Theatre: technical Books

Book SynopsisWilliams' later canon post Night of the Iguana has not received the intensive critical attention his earlier works have. The fifteen original essays in this book, written by leading authorities on Tennessee Williams, examine the energy and variety of Williams' late work in light of critical theory and performance objectives to reveal a powerful and rarely gifted experimental artist at work. Rather than seeing the works of the 1960s-1980s as a falling off of Williams' talent, the essays here demonstrate and argue that they are vital to the Williams canon and to American (and world) theatre alike.

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Book SynopsisThe Theater of Trauma is a groundbreaking rereading of the relations between psychology and drama in the age of Eugene O'Neill, Susan Glaspell, and their many brilliant contemporaries. American modernist Theater of Trauma drew its vision from the psychological investigation of trauma and its consequences among them hysteria and dissociation made by French and American psychiatrists such as the great Pierre Janet, Alfred Binet, William James, Morton Prince, and W.E.B. Du Bois; the European and American dissociationist culture that developed around their work; and the resulting trauma of World War I. American dramatists' deep resistance to Freud's suppression of trauma challenges the equation of Freud and modernism that has become commonplace in modernist criticism.

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Book SynopsisApproaching the Theater of Antonio Buero Vallejo

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisHow was medieval English theatre performed? This book analyses dormant evidence of theatrical processes such as casting, doubling of parts, rehearsing, memorising, cueing, entering, exiting, playing, prompting, timing, hearing, seeing and responding. All these concerns point to a very different kind of theatre to the naturalistic theatre produced today.Trade Review'Butterworth's book will be of use to those seeking a scholarly discussion of problems and strategies in the performance of medieval drama, both as it was once written and played, and for contemporary revivals. His knowledge is extensive and his practical experience of the staging of many of these works clearly and helpfully informs his comments on their characteristic ways of working in space, time, and action.' Tom Bishop, SpeculumTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Outdoors and indoors; 2. Casting and doubling; 3. Rehearsing, memorising and cueing; 4. Coming and going; 5. Playing, feigning and counterfeiting; 6. Dressing and disguising; 7. Expounding and monitoring; 8. Effecting effects; 9. Timing and waiting; 10. Hearing, seeing and responding.

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Book SynopsisNick Moran is Senior Lecturer in Lighting Design at Central School of Speech and Drama, London. He is a lighting designer as well as an academic, and his work as lighting designer on English National Opera's production of The Masked Ball formed part of the Collaborators exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2007/2008. He is the author of Performance Lighting Design.

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Book SynopsisIn The Prop Building Guidebook, author Eric Hart demonstrated how to cut, glue, sculpt, and bend raw materials to build props. Now in The Prop Effects Guidebook, he shows us how to connect and assemble components and parts to make those props light up, explode, make noise, and bleed. It delves into the world of electricity, pneumatics, liquids, and mechanical effects to teach you how to make your props perform magic in front of a live audience. The book is complemented by a companion website featuring videos of how to create individual prop special effects: www.propeffectsguidebook.com.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Chapter 1 designing, prototyping, testing Chapter 2 electricity, wiring, soldering Chapter 3 lights Chapter 4 motion Chapter 5 trick mechanisms Chapter 6 pneumatics Chapter 7 liquid delivery Chapter 8 breakaways Chapter 9 smoke and fire Chapter 10 sound Chapter 11 control (remote, micro, practical) special note indexwebsite

