry leaps off the page and could convert even the most ardent puppet skeptic of the value of the art form. It's an absolute must for anyone with even the slightest interest in taking up puppetry - or even teaching it themselves' * Broadway World *

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Book SynopsisSound Design for the Stage is a practical guide to designing, creating and developing the sound for a live performance. Based on the author's extensive industry experience, it takes the reader through the process of creating a show, from first contact to press night, with numerous examples from high-profile productions. Written in a detailed but accessible approach, this comprehensive book offers key insights into a fast-moving industry. Topics covered include: how to analyze a script to develop ideas and concepts; how to discuss your work with a director; telling the emotional story; working with recorded and live music; how to record, create, process and abstract sound; designing for devised work; key aspects of acoustics and vocal intelligibility; the politics of radio mics and vocal foldback; how to design a sound system and, finally, what to do when things go wrong. With helpful advice on finding work and negotiating contracts, this guide will be especially useful for emergent sound designers and directors, focusing on the creative and collaborative process between sound designer, director, performer and writer.

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Book SynopsisThe first book to use subversive sexuality as a lensthrough which to provocatively view opera in the 21st century. Imagine Armida, Handel's Saracen sorceress, performing her breakneck coloraturas in a black figure-hugging rubber dress, beating her insubordinate furies into submission with a cane, suspending a captive Rinaldo in chains from the ceiling of her dungeon. Mozart's peasant girl Zerlina, meanwhile, is tying up and blindfolding her fiancé to seduce him out of his jealousy of Don Giovanni. And how about Wagner's wizard, Klingsor, ensnaring his choir of flower maidens in elaborate Japanese rope bondage? Opera, it would appear, has developed a taste for sadomasochism. For decades now, radical stage directors have repeatedly dressed canonical operasfrom Handel and Mozart to Wagner and Puccini, and beyondin whips, chains, leather, and other regalia of SM and fetishism. Deviant Opera seeks to understand this phenomenon, approaching the contemporary visual code of perversion as a lens through which opera focuses and scrutinizes its own configurations of sex, gender, power, and violence. The emerging image is that of an art form that habitually plays with an eroticization of cruelty and humiliation, inviting its devotees to take sensual pleasure in the suffering of others. Ultimately, Deviant Opera argues that this species of opera fantasizes about breaking the boundaries of its own role-playing, and pushing its erotic power exchanges from the enacted to the actual.Trade Review"An erudite analysis of sadomasochism (SM) in opera." * Opera Now *“Englund’s academically disciplined discussions of opera direction and sex become meaningful far beyond the portrayed sadomasochistic situation. They also concern the conditions of opera’s fundamental aesthetic laws and expressions.” * OPERA (Sweden) *"[Axel] Englund’s study of deviant opera is penetrating and extremely thoroughly researched, persuasively argued, abundantly documented, and well written." * Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Preface Introduction. Staging Deviance 1. Opera and Sadomasochism 2. Sex in Excess: Rinaldo, Alcina, and the Contemporary Baroque 3. Schools of Libertinage: Don Giovanni with Sade 4. In-House Allegories: Enactment and Actuality in Parsifal and Tosca 5. More or Less Human: Wozzeck, Lulu, and the Soprano Conductor Epilogue. The Actuality Effect and Opera’s Quest for Authenticity Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisThe definitive guide to writing music for the stage, by the Composer-in-Residence at the Donmar Warehouse. Music has played a vital part in drama since the earliest days of theatre. For composers, writing music for the stage is an opportunity to exercise their utmost creativity and versatility: a good musical score will both support and enhance the play it serves, and can lift a prosaic moment into something quite extraordinary. In this book, Michael Bruce takes you through the entire process – from initial preparation, through composition, rehearsals and recording, and finally to performance. He covers everything a composer needs to know, including: • Getting started – spotting when and how music might be used in a play, doing research, considering form and content • Building a 'sound world' – finding and using source music, creating incidental music, choosing the best instrumentation, scoring, utilising technology, writing music to accompany song lyrics • Working on the production – understanding the composer's role in rehearsals, collaborating with key creatives, employing actor-musicians, getting the show on • Recording – knowing when to record, booking and working with musicians – and the studio engineer, running a recording session Throughout the book, the author draws on his own experience of creating music for a wide variety of plays at the Donmar Warehouse, the National Theatre, in the West End and on Broadway, including detailed case studies of his work on The Recruiting Officer, Coriolanus, Privacy, The Winslow Boy, Noises Off and Strange Interlude. The book is accompanied by online excerpts from his scores. An essential companion for all composers – amateur, student or professional – Writing Music for the Stage is also invaluable reading for other theatre professionals, including directors, playwrights, producers, actors, designers and sound designers – in fact, for anyone seeking to understand how music helps to create worlds and tell stories on stage. 'This fascinating book – like its author (with whom I've had the good fortune to work on three productions) – is bursting with practical advice, good sense and invention. A must-read for all those with an interest in how music works on stage.' Mark Gatiss 'A good score makes a world of difference to an actor. Read Michael Bruce's book and you'll understand why. He is a genius.' Judi Dench 'Michael's music is wonderful: inclusive, original, respectful and – in its rightness – sheer joy.' Josie Rourke, from her ForewordTrade Review'plenty of detailed practical advice here for you wherever you are in your learning journey. It’s also a good read for anyone who simply wants to understand how theatrical music works without necessarily wanting to create it.' -- Susan Elkin * susanelkin.co.uk *'A joy to read… an incredibly interesting viewpoint of this vital aspect of the creation of a performance… Michael Bruce successfully conveys his passion and work ethic, constantly inspiring the reader and encouraging us to continue to learn from his words' * Drama Magazine *

