Description
Book SynopsisThis book provides a brief yet informative evaluation of the variety and complexity of theatrical endeavours in the United States, embracing all epochs of theatre history and situating American theatre as a lively, dynamic and diverse arena.
Trade Review"In this compact and highly readable volume, Theresa Saxon introduces readers to a wide breadth of over four hundred years of American theatre and performance history. Given that mandate, Saxon's choice to draw upon a wide range of sources not generally available in theatre history texts and to highlight the early performance histories of Native Americans and African Americans is particularly noteworthy and commendable." -- Lisa Merrill, Ph.D., Professor of Performance Studies, Hofstra