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSuperb … if you have a theatre aficionado in your family, this beautifully illustrated, thoroughly opinionated volume ought to be on your list. With six decades of experience to call on, Mackintosh has no end of lessons to pass on. * The Times *The virtue of his book is that it is the work of a knowledgeable enthusiast, and proves that, while the play’s the thing, the frame in which it is seen is crucial to our enjoyment. * The Guardian *Iain Mackintosh describes his book as a memoir, but it is also a comprehensive handbook for theatre makers and audiences the world over. A one stop shop for anyone interested in how the delicate and vital relationship between audience and performance has evolved over centuries. Upon his shoulders I have stood for 30 years. His argument and understanding is as vital today as it always has been. Essential reading. * Stephen Daldry O.B.E. *Like the man himself, Iain Mackintosh’s memoir is erudite, trenchant, occasionally infuriating but always entertaining, enthusiastic and informative. Anyone who wants to understand more deeply the complexities and subtleties of theatre architecture should read this book. * Steve Tompkins, Director, HaworthTompkins *Iain’s memoir is a potpourri of historical thesis, personal recollection and entertaining gossip. It gives a glimpse of the theatre world and the agonies and ecstasies of achieving buildings suited to purpose. * Anne Minors, Founding Director, SOUND SPACE VISION, Theatre Planning and Acoustics *This book clears a luminous space of insight at the point where the pragmatics of architecture meet the poetics of the theatrical moment. Iain Mackintosh gleans highly consequential lessons about the challenge of engineering intimacy in the modern theatre auditorium from his long and rich practice. He also grounds them so deftly in their particular, British, history that they begin to acquire a universal appeal. With its stylish writing and generous, well-chosen illustrations this book vivifies and clarifies a theme that has been as elusive as it is important. * Himanshu Burte, Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay, India *A revelatory and much needed guide to the structure of theatres both in Britain and abroad. Iain Mackintosh reveals how certain architectural choices can be traced to having an effect on a performance: for example it’s easier to play comedy in a narrow proscenium, very hard to raise a laugh on the wide stages of the Olivier or the Lyttelton, and how crucial it is to the success of a play that it is performed in its correct home. It’s an amazingly detailed research of great value to anyone performing on stage today and a necessity for future architects. * Dame Eileen Atkins *A vivid hybrid manifesto/memoir … It is simply an essential book: authoritative, original, comprehensive, compulsively readable, beautifully designed. You can dip in and out; even if you just visit one of these venues casually, you will find this engrossing. * Plays International & Europe *This book is the distillation of a lifetime's experience and study, the unique and practical voice of a true man of the theatre ... The writing is always stylish, and the book is well referenced and copiously illustrated with photos, diagrams and plans. If you are going to read one book on theatre spaces this should be it -- Peter Longman * Theatres Magazine *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Foreword by Richard Eyre An Introduction and a Summary Act 1 Pre-1920: Setting the Scene and Some Early Pioneers Chapter One: Theatre is Ephemeral While Buildings Endure. Some Necessary Background Chapter Two: Richard Wagner, Adolphe Appia and the Spreading of the Fan Act II 1920 Chapter Three: The Festival Cambridge, Stratford-upon-Avon and Early Days of the National Chapter Four: Guthrie’s Thrust Stages Chapter Five: Germany’s Building Boom and Anglo-American Shakespeare Chapter Six: The Olivier, the Lyttelton and the Barbican Theatres Act III 1976–2020: The Past Informs the Present Chapter Seven: The Cottesloe and Other Courtyards Chapter Eight: Worthy Scaffolds: Brook’s Empty Space and Spaces Found by Others Chapter Nine: Regenerating the Old Offers an Antidote to Modernism. Part One: English Theatres of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries Chapter Ten: Regenerating the old offers an antidote to modernism. Part Two: A Couple of Twentieth-century Scottish Theatres Reborn – One in Edinburgh and the Other in Florida Chapter Eleven: New Opera Houses from Glyndebourne to Dallas. Elsewhere Some Starchitects Upstage the Performers Chapter Twelve: Learning from the Netherlands, Berlin, Brazil, Australia, Indian and Chinese Cultures. The Threat of Internationalism Chapter Thirteen: 2010–2020: Some New Builds, Two Renovations – One at Stratford-upon-Avon and One in London – And Diversions on In-the-round and the Open Air Act IV 2021: The Future Chapter Fourteen: Unforeseen Consequences of Seventeenth-century Plagues, of the Arrival of the Talkies and the More Recent Dangers of the Pandemic and of ‘Virtual Theatre’. Some Central Themes Restated References Further Reading Acknowledgements Theatre Index Person Index