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Book SynopsisPatsy Rodenburg OBE is a world expert on teaching voice, speech and presentation skills to individuals and companies across corporate and creative industries, as well as working with actors in theatre, film and television. Currently, she is Professor of Text and Poetry at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, UK, after serving as Head of Voice from 1981 until 2016. Over the past 40 years, she has been pioneering the only existing MA in Training Actors (Voice) and has sat on the board of directors for the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2020, she established The Patsy Rodenburg Academy, which provides a safe and creative space for teachers, leaders, actors and all others to explore storytelling, while developing leadership, theatre and voice skills.She has coached some of the world's leading business figures, including CEOs and board-level executives at leading global institutions such as the London Stock Exchange, Deutsche Bank, Barclays, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, The Royal BritishTable of ContentsPrologue Chapter 1 – The Beginnings Chapter 2 – Cages Chapter 3 – Brilliant Women Chapter 4 – Whole Presence, Whole Voice Chapter 5 – The Unquestionably Equal Woman Chapter 6 – Equal? Chapter 7 – Mother Margaret and Nanna Winifred Chapter 8 – Winnie Chapter 9 – My Father Chapter 10 – Education Chapter 11 – Vocation Chapter 12 – Voice and Rhetoric Chapter 13 – The Fading Memory of Women’s Power Chapter 14 – John Chapter 15 – Scarls Chapter 16 – Focusing on Voice Chapter 17 – Handmaidens Chapter 18 – Breaking Free – Going Deeper – Demanding More Chapter 19 – 2006: Moving On – The Revolution of Thriving, not just Surviving Chapter 20 – Facing the Inevitable Chapter 21 – Where is your Voice? Chapter 22 – Masks of Survival Chapter 23 – Form and Content Epilogue Index

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Book SynopsisGrowing up in Australia and the UK, Abigail often found herself covered in paint or flour, or lost in a book. After a BA in English and a PhD on Medieval Castles, she combined her interests writing Usborne children's books - from cookery, craft and castles to science and unicorns.

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Book SynopsisThe popularity of fantasy blockbusters and sci-fi television has made the call for prosthetic artists a staple requirement in the majority of film crews. Prosthetic make-up has the ability to transform actors into unique, one-of-a-kind characters who take us into the realms of impossibility, limited only by the artist's imagination. Yet it can also be used in more subtle ways to alter physical appearance and create ageing, weight gain or illness, useful for a variety of genres and entertainment mediums. This instructional book offers a fascinating insight into the world of prosthetic make-up artistry. It illustrates two- and three-dimensional make-up techniques and covers topics such as: life casting; sculpting techniques; gelatine prosthetics; airbrushing; hair punching; hand-laid hair techniques and novelty teeth design and manufacture.

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Book SynopsisROSS BROWN is Dean of Studies andReader in Soundat the Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, UK. He is Convenor of the International Theatre Sound Colloquium His professional career as a theatre composer, musician and sound designer includes productions for BBC Radio Drama, Shared Experience, RSC, The Almeida, BAC, The Gate, The Royal Court, The Shadow Syndicate, Glasgow Citizens', Lancaster Duke's, Derby Playhouse, Red Shift and many other prestigious companies in the commercial and subsidised sectors.

