Description
Book SynopsisRobert Henke is Professor of Drama and Comparative Literature, and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Washington University, St. Louis, USA.
Trade ReviewNot since the
Cambridge History of American Theatre (1998–2000) has a multiauthored theatre history been as anticipated as Bloomsbury’s
A Cultural History of Theatre… Having read all six volumes (1,636 pages), I can testify to the magnitude of their accomplishment.
A Cultural History of Theatre is a profound reconsideration of how we understand theatre, its myriad social contexts, and the cultural work it accomplishes… the product of intellectual labor and creativity, and its accomplishments are many. A landmark work in theatre and social history, it illuminates theatre through the lens of culture, and culture through the lens of theatre. * Theatre Survey *
All six volumes are aesthetically attractive, with well-chosen cover illustrations in color and numerous halftones throughout. Page layouts with wide margins, good paper, subtitles, generous bibliographies, notes, and index all add to the appeal. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. * CHOICE *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface Editor’s Acknowledgements Introduction: Culture, Cultural History and Early Modern Theatre
Robert Henke, Washington University, USA 1 Institutional Frameworks: Mapping Theatrical Resources
Tom Bishop,University of Auckland, New Zealand and Robert Henke, Washington University, USA 2. Social Functions: Audience Participation, Efficacious Entertainment
Erika T. Lin, The City University of New York, USA 3. Sexuality and Gender: The Early Modern Theatrical Body
Eric Nicholson, Syracuse University in Florence, Italy 4. The Environment of Theatre: Urbanization and Theatre Building in Early Modern Europe
Karen Newman, Brown University, USA 5. Circulation: Aristocratic, Commercial, Religious and Artistic Networks
Pavel Drábek, University of Hull, UK 6. Interpretations: Antitheatrical Thinking and the Rise of 'Theatre'
Stefan Hulfeld, University of Vienna, Austria 7. Communities of Production: Lives in and out of the Theatre
William N. West, Northwestern University, USA 8. Repertoire and Genre: Culture and Society
Friedemann Kreuder, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany 9. Technologies of Performance: From Mystery Plays to the Italian Order
Blair Hoxby, Stanford, USA 10 Knowledge Transmission: Theatre at the Crossroads of Concept, Medium and Practice
Ellen MacKay, Indidana University, USA Notes Bibliography Index