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Book SynopsisCollaboration is the most important facet of any theatrical company. From the performers on stage to the choreographers, designers and technicians working behind the scenes, this book considers all departments working on a production and instructs them on how to unify their individual skills towards a shared goal. From Vaudeville to classical opera, this book establishes the skills that each specialist brings to the production process before demonstrating how each individual contribution can be utilized in tandem with all other creative teams. With particular focus on enhancing interdepartmental communication, Collaborating Backstage examines all the challenges that may befall artistic companies and projects made up of many different parts. This book explains how to understand technical jargon within teams that speak a variety of languages and come from different cultural backgrounds; how to recognise and follow the unwritten rules' of theatre; and how best to achieve the ultimaTrade ReviewI am completely blown away by the quality of this book. As an educator, this book is fantastic, I would even go so far as to say that it could become an essential part of classroom foundation work. The writing is very clear and enjoyable to read. I could definitely see using this as a class textbook … Niermann emphasizes the value of the individual within the team. It feels like every member of the theatre is a strand that comes together to make a strong rope of teamwork. Niermann also gives real, helpful and attainable advice and guidelines to help the actor and crew members. I highly recommend Collaborating Backstage: Breaking Barriers for the Creative Network. It is an excellent textbook for educators as well as a handbook for personal and professional growth. * OnStage Blog *With Collaborating Backstage, Timo Niermann has managed to create a fine handbook for artists from all branches of the performing arts willing to improve their working processes. The book is full of helpful ideas, concepts, and methods. * GIFT Magazine (Bloomsbury translation) *Collaborating Backstage is a remarkable handbook for practitioners to understand that part of real-life theater activity that is usually invisible to the audience. For researchers, it is an all-encompassing reference work about rules, backgrounds and all those tricks that help ensure a smooth cooperation among the various tribes in the theater, on- and off-stage. Simply indispensable for those who want to know more about what is going on behind the curtain! * Dr Gabriele Pfeiffer, Institute of Theatre, Filmand Media Studies, University of Vienna, Austria *An extremely satisfying sit-down with a master raconteur and teacher. Never didactic or abstract, it’s a fascinating book that provides a buffet of ideas on how to improve our collaboration across all facets of the events we create … An excellent addition to any bookshelf on leadership, collaboration, and people skills. * Theatre Design and Technology *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Creativity backstage What this chapter is about Creative productions Skills and creativity The personal bag of experiences Improving personal creativity The production’s bag of experiences Improving team creativity Creativity and communication 2 The scenery of cooperation What this chapter is about Uniqueness Multiplying the impact Hierarchical and egalitarian structures Department line-ups Job profiles Team leaders The Responsibility Pyramid The Backstage Network Model Avenues of communication Shortcut communication? 3 Intercultural alignment What this chapter is about Recipes for cultures The family The melting Pot of the performing arts Regional and social cultures Cultural themes Working with culture shocks The roots of action Differences and similarities Perception of time Language Stage right” Establish a language, create a culture 4 Improving conditions What this chapter is about What we can learn from chickens The optimal team Positivity Keystones for commitment Physical shape Preparatory research Mind our own business Knowing ourselves Personal requirements Presenting ourselves Enabling access A punchline introduction The condition of our materials Names Body language Handshake quality Trust and fear Avoiding “No!” Reading routines Breaking routines Sense of humor Post-processing 5 The Creative exchange What this chapter is about Freedom through directions The T-I-M-O technique Task Intention Match Organize Why and when? Collaborating with the audience 6 Tools and tricks What this chapter is about Ideology Rehearsals and setup On the road 7 Summary Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the PQ Best Publication Award in Performance Design & Scenography 2023 This book uses digital media theory to explore contemporary understandings of expanded scenography as spatial practice. It surveys and analyses a selection of ground-breaking, experimental digital media performances that comprise a genealogy spanning the last 30 years, in order to show how the arrival of digital technologies has profoundly transformed performance practice. Performances are selected based on their ability to elicit the unique specificities of digital media in new and original ways, thereby exposing both the richness and shortcomings of digital culture. O''Dwyer argues that contemporary scenography is largely propelled by and dependent on digital technologies and represents a rich, fertile domain, where unbridled creativity can explore new techniques and challenge the limits of knowledge. The 30-year genealogy includes works by Troika Ranch, Stelarc, Klaus Obermaier, Chunky MovTrade ReviewO’Dwyer guides the reader through six chapters of case studies … with amazing dexterity … It is O’Dwyer’s adept and careful analysis of each of the artists/works that makes this volume so compelling. * International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Avant-garde and Invention in Early Digital Scenography: Troika Ranch 2. Scenography of the Cyborg: Stelarc’s Extra Ear 3. Innovations in Motion-Tracking and Projection-Mapping: Klaus Obermaier 4. Responsive Environments and Choreographing Indeterminacy: Chunky Move 5. Architectural Projection-Mapping: OnionLab Beaming on a Grand Scale 6. Ubiquitous Computing, Behavioural Profiling, Big Data and Machine Learning: Blast Theory Conclusion: Towards a Nascent Grammar of Digital Scenography Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisKit Spencer is an experienced make-up artist and hair stylist with a backgroundin producing make-up for television, film, and music videos. She is theauthor of Period Make-up for the Stage and Screen.Trade Review'There is a real wealth of information here - and it couldn't be clearer to read.' Reviewsgate.com 'It isn't often that I get excited about training manuals especially when they deal with subjects of which I have absolutely no hands-on experience. But Period Hairstyles for Studio Stage and Screen and its companion volume Period Make-up, both by Kit Spencer and both new from Methuen Drama, are lovely, heavy ring-bound books with lots of outstandingly helpful pictures.' The Stage - Education Blog "I would thoroughly recommend these books to enthusiastic amateurs or young people who want to experiment before making headway into the industry." The Stage (June 2009)

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Book SynopsisStriking make-up is a vital part of creating character for film,stage shows and TV. Every period in history has its classic make-upstyles. The clear step-by-step instructions, tricks and techniquesfeatured in this book make it your essential guide to re-creating them.Whether you need to create authentic make-up for film, a stageproduction or fashion shoot - this guide has complete coverage frommedieval princesses and Regency heroines to classic Hollywood style,punk-rock and more. With clear instructions and close-up photography,over a hundred looks can be re-created for innovative, iconic andauthentic effect.'There is a real wealth of information here - and it couldn't be clearer to read.' Reviewsgate.com

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Book SynopsisTaking a new approach to the metaphor of the political body, this book examines Shakespeare's representation of that body as possessing epistemological faculties. The theater is one of these faculties, and is, therefore, essential to the health and survival of the Early Modern state. By depicting the theater as an essential faculty of the body politic, Shakespeare offers a defense of the theater against anti-theatrical critics. Students and teachers interested in the body and its representations in literature will find this text illuminating as will those scholars whose work focuses on knowledge, its relationship to the body, ways of knowing, and anti-theatrical prejudice.

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Book SynopsisWhen Black runway models began throwing phones and VH1's Divas Live riveted viewers, a new paradigm for Black women had fully evolved in the form of the Black Diva. Tracing the trajectory of the Diva figure from the Italian castrati to Ntozake Shange's Liliane: Resurrection of the Daughter suggests a way around staid and fixed stereotypes about Black womanhood. The Black Diva performs her demands as a quintessential act of survival in a hostile and racist world; she is both a product of and a mark against the male gaze, Black and white. Ultimately, Tipping on a Tightrope: Divas in African American Literature uses present popular culture incarnations of the Diva to detail her long relationship with Black American literary culture.