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Book SynopsisThe Technical Brief is a collection of single-focus articles on technical production solutions, published three times a year by the prestigious Yale School of Drama. The primary objective of the publication is to share creative solutions to technical problems so that fellow theatre technicians can avoid having to reinvent the wheel with each new challenge. The range of topics includes scenery, props, painting, electrics, sound and costumes. The articles each describe an approach, device, or technique that has been tested on stage or in a shop by students and professionals.Some articles included are: Building Authentic Elizabethan Ruffs; Simple and Inexpensive Stained Glass; A Quick-Load Floor Pulley Design; A Simple Approach to Stretching Drops; Flexi-Pitch Escape Stairs; Spot-Welding Scrim with Sobo; Handrail Armatures for a Grand Staircase; The Triscuit-Studwall Deck System; A Frameless Turntable; Stand on Stage: Minimum Weight, Maximum ETrade Review"....A long-needed collection of information on how specific problems have been approached and solved....To me the most valuable use of Technical Brief is not how to copy how someone else solved a particular problem, but to see the approach, materials, and techniques that were used which give me an idea how I might approach the problems I need to solve." Robert R. Scales, Ph.D., Dean of USC School of TheatreTable of ContentsCostumes; Lighting; Lighting Effects; Painting; Props; Rigging Hardware; Safety; Scenery; Scenery Decks; Scenery Electronics; Scenery Hardware; Scenery Mechanics; Scenery Tools; Sound

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is an important contribution that pushes the existing scholarship further in a number of fields."—Lisa Fitzpatrick, University of Ulster"A brilliant contribution to knowledge and a really enjoyable, accessible, and thought-provoking read."—Anna Reading, King's College"Emilie Pine's The Memory Marketplaceis that remarkable and rare thing: a compelling, rigorously-researched academic book that is also beautifully written. Its analysis of performance modes representing trauma, abuse and violence – from 'docu-verbatim' theatre and autoperformance to site-specific performance – traces complex lines of enquiry about the idea of witnessing, the role of affect, and the types and exchanges of labor in the 'memory marketplace.' This work is a major contribution not only to memory studies and to Irish theatre studies, but also functions as an exemplar of the ways in which transnational literary studies can illuminate broad themes while tending to distinctions across cultures, spaces and times."—Oona Frawley, editor of Memory Ireland series"Emilie Pine's important new book expands our understanding of the public performance of painful stories, suggesting that they exist in a 'memory marketplace' that has to be considered in economic as well as cultural terms. Drawing on examples from Irish and international theatre, the study challenges the reader to fully appreciate the relationship between witnessing and consuming in contemporary performance. In doing so, it offers exciting perspectives on major theatre-makers (including Yael Farber, Samuel Beckett, Anna Deavere Smith, and Ariel Dorfman), important Irish theatre companies (such as Anu Productions, Kabosh, and the Abbey Theatre), and much more. Scholars of Irish drama, documentary theatre, and memory studies will find Pine's work inspiring and provocative in equal measure—just as general readers will be deeply stimulated by its relevance to many contemporary debates, notably the #metoo movement."—Patrick Lonergan, National University of Ireland, GalwayTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Market for Pain1. Tell them that you saw us: Witnessing Docu-Verbatim Memory2. The Witness as Commodity: Autoperforming Memory3. The Commissioned Witness, Theatre and Truth4. The immaterial labour of listening: Presence, absence, failure and the commodification of the witness5. Consumers or witnesses?: site-specific performanceConclusion: Activism in the Marketplace

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is an important contribution that pushes the existing scholarship further in a number of fields."—Lisa Fitzpatrick, University of Ulster"A brilliant contribution to knowledge and a really enjoyable, accessible, and thought-provoking read."—Anna Reading, King's College"Emilie Pine's The Memory Marketplaceis that remarkable and rare thing: a compelling, rigorously-researched academic book that is also beautifully written. Its analysis of performance modes representing trauma, abuse and violence – from 'docu-verbatim' theatre and autoperformance to site-specific performance – traces complex lines of enquiry about the idea of witnessing, the role of affect, and the types and exchanges of labor in the 'memory marketplace.' This work is a major contribution not only to memory studies and to Irish theatre studies, but also functions as an exemplar of the ways in which transnational literary studies can illuminate broad themes while tending to distinctions across cultures, spaces and times."—Oona Frawley, editor of Memory Ireland series"Emilie Pine's important new book expands our understanding of the public performance of painful stories, suggesting that they exist in a 'memory marketplace' that has to be considered in economic as well as cultural terms. Drawing on examples from Irish and international theatre, the study challenges the reader to fully appreciate the relationship between witnessing and consuming in contemporary performance. In doing so, it offers exciting perspectives on major theatre-makers (including Yael Farber, Samuel Beckett, Anna Deavere Smith, and Ariel Dorfman), important Irish theatre companies (such as Anu Productions, Kabosh, and the Abbey Theatre), and much more. Scholars of Irish drama, documentary theatre, and memory studies will find Pine's work inspiring and provocative in equal measure—just as general readers will be deeply stimulated by its relevance to many contemporary debates, notably the #metoo movement."—Patrick Lonergan, National University of Ireland, GalwayTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Market for Pain1. Tell them that you saw us: Witnessing Docu-Verbatim Memory2. The Witness as Commodity: Autoperforming Memory3. The Commissioned Witness, Theatre and Truth4. The immaterial labour of listening: Presence, absence, failure and the commodification of the witness5. Consumers or witnesses?: site-specific performanceConclusion: Activism in the Marketplace

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Book SynopsisA premiere playwright, Edward Albee is also a gifted director. This work details Albee's directorial vision and how that vision animates his plays. It reveals how Albee has shaped his plays in performance, the attention he pays to each aspect of theatre, and how his conception of the key plays he has directed has evolved over a five-decade career.Trade ReviewAlbee in Performance is an impressive documentation of Albee's rehearsal practices that, along the way, reveals countless insights into the characters and play worlds of one of our most celebrated living playwrights.Sept 2012 * Theatre Survey *For theatre professionals as well as academics, this book is a quick and useful glimpse into the theatrical practices of Edward Albee as they reveal his own aesthetic principles. * Text & Presentation *Albee in Performance is a fascinating volume. Solomon's writing is lively . . . It is an important contribution to our understanding of Edward Albee as a man of the theatre. * Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism *Albee in Performance provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of Edward Albee's work directing his own plays, a topic which has received far less attention than it deserves. . . . [It] will prove of lasting benefit to literary scholars and theatre professionals as they attempt to capture Albee's original intent and interpretation of his plays. Fall 2010 * Valley Voices: A Literary Review *Rakesh Solomon's insightful study Albee in Performance appeals to a broad spectrum of readers. Scholars, teachers, and Edward Albee fans will want to read it for interpretations of characters and themes in Albee's plays. Directors and deigners will enjoy the book from the standpoint of theatrical production. Theatre students at all levels can learn about their craft from case studies of how Albee himself solved production problems. Vol. 21, No. 1, March 2011 * Theatre Topics *Fully documents Albee's choices and decisions, frequently shedding a corrective light on texts as Albee imagined them. A valuable portrait of Albee as an actor's director, influenced by, but not bound to, the American method-acting tradition. Highly recommended. * Choice *Solomon usefully contextualizes Albee in relation to Beckett, Pinter, and other dramatists for whom such totality of vision is (or was) a significant dimension of their practice. At the same time, though, one of the strengths of this book is in demonstrating just how collaborative a theatre artist Albee is. -- Stephen Bottoms * New Theatre Quarterly *A book of stunning revelations. . . . Solomon's extraordinary thirty year documentation of Albee's plays in production . . . is a major gift to directors, actors, designers, and others. . . . Albee scholars, in particular, would ignore this new study at their peril. . . . It will prove to be an indispensible source and catalyst for future Albee scholarship, and a highly influential creative guide to understanding one of America's greatest and, perhaps, most mysterious playwrights. -- David A. Crespy * Theatre History Studies *Table of ContentsContentsForeword by Edward AlbeeAcknowledgments1. Albee in the Theatre2. Casting Practices and Director's Preparation3. The American Dream4. The Zoo Story5. Fam and Yam and The Sandbox6. Box and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung7. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?8. Marriage Play9. Three Tall Women10. Albee's Double Authoring11. Albee and His Collaborators on Staging Albee: From The Zoo Story to The Goat, or, Who Is Sylvia? 1. Albee Directs Albee 2. The Lady From Dubuque 3. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 4. Albee Directs Beckett 5. Marriage Play 6. Three Tall Women 7. The Goat, or, Who is Sylvia?NotesWorks CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisIn this extensively illustrated book, Thomas Morawetz explores how the creation of transformational makeup for theatre, movies, and television fulfills the fundamental human fantasy of self-transformation and satisfies the human desire to become "the otheTrade Review"This book is entirely unique, very well written, dramatic, and, at the same time, philosophical. It is likely to appeal to a very large audience, including anybody interested in the visual arts, in film, in theater, in philosophical problems of transformation, and in the unconscious generally." -Melvin R. Lansky, M.D., UCLA Medical School and Los Angeles Psychoanalytic InstituteTable of Contents Introduction Part I: The Culture and Art of Transformation 1. The Significance and Invention of Faces 2. The Culture of Transformation 3. The Art of Transformation Part II: The Practice of Transformation 4. The Demonic 5. Aliens 6. Disguise for Its Own Sake 7. Variant Selves 8. Impersonation 9. Beyond Human Afterthoughts Photo Credits