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Book SynopsisThis edited collection explores the roles of material culture in socializing young people through their play. Authors explore notions of play from diverse cultural viewpoints, as well as the impact of technology on play, and the kinds of resistant and liberatory play children might partake in. Informed by the field of performance studies, the book considers play as performance, asking questions about embodiment at physical, relational, and ideological levels, and considering performance to be part of identity construction, as well as a component of enculturation into various societies. Of interest are the ways in which children try on various identities through their play, and how these identities may (re)define their attitudes, values, and beliefs. As curriculum and instruction have become open to the use of games and children's material culture more generally as a forum for learning, intersections have emerged between schooling and culture at large. This book broadens the scopeTable of ContentsContents: Jack Zipes: Foreword: Toward Creating a Children’s Public Sphere – Drew Chappell: Colonizing the Imaginary: Socializing (Specific) Identities, Bodies, Ethics, and Moralities through Pleasurable Embodiment – Amy Petersen Jensen/McKay R. Jensen: Online Girl Games, Identity, and the Creation of a Multimodal Consumer/Creator – Warren Linds/Felice Yuen/Linda Goulet/Jo-Ann Episkenew/Karen Schmidt: Exploring and Re-creating Indigenous Identity through Theatre-based Workshops – Valerie Borey/Tove I. Dahl: Playing with Meaning in a Norwegian Language Immersion Village – Noelia Enriz: Ñeovanga Poranguei: The Lucky Ones Who Play (Mbyá guaraní Children’s Learning through Social Play) – Rebecca Howard: What Are Little (Gender «Normal», Heterosexual) Kids Made Of? Performing and Subverting the Status Quo in the Dramatic Play Area – Anna Beresin: Children’s Museums and Children’s Bodies – Sean J. Bliznik: We’re All In This Together: Framing the Self-Representation of Adolescence in Disney’s High School Musical – Amy K. Way: Going on 30: Adult Discourses of Femininity in Young Women’s Sports Training – Matt Omasta: Constructing Good and Evil at the «Happiest Place on Earth» – Christina Marín: Whose Rights Are They Anyway? Examining Human Rights Education with Young People Incorporating Theatre Games and Dramatic Activities – Maria Kromidas: Cyberculture, Multiculture and the Emergent Morality of Critical Cosmopolitanism: Kids (Trans)Forming Difference Online – Shimi Friedman: Adversity in a Snowball Fight: Jewish Childhood in the Muslim Village of Sillwan – Drew Chappell: Success through Excess: Narratives and Performances in Board and Card Games.

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Book SynopsisImmigration and Contemporary British Theater: Finding a Home on the Stage analyzes how contemporary British theater has responded to post-war immigration to the United Kingdom through its depictions of home and domestic life. Bridging literary analysis, theater history, and migration studies, the book examines the ways that immigration to the United Kingdom has reshaped British theatrical culture and inspired new conceptions of Britishness and of communal belonging. Furthermore, it examines how immigrant theater artists from widely varying backgrounds (geographical, educational, cultural) have worked within and around existing theatrical institutions in Britain.

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Book SynopsisA Theater Criticism/Arts Journalism Primer: Refereeing the Muses examines the skill set associated with being a critic and arts journalist. It explores the history, evolution, and future of the profession in the United States, and carefully and purposefully dissects the preparation, observation, and writing process associated with generating thoughtful and interesting arts criticism. Using theatrical productions as the best and most vivid example of a storytelling enterprise that employs creativity, imagination, collaboration, aesthetics, and artisanship to effectively engage an audience, this book is intended to generate the critical thinking and critical writing skills necessary to effectively engage in all forms of arts journalism. It is designed to be used as a college-level textbook on theater criticism and arts journalism courses, for those looking to become more thoughtful, critical consumers, for casual critics thinking about starting a blog or working for theirTrade Review«Bob Abelman and Cheryl Kushner’s accessible and information-rich primer is useful to beginners eager to develop their critical voices. It’s also worthwhile to those of us who have been practicing criticism for years but need to recall the basics: Why we write criticism, how to do it well, and why it matters.matters.» (David Cote, Theater Editor and Chief Drama Critic, Time Out New York) «The authors’ passion and obsession are what make this book invaluable.» (Sasha Anawalt, Director, Arts Journalism Programs, USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism) «Refereeing the Muses provides an element-by-element analysis of what goes into constructing an artful, journalistically sound review. The book’s insights into how critics prepare and then react to a work of art are valid and valuable. The authors also acknowledge that the best criticism, like the work it analyzes, requires creativity.» (Christine Dolen, Theater Critic, The Miami Herald) «The art and practice of criticism is undergoing fundamental change. Before we figure out where it’s going we have to understand what it’s been and how it’s been done. ‘Refereeing the Muses’ is a valuable and compelling place from which to start.» (Douglas McLennan, Editor, ArtsJournal.com) «Bob Abelman and Cheryl Kushner have delivered a book of remarkable clarity, a detailed survey and breakdown of critic-craft that’s granular without ever getting grainy. Even if we end up living in that much-feared near-future where ‘Everyone’s a Critic’, ‘Refereeing the Muses’ will be required reading for every drive-by Twitterer and citizen-kvetcher.» (Scott Brown, Theater Critic, New York Magazine) «As one who has been heralded and eviscerated in reviews, I can only hope that both critics and artists take the time to truly digest the insightful information in this book – to more fully understand not only where the ideals of criticism come from, but where critics fit in today’s theatrical ecosystem.» (Eric Coble, Playwright (‘Bright Ideas’, ‘The Velocity of Autumn’))«Bob Abelman and Cheryl Kushner’s accessible and information-rich primer is useful to beginners eager to develop their critical voices. It’s also worthwhile to those of us who have been practicing criticism for years but need to recall the basics: Why we write criticism, how to do it well, and why it matters.» (David Cote, Theater Editor and Chief Drama Critic, Time Out New York) «The authors’ passion and obsession are what make this book invaluable.» (Sasha Anawalt, Director, Arts Journalism Programs, USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism) «Refereeing the Muses provides an element-by-element analysis of what goes into constructing an artful, journalistically sound review. The book’s insights into how critics prepare and then react to a work of art are valid and valuable. The authors also acknowledge that the best criticism, like the work it analyzes, requires creativity.» (Christine Dolen, Theater Critic, The Miami Herald) «The art and practice of criticism is undergoing fundamental change. Before we figure out where it’s going we have to understand what it’s been and how it’s been done. ‘Refereeing the Muses’ is a valuable and compelling place from which to start.» (Douglas McLennan, Editor, ArtsJournal.com) «Bob Abelman and Cheryl Kushner have delivered a book of remarkable clarity, a detailed survey and breakdown of critic-craft that’s granular without ever getting grainy. Even if we end up living in that much-feared near-future where ‘Everyone’s a Critic’, ‘Refereeing the Muses’ will be required reading for every drive-by Twitterer and citizen-kvetcher.» (Scott Brown, Theater Critic, New York Magazine) «As one who has been heralded and eviscerated in reviews, I can only hope that both critics and artists take the time to truly digest the insightful information in this book – to more fully understand not only where the ideals of criticism come from, but where critics fit in today’s theatrical ecosystem.» (Eric Coble, Playwright (‘Bright Ideas’, ‘The Velocity of Autumn’))Table of ContentsContents: The Arts at Arm’s Length – Criticizing the Arts, or Not – The Critic – Critical Thinking – The Evolution of Criticism: From Dramatic to Theater – The Evolution of Theater Criticism: The Modern Era – Storytelling Conventions – The Storytell ers – Prelude to a Critique – Writing a Critique – Deconstruction of a Critique.