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Book SynopsisThis ground-breaking text returns in its second edition, unlocking the insider secrets and proven, time-tested methods to succeed as a professional assistant lighting designer.This definitive guide outlines, step-by-step, the daily challenges that assistant lighting designers face during every phase of production, and the solutions for overcoming them. Furthermore, intermingled among the highly detailed paperwork techniques and essential procedures, top industry professionals reveal tips for success in this challenging career. This fully updated second edition features: All new advice, real-world stories, and current paperwork examples from over 120 working professionals. Updated industry practices with case studies from the professionals themselves, such as how to create a video network to record previews for the lighting department; how much printing is done in an increasingly paperless world; how to produce a set electrics package; anTrade Review"The Assistant Lighting Designer's Toolkit is a book the lighting world needs and should be required reading for all new – and not so new – lighting designers." Ken Billington, Tony Award-winning Broadway Lighting Designer Table of ContentsPart I: The Profession 1. Understanding Assisting 2. The Tools Required 3. Production Personnel 4. Unions Part II: The Process 5. Design Prep 6. Load-in 7. Tech 8. Previews and Performances Part III: The Paperwork 9. Pre-production Paperwork 10. Tech Process Paperwork Part IV: The Industry 11. US-based Employment Opportunities 12. Working Internationally 13. Working in Related Industries Part V: The Life 14. Working as an Independent Contractor

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Book SynopsisBloody Brilliant: How to Develop, Execute, and Clean Up Blood Effects for Live Performance offers methods and techniques for delivering this special effect on the stage. The world of live theatre presents its own set of unique challenges when creating special effects, particularly blood. There are no cropped-view frames, multiple angles, or reshoots everything is live and in view of the audience. This book provides helpful insight, information, techniques, and tricks for producing reliable and repeatable blood effects, covering everything from design and budgeting to safety and clean-up. Filled with easy-to-follow descriptions and full-color artwork, this text includes: Practical examples of blood effect budgets, outlining not just money but also labor needs. A breakdown of the components for making an original blood recipe, as well as reliable, industry-tested recipes. Options for dispensing blood Trade Review"With all the blood in Shakespeare in the Park or Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson I wish I had this book as a guide to help me navigate some difficult situations. Jen has included some very insightful guidance and great techniques on ago-old problems so they don’t become bloody messes. I suggest every props and special effects and educator have this on their shelf." Jay Duckworth, Adjunct Professor at Pace University, Props Designer, and Founder of Props Summit Table of Contents1. Planning Blood Effects 2. Choosing a Blood 3. Containing and Delivering the Effect 4. Specific Blood Effects 5. Alternate Blood Effect Options and Basic Prosthetics 6. Putting It All Together 7. Cleaning Up the Scene of the Crime

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Book Synopsis`I consider this book a precious report that permits one to assimilate some of those simple and basic principles which the self-taught at times come to know, yet only after years of groping and errors. The book furnishes information regarding discoveries which the actor can understand in practice, without having to start each time from zero. Thomas Richards has worked with me systematically since 1985. Today he is my essential collaborator in the research dedicated to Art as Vehicle.'' - from the Preface by Jerzy GrotowskiTrade Review'This book is extremely concise and makes the work of Grotowski something students understand.' - Jane Hanna, Roehampton Institute, UK'An essential text for anyone interested in the work of Polish theatre-maker and teacher Jerzy Grotowski.' - Total TheatreTable of ContentsAt Work with Grotowski on Physical Actions by Thomas Richards, Stanislavski And Grotowski: The Connection, Ryszard Cieslak At Yale, The Workshop At The Objective Drama Program, In New York, Grotowski Speaks At Hunter College, The Work At Botinaccio: An Attack On Dilettantism, One Year With Grotowski In Objective Drama, At The Workcenter Of Jerzy Grotowski, Beginning Stages, Grotowski Vs. Stanislavski: The Impulses, "Realistic" Actions In Everyday Life, Conclusion On "Realistic" Actions, Quoted texts From the Theatre Company to Art as Vehicle