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Book SynopsisA Theater Criticism/Arts Journalism Primer: Refereeing the Muses examines the skill set associated with being a critic and arts journalist. It explores the history, evolution, and future of the profession in the United States, and carefully and purposefully dissects the preparation, observation, and writing process associated with generating thoughtful and interesting arts criticism. Using theatrical productions as the best and most vivid example of a storytelling enterprise that employs creativity, imagination, collaboration, aesthetics, and artisanship to effectively engage an audience, this book is intended to generate the critical thinking and critical writing skills necessary to effectively engage in all forms of arts journalism. It is designed to be used as a college-level textbook on theater criticism and arts journalism courses, for those looking to become more thoughtful, critical consumers, for casual critics thinking about starting a blog or working for theirTrade Review«Bob Abelman and Cheryl Kushner’s accessible and information-rich primer is useful to beginners eager to develop their critical voices. It’s also worthwhile to those of us who have been practicing criticism for years but need to recall the basics: Why we write criticism, how to do it well, and why it matters.» (David Cote, Theater Editor and Chief Drama Critic, Time Out New York) «The authors’ passion and obsession are what make this book invaluable.» (Sasha Anawalt, Director, Arts Journalism Programs, USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism) «Refereeing the Muses provides an element-by-element analysis of what goes into constructing an artful, journalistically sound review. The book’s insights into how critics prepare and then react to a work of art are valid and valuable. The authors also acknowledge that the best criticism, like the work it analyzes, requires creativity.» (Christine Dolen, Theater Critic, The Miami Herald) «The art and practice of criticism is undergoing fundamental change. Before we figure out where it’s going we have to understand what it’s been and how it’s been done. ‘Refereeing the Muses’ is a valuable and compelling place from which to start.» (Douglas McLennan, Editor, ArtsJournal.com) «Bob Abelman and Cheryl Kushner have delivered a book of remarkable clarity, a detailed survey and breakdown of critic-craft that’s granular without ever getting grainy. Even if we end up living in that much-feared near-future where ‘Everyone’s a Critic’, ‘Refereeing the Muses’ will be required reading for every drive-by Twitterer and citizen-kvetcher.» (Scott Brown, Theater Critic, New York Magazine) «As one who has been heralded and eviscerated in reviews, I can only hope that both critics and artists take the time to truly digest the insightful information in this book – to more fully understand not only where the ideals of criticism come from, but where critics fit in today’s theatrical ecosystem.» (Eric Coble, Playwright (‘Bright Ideas’, ‘The Velocity of Autumn’))«Bob Abelman and Cheryl Kushner’s accessible and information-rich primer is useful to beginners eager to develop their critical voices. It’s also worthwhile to those of us who have been practicing criticism for years but need to recall the basics: Why we write criticism, how to do it well, and why it matters.matters.» (David Cote, Theater Editor and Chief Drama Critic, Time Out New York) «The authors’ passion and obsession are what make this book invaluable.» (Sasha Anawalt, Director, Arts Journalism Programs, USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism) «Refereeing the Muses provides an element-by-element analysis of what goes into constructing an artful, journalistically sound review. The book’s insights into how critics prepare and then react to a work of art are valid and valuable. The authors also acknowledge that the best criticism, like the work it analyzes, requires creativity.» (Christine Dolen, Theater Critic, The Miami Herald) «The art and practice of criticism is undergoing fundamental change. Before we figure out where it’s going we have to understand what it’s been and how it’s been done. ‘Refereeing the Muses’ is a valuable and compelling place from which to start.» (Douglas McLennan, Editor, ArtsJournal.com) «Bob Abelman and Cheryl Kushner have delivered a book of remarkable clarity, a detailed survey and breakdown of critic-craft that’s granular without ever getting grainy. Even if we end up living in that much-feared near-future where ‘Everyone’s a Critic’, ‘Refereeing the Muses’ will be required reading for every drive-by Twitterer and citizen-kvetcher.» (Scott Brown, Theater Critic, New York Magazine) «As one who has been heralded and eviscerated in reviews, I can only hope that both critics and artists take the time to truly digest the insightful information in this book – to more fully understand not only where the ideals of criticism come from, but where critics fit in today’s theatrical ecosystem.» (Eric Coble, Playwright (‘Bright Ideas’, ‘The Velocity of Autumn’))Table of ContentsContents: The Arts at Arm’s Length – Criticizing the Arts, or Not – The Critic – Critical Thinking – The Evolution of Criticism: From Dramatic to Theater – The Evolution of Theater Criticism: The Modern Era – Storytelling Conventions – The Storytell ers – Prelude to a Critique – Writing a Critique – Deconstruction of a Critique.