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Book Synopsis'Adrian Noble vigorously highlights the extraordinary rhythmic, linguistic patterns Shakespeare gives the speaker. Any actor will find this book invaluable. For any student of Shakespeare it should be essential.' (From the Foreword by Ralph Fiennes)'How can I bring the text alive, make it vivid, how do I make people hear it for the first time? How can I enter into that world and not feel a stranger. How can I not feel clumsy and inept? ... How can I speak it without sounding artificial or actory? In other words, how can I make it real ...?'Adrian Noble has worked on Shakespeare with everyone from oscar-nominated actors to groups of schoolchildren. Here he draws on several decades of top-level directing experience to shed new light on how to bring some of theatreâs seminal texts to life.He shows you how to approach the perennial issues of performing Shakespeare, including: wordplay â using colour and playing plain, wit and comedy, making language muscTrade Review'Noble, who has worked with Kenneth Branagh and Ralph Fiennes, achieves a winning mix of the theoretical and the practical' - WhatsOnStage.com Table of ContentsPart 1 - Principles 1. Apposition 2. Metaphor 3. Metre and pulse 4. Line endings 5. Word play 6. Vocabulary 7. Shape and structure Part 2 - Practice 8. Early, middle and late 9. Prose 10. Soliloquy 11. Comedy 12. Dialogue 13. Building a Character 14. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisCombining theory and application, A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting provides a comprehensive analysis of lighting systems along with examples and illustrations of the technical tools and methods used in the industry. An entertaining and educational read, author Steven Louis Shelley draws from his 35+ years of diverse experience to explain how to get the job done along with real-life examples of projects from start to finish. Learn why some techniques are successful while others fail with 'Shelley's Notes' and 'Shelley's Soapbox,' all with a humor that guides you through complex problems and concepts.Highlights include:-Over 100 new topics, including analysis and application of the three categories of collaboration; a detailed examination of production meetings and one-on-one meetings; and meeting checklists with management and the creative team.-Over 50 new illustrations, including Shelley's Periodic Table of Fundamental Lighting Systems; groundplans, sections, and front elevations that illustrate basic system wash configurations for each direction of light. -Analysis, calculation, and step-by-step technical construction of each lighting system in the Hokey light plot.-Explanation of a manufacturer's cut sheet, and how to apply basic formulas to determine the beam size, footcandles, and gel transmission for lighting instruments.-Updated process of pre-programming computer lighting consoles prior to the load-in.-Comprehensive overview of archiving paperwork and softcopy for a production.Students and professionals will benefit from experience-based tips and techniques to prepare and execute a lighting design, along with learning how to avoid common traps.Trade ReviewAny student or professional seeking to work as a lighting designer in theater or dance should read this book. I've been using this book since the first edition, as it's a wonderful tool for education. This book goes into the details behind the creation of a lighting design. The knowledge you gain by studying this text will free you to create art with your lighting, instead of being caught up in the mundane tasks required to execute a design.--Stephen Ellison, Lighting Systems Design Consultant Steven L Shelley has done it again. After reading the second edition of "A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting" (the only one of its kind), I didn't think there was anything else to say about technically creating a lighting design.Mr. Shelley has done it! He found more information and better and clearer ways to communicate his ideas. The added graphics help the reader to understand the writing, and they alone are worth the price of the book. He's gone into more depth -- when the reader is finished, they have a greater and clearer understanding of the process involved in creating a lighting design.They'll also have an easier time working through the process than anyone did before this book was written.The time Shelley spends with his own stories helps the reader understand why things are done a certain way. They make the reader understand he's a professional and not just someone who is writing a textbook for tenure.Overall, the third edition of "A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting" is a book that anyone interested in the process of lighting design must have on their bookshelf.David Griffith, Educator and professional lighting designer'Any student or professional seeking to work as a lighting designer in theater or dance should read this book. I've been using this book since the first edition, as it's a wonderful tool for education. This book goes into the details behind the creation of a lighting design. The knowledge you gain by studying this text will free you to create art with your lighting, instead of being caught up in the mundane tasks required to execute a design.'Stephen Ellison, Lighting Systems Design Consultant'Steven L Shelley has done it again. After reading the second edition of "A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting" (the only one of its kind), I didn't think there was anything else to say about technically creating a lighting design.Mr. Shelley has done it! He found more information and better and clearer ways to communicate his ideas. The added graphics help the reader to understand the writing, and they alone are worth the price of the book. He's gone into more depth -- when the reader is finished, they have a greater and clearer understanding of the process involved in creating a lighting design.They'll also have an easier time working through the process than anyone did before this book was written.The time Shelley spends with his own stories helps the reader understand why things are done a certain way. They make the reader understand he's a professional and not just someone who is writing a textbook for tenure.Overall, the third edition of "A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting" is a book that anyone interested in the process of lighting design must have on their bookshelf.'David Griffith, Educator and professional lighting designer'...the book presents further value in the latest incarnation. However, be warned...the sheer volume of professional gold within is more than one person can shovel in a sitting...This book could be subtitled "Everything Mr Shelley has ever experienced and thought about lighting in his long and illustrious career."...the whole book is an avalanche of practical advice, notes, tips, pro tips, detail, So much detail. This is the value right here, folks.'Rob Sayer, On Stage Lighting'The beauty of A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting has always been that it takes the designer and brings them down to the nitty gritty. The wonder of the third edition is that you now have expanded resources to communicate not only to the beginning lighting student, but to the 201, 301, and 401 levels as well. I have students that carry this book through multiple levels of courses and by the end come out with an understanding that is unmatched in terms of executing a comprehensive design from top to bottom. The expanded sections help clarify complicated concepts seamlessly. I require this text in all of my lighting classes and the students get so excited to go to conferences and meet "the REAL STEVE SHELLEY" in person. He's like a super-star to them and this insightful textbook is the reason.'Ruth Hutson'Several months ago, I received a call from a university student wanting advice on a career in stage lighting...We discussed approaches to design and useful software, but when she asked what she should read to learn more, I recommended Steve Shelley's A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, second edition. It was the best book I knew about how to light the stage and earn a living as a lighting designer. Now there is a better book: A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, third edition...I would recommend it for any instructor teaching stage lighting at any level. There is a lot in this book that can stimulate thoughts about what a lighting design should be, how one goes about practically realizing a design, and about working as part of an artistic team in a venture that has to fit a budget...it would be a great gift any time of the year, whether for an ambitious student or for yourself.' Karl G. Ruling, Protocol'The scope and breadth of the A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, Third Edition make it equally useful for the emerging young designer needing reference material, the experienced professional looking for new perspectives, and the seasoned designer looking for new tips, reminders of shortcuts, or inspiration to be a little more organized and prepared for the task at hand. The examples of plots, sections, paperwork, cue masters, magic sheets, focus charts, and working drawings are excellent resources. The updates and expansions make A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, Third Edition a valuable addition to your theatre library, even if you have a previous version of the book.'Ellen E. Jones, Lighting & Sound America"A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting (Third Edition), by Steven Louis Shelley, has long been a standard text and reference on preparing lighting designs and creating the paperwork needed to mount a production. In the latest edition, Shelly...zeroes in on communication skills, adding ideas (and checklists) for efficient and productive meetings with both management and creative teams. Also new are 'Shelley's Periodic Table of Fundamental Lighting Systems, ' plus ground plans, sections and front elevations that demonstrate basic system wash configurations for each direction of light. Particularly useful is his explanation of a manufacturer's information sheet and how to determine the beam size, foot candles and gel transmission for various lighting instruments." Stephen Peithman, Stage DirectionsTable of ContentsChapter 1: A ReviewChapter 2: Paperwork OverviewStage 1: Research and AnalysisChapter 3: Background Preparations and Preliminary Design PaperworkChapter 4: The ParametersStage 2: Preliminary DocumentsChapter 5: Create the Preliminaries and Send Out the Shop OrderChapter 6: The Shop OrderChapter 7: Cuts and ChangesStage 3: Preparation: The Production PackersChapter 8: The Light Plot, Section, and Support Paperwork PacketChapter 9: The Load-In and Focus PacketChapter 10: The Cue Construction PacketChapter 11: Prior to the Load-InStage 4: Application: Using the PacketsChapter 12: The Load-In and SetupChapter 13: The Focus SessionChapter 14: The Light Cue Level Setting Session and Technical RehearsalsChapter 15: The Performance