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Book SynopsisCurriculum and the Aesthetic Life brings together over 20 years of scholarly work by dancer, educator, and scholar Donald S. Blumenfeld-Jones on the intersection of curriculum theory and practice with aesthetics, ethics, and hermeneutic inquiry, focusing on the body and emotions and the theory and practice of Arts-Based Education Research, including his noted Hogan Dreams. He brings to his work an aesthetic sensibility developed over 40 years of active involvement in the arts as well as a Frankfurt School critical theory orientation and a constant concern for building an ethical world through cultivating an aesthetic awareness. This linking of aesthetics and ethics makes a unique contribution to the theoretical foundations of curriculum theory and educational philosophy. Always concerned with connections to practice, this book provides many examples of curriculum practice and teaching as well as scholarly studies of curriculum work. This book is essential reading for anyone invo

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Book SynopsisEncountering Texts represents the theory and praxis uncovered through an ongoing interdisciplinary arts-based critical pedagogy that engages students in critical self-reflection (disciplined, sustained thinking, requiring engagement) on difference. The Multicultural Theatre Project (MTP) is a dialogical encounter with literature through the dramatic arts. This book provides a blueprint for the multiple ways in which this enacted theory/method can be utilized as a high impact practice toward transformative learning. The significance of minority literature as fertile testing ground for raising and seeking to answer questions about difference is undisputed. To address this dynamic, this research utilizes Hans-Georg Gadamer's hermeneutical method of understanding to engage students in the interpretive process using theatre as methodology. Gadamer's concept, described as a fusion of horizons, provides a methodological approach by which students can bring their own effective history tTrade Review«An innovative, exciting, and energizing study that introduces new models of transdisciplinary and transformative learning through arts based pedagogy. Theater becomes an important site of encounter and discovery of new modes of consciousness as well as new strategies for the classroom.» (Wendy Martin, Professor of American Literature and American Studies, Claremont Graduate University)«An innovative, exciting, and energizing study that introduces new models of transdisciplinary and transformative learning through arts based pedagogy. Theater becomes an important site of encounter and discovery of new modes of consciousness as well as new strategies for the classroom.» (Wendy Martin, Professor of American Literature and American Studies, Claremont Graduate University)Table of ContentsContents: Encountering Self – Encountering Texts: Rationale and Method – The University: Work Toward Wholeness? (In)Beyond the Classroom: Transformative Learning – Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Hermeneutics as Framework – «Minority» Literature as Decentering Frame – Praxis Matters: Embodying Texts. Theatre as Method for Encounter – Project Description and Overview – MTP Praxis: Medium for Encounter – Developing Story, Developing Students as Texts – Developing Story: Sample Playwriting – Arts-Based Critical Pedagogy: Strategies for the Classroom – Discovering Through Assessment.

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Book SynopsisEncountering Texts represents the theory and praxis uncovered through an ongoing interdisciplinary arts-based critical pedagogy that engages students in critical self-reflection (disciplined, sustained thinking, requiring engagement) on difference. The Multicultural Theatre Project (MTP) is a dialogical encounter with literature through the dramatic arts. This book provides a blueprint for the multiple ways in which this enacted theory/method can be utilized as a high impact practice toward transformative learning. The significance of minority literature as fertile testing ground for raising and seeking to answer questions about difference is undisputed. To address this dynamic, this research utilizes Hans-Georg Gadamer's hermeneutical method of understanding to engage students in the interpretive process using theatre as methodology. Gadamer's concept, described as a fusion of horizons, provides a methodological approach by which students can bring their own effective history tTrade Review«An innovative, exciting, and energizing study that introduces new models of transdisciplinary and transformative learning through arts based pedagogy. Theater becomes an important site of encounter and discovery of new modes of consciousness as well as new strategies for the classroom.» (Wendy Martin, Professor of American Literature and American Studies, Claremont Graduate University)«An innovative, exciting, and energizing study that introduces new models of transdisciplinary and transformative learning through arts based pedagogy. Theater becomes an important site of encounter and discovery of new modes of consciousness as well as new strategies for the classroom.» (Wendy Martin, Professor of American Literature and American Studies, Claremont Graduate University)Table of ContentsContents: Encountering Self – Encountering Texts: Rationale and Method – The University: Work Toward Wholeness? (In)Beyond the Classroom: Transformative Learning – Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Hermeneutics as Framework – «Minority» Literature as Decentering Frame – Praxis Matters: Embodying Texts. Theatre as Method for Encounter – Project Description and Overview – MTP Praxis: Medium for Encounter – Developing Story, Developing Students as Texts – Developing Story: Sample Playwriting – Arts-Based Critical Pedagogy: Strategies for the Classroom – Discovering Through Assessment.

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Book SynopsisShakespeare's Tragedies Reviewed explores how the recognition of spectator interests by the playwright has determined the detailed character of Shakespeare tragedies. Utilizing Shakespeare's European models and contemporaries, including Cinthio and Lope de Vega, and following forms such as Aristotle's second, more popular style of tragedy (a double ending of punishment for the evil and honor for the good), Hugh Macrae Richmond elicits radical revision of traditional interpretations of the scripts. The analysis includes a major shift in emphasis from conventionally tragic concerns to a more varied blend of tones, characterizations, and situations, designed to hold spectator interest rather than to meet neoclassical standards of coherence, focus, and progression. This reinterpretation also bears on modern staging and directorial emphasis, challenging the relevance of traditional norms of tragedy to production of Renaissance drama. The stress shifts to plays' counter-movements to tTrade Review«All in all, Richmond’s claim to offer a new perspective on the Italian-English cultural dialogue during the Renaissance and its contribution to intellectual history provides fresh insights into an exciting field.» (Sonja Fielitz, Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen 255/2018)Table of ContentsContents: The Spectator and the Dramatists – Renaissance Dramaturgy – Richard III as «a Tragedy with a Happy Ending» – A Spectator’s View of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Lope de Vega’s Castelvines y Monteses – Interlude: Mixed Modes Throughout Shakespeare – Julius Caesar and Neoclassicism 59 – Hamlet: The Spectator as Detective – Othello: Iago’s Audience – Macbeth: Satisfying the Spectator – Coriolanus: The Spectator and Aristotelianism – Enjoying King Lear – Antony and Cleopatra: Comical/Historical/Tragical – Cymbelene as Resolution: Tragical-Comical-Historical-Pastoral – Henry VIII and The Two Noble Kinsmen.

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Book SynopsisIn the tradition of the medieval cycle plays performed for education, enrichment, and entertainment, A New Corpus Christi: Plays for Churches presents 25 short plays and skits with one or two scripts for each of 21 events in the church year. The scripts range from celebratory pieces to problem plays to liturgical dramas to plays that call for no worship setting accouterments. The scripts will also provide discussion starters for Sunday school classes or small groups. And some of the plays might be grouped together as programs on particular topics such as poverty and homelessness or death and dying. This book also provides a resource for university and seminary courses in liturgics and worship.Trade Review“Norman A. Bert is priested with a rare gift: his writings offer a unique theological dialectic where not only do scripture and the Christian faith speak to the human condition, but the human condition imaginatively ‘speaks back’ to scripture and the Christian faith. If your faith community struggles each holiday season with how to bring fresh spiritual insights into the most familiar and sometimes hackneyed Christian narratives and holy days, Bert’s plays offer creative and thought-provoking alternatives to celebrating our most treasured Christian traditions.” —Rev. David Lee Jones, Th.D., Director, Doctor of Ministry Program, Nashotah House Theological Seminary"If your church is looking to do something a little edgy, something that might even take guts, then take and read. Norman A. Bert’s plays have grit and marrow and will definitely get the people talking in the parking lot afterward.” —Rev. Ryon Price, M.Div., Senior Pastor, Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth, TexasTable of ContentsPreface – Acknowledgements – Part I. Plays for Winter – A Play for the First Sunday in Advent – Two Plays for Christmas Eve – A Play for Christmas Day – A Play for New Year’s Day – A Play for Epiphany – Two Plays for the Baptism of the Lord – A Play for Black History Month – Part II. Plays for Spring and Summer – A Play for Transfiguration Sunday – Three Plays for Lent – An Entrance Liturgy for Palm Sunday – A Play for Maundy Thursday – A Play for Good Friday – A Play for Easter Vigil – A Play for Easter – A Play for the Lord’s Ascension – A Celebration for Pentecost – Part III. Plays for Autumn – A Play for World Communion Sunday – Two Plays for All Saints Day – A Play for the Feast of Christ the King – A Play for Thanksgiving.