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Book SynopsisReimagines the content and continuities of theatre history and exposes underlying dialogues between ""home and homelessness, belonging and exile"" - a century-long struggle with the meaning and power of place, which the author terms ""geopathology"".Trade ReviewThis is a book of real originality. Its treatment of space in modern drama is elegant and powerful. . . ." —William B. Worthen, Northwestern University"Staging Place is a powerfully written book, deft in its handling of familiar and unfamiliar plays alike and eclectic in its use of theatrical sources." —Essays in Theatre/ Études théâtrales"This sophisticated and well-written study for graduate students and their teachers explores modern drama's preoccupation with the seemingly irreconcilable discontinuities between the notions of home and homelessness, belonging and exile. . . . The readings of individual plays are fresh and invigorating. . . ." —Choice

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Book SynopsisFresh and provocative readings of familiar stage objects provide new ways of understanding theater, dramatic literature, and culture

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Book SynopsisThe life and times of pioneering director Margaret Webster, this is the first biography of a stage and opera director whose career challenged both stage tradition and mainstream attitudes towards professional women.Trade ReviewIn Milly Barranger, Margaret Webster has found the perfect biographer. In Margaret Webster, Milly Barranger has found her perfect subject. She brings to vivid life a fascinating and important theater figure whose public and private lives were of equal interest. In this carefully researched book, Webster's colleagues, lovers, and friends shine as brightly as she did. I wish she were here to read it." —Marian Seldes"Margaret Webster is a highly welcome addition to our knowledge of the first important female director in American theater. Remembered now especially for her staging of Othello with Paul Robeson, Uta Hagen, and Jose Ferrer, Margaret Webster was probably the best-known, in-demand, and admired director of Shakespeare in America in the 1940s and 1950s. Fascinating throughout, the book's discussions of working with Robeson, and of HUAC, which targeted her just as her career was reaching a peak, make for especially engrossing reading." —Oscar Brockett