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Book SynopsisIn the tradition of the medieval cycle plays performed for education, enrichment, and entertainment, A New Corpus Christi: Plays for Churches presents 25 short plays and skits with one or two scripts for each of 21 events in the church year. The scripts range from celebratory pieces to problem plays to liturgical dramas to plays that call for no worship setting accouterments. The scripts will also provide discussion starters for Sunday school classes or small groups. And some of the plays might be grouped together as programs on particular topics such as poverty and homelessness or death and dying. This book also provides a resource for university and seminary courses in liturgics and worship.Trade Review“Norman A. Bert is priested with a rare gift: his writings offer a unique theological dialectic where not only do scripture and the Christian faith speak to the human condition, but the human condition imaginatively ‘speaks back’ to scripture and the Christian faith. If your faith community struggles each holiday season with how to bring fresh spiritual insights into the most familiar and sometimes hackneyed Christian narratives and holy days, Bert’s plays offer creative and thought-provoking alternatives to celebrating our most treasured Christian traditions.” —Rev. David Lee Jones, Th.D., Director, Doctor of Ministry Program, Nashotah House Theological Seminary"If your church is looking to do something a little edgy, something that might even take guts, then take and read. Norman A. Bert’s plays have grit and marrow and will definitely get the people talking in the parking lot afterward.” —Rev. Ryon Price, M.Div., Senior Pastor, Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth, TexasTable of ContentsPreface – Acknowledgements – Part I. Plays for Winter – A Play for the First Sunday in Advent – Two Plays for Christmas Eve – A Play for Christmas Day – A Play for New Year’s Day – A Play for Epiphany – Two Plays for the Baptism of the Lord – A Play for Black History Month – Part II. Plays for Spring and Summer – A Play for Transfiguration Sunday – Three Plays for Lent – An Entrance Liturgy for Palm Sunday – A Play for Maundy Thursday – A Play for Good Friday – A Play for Easter Vigil – A Play for Easter – A Play for the Lord’s Ascension – A Celebration for Pentecost – Part III. Plays for Autumn – A Play for World Communion Sunday – Two Plays for All Saints Day – A Play for the Feast of Christ the King – A Play for Thanksgiving.

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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 Synopsis This study provides the first comprehensive examination of every prop in Shakespeare''s plays, whether mentioned in stage directions, indicated in dialogue or implied by the action. Building on the latest scholarship and offering a witty treatment of the subject, the authors delve into numerous historical documents, the business of theater in Renaissance England, and the plays themselves to explain what audiences might have seen at the Globe, the Rose, the Curtain, or the Blackfriars Playhouse, and why it matters. Students of the plays will be able to read beyond Shakespeare''s words and visualize the drama as it might have appeared on the stage. Scholars will find a wealth of previously unmined material for reconstructing Renaissance theatrical practices. School drama groups, amateur theaters and directors and prop masters of professional troupes will find help in mounting their own productions as the Bard''s audiences would have seen them.

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

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Book SynopsisSharon Grace Powers is a singer and actress who has appeared on Broadway, in regional theater, and in cabaret and choral work in New York City.

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Book SynopsisTHE SHAKESPEARE AUDITION:HOW TO GET OVER YOUR FEAR FIND THE RIGHT PIECEAND HAVE A GREAT

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Book SynopsisThis study provides an in-depth exploration of the dramaturgical practices of radio drama and their underlying philosophical assumptions. By presenting an analytical model drawn from phenomenology, it challenges the current understanding of the medium, instead focusing on the bodily and aural aspects of radio drama, while offering a critique of the conventions of dramaturgical practice for neglecting these affective sonic aspects. Tracing these conventions through the history of the development of radio drama, it proposes that a more bodily, resonant mode of radio dramaturgy is best placed to meet the demands of the current era of digital production and distribution. The book also examines a number of approaches to creating a more embodied experience for the listener.Table of ContentsIntroduction: the problem of radio drama1 Radio thinks, radio sees: the theatre of the mind and beyond2 Radio listens: a phenomenological model of radio drama3 How does radio listen? The semantic paradigm of British radio dramaturgy and its problems4 Radio learns to listen: a genealogy of the semantic paradigm of radio dramaturgy5 Radio listens to itself: resonant radio dramaturgiesConclusion Index

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Book SynopsisMy Cue to Fight, Volume I of a planned two volume release, is the first book of its kind to provide an in-depth examination of how the greatest playwright in the English language employed not only psychological brutality but also physical violence throughout his works. Written ideally for theatrical stage directors, fight directors, intimacy consultants, and actors as a technical scene-by-scene breakdown in staging combat during production of these plays, this publication is also for Shakespeare enthusiasts who want to learn more about the blood, sweat, and viscera hidden just underneath the poetry. A writer utilises violence, like song or dance, in moments where the story requires more than just words. But addressing how the violence will be staged tends either to be neglected or utterly gratuitous, both of which serve to separate the audience from the story and kill the whole venture. The answer rests in approaching violence the same way we do scenework. The plays of William Shakespeare seek to engage audiences with all of the characters’ blood, tears, sweat, and guts. These works are not flowery poems meant to be mumbled in a classroom, or histrionically declaimed in frilly costumes. There is nothing light and fluffy about 'rape' and 'murder’s rages', or 'carving' someone as a dish fit for the gods, or fighting till from one’s bones one’s 'flesh be hacked'. Making matters more complicated is the ambiguity and sometimes even complete lack of stage directions. Modern texts typically possess clear directions whenever violence is to occur in the action, but playscripts were quite different four centuries ago. Such denotations were both rare and inconsistent in Elizabethan and Jacobean printings. The potential violence we will examine is not appropriate for all productions or scene partners. We’re here to question and inspire rather than provide catch-all solutions. Actors, directors, fight directors, and intimacy consultants must work together to find the most effective way for their production to communicate the playwright’s story to the audience.

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Book Synopsis

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