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Book SynopsisExamines the dynamism and vibrancy of stage spectacle and its impact in an era of momentous social upheaval and aesthetic change. Situating theatrical production as key to understanding visuality ca. 1780-1830, this book reenvisions traditional approaches to artistic and social production.Trade Review“The volume’s thesis, that a substantive investigation of spectacle and the visual elements of Romantic theatre force us to reconsider the primarily textual theses that govern the idea of Romanticism, is both timely and needed. Its transdisciplinary approach, rooted jointly in performance studies and theatre history, promises to reassess the oft-denigrated 6th category of Aristotelian dramatic analysis and unpack spectacle’s aesthetic, political, and cultural significance, both on and off the stage. These are the most important voices in later-eighteenth-century and Romantic theatre studies, and to have them assembled promises readers that this will not just be a collection but a field-defining conversation.” —Misty G. Anderson, James R. Cox Professor of English, University of Tennessee“A field-shaping collection of essays that unveil the lost delights of Romantic-era theatre culture: playbill typography, costume trimming, souvenir fans, toy theatres, stage makeup, mimodrama, and scene maquettes. Through their wide-ranging analyses, the contributors reanimate the stage productions that thrilled Romantic theatre-goers.” —Judith Pascoe, George Mills Harper Professor of English, Florida State UniversityTable of Contents Introduction: Romanticism, Visuality, and the Theater Diane Piccitto and Terry F. Robinson I. Imagined Scenes 1. The 1794 Macbeth and Its Conjuring Effects: Rethinking Romantic-Era Spectatorship Terry F. Robinson 2. “Mind-forg’d Manacles”: The Scenography of the Romantic Prison Joseph Roach 3. Some Versions of Spectacle: Worldmaking and the Regency Toy Theater Daniel O’Quinn 4. Conjuring the Space and the Right to Appear in Obi; or Three-Fingered Jack (1800) Dana Van Kooy II. Spectacular Bodies 5. “I saw Othello’s visage in his mind”: Visualizing Othello in Nineteenth-Century British Theater Atsede Makonnen 6. Playing “Alive”: Performing Sculpture on the Romantic Stage Sophie Thomas 7. “Dresses in Hand”: Mary Rein’s Costume Workshop and the Spectacle of Romantic Theater Susan E. Brown 8. The Singing Cat: British Audiences, Angelica Catalani, and the Threat of Opera Uri Erman III. Performances in Print 9. The Stage in a Page: A Visual Life of Romantic Playbills Michael Gamer 10. Between Media: Harlequinade’s and Melodrama’s Visuality in Print Deven M. Parker 11. Robert Blemmell Schnebbelie, Londina Illustrata, and the Visual Life of Regency Theater Gillian Russell 12. Staging Satire: Gillray and “Caricatura-Sublime” Heather Mcpherson 13. Theatrical Spectatorship in Byron’s Cain and Blake’s The Ghost of Abel: From Oblivion to Redemption Diane Piccitto Afterword: Romanticism is Seeing Ghosts Jonathan Mulrooney Contributors

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Book SynopsisThe four directors-Konstantin Stanislavsky, Bertolt Brecht, Elia Kazan, and Peter Brook - all were monarchs of the profession in their time. Without their work, theatre in the twentieth century - so often called the century of the director - would have a radically different shape and meaning. This deals with the work of the four directors.

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Book SynopsisFor anyone producing costumes on a small budget, whether for schools, colleges or amateur, semi-professional or professional groups, this basic introduction offers practical advice for every kind of play, together with drawings, diagrams and patterns from which to work.

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Book SynopsisIn this guide, Peter Maccoy examines the qualities and skills necessary for effective stage management, stressing the importance of understanding both the creative and the technical processes involved in theatre. The advice featured covers such topics as contracts, rehearsals and performance.

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Book SynopsisNick Moran is Lecturer for Lighting Design at Central School of Speech and Drama.Trade Review'His years in teaching have given him a framework to hang the logic and protocol of lighting on, while keeping the essential love of the art and the respect for the craft...There are acres of wisdom on production interaction and safety, mostly with respect to drama, although the other art forms are covered too.' The Stage (Jan 2008)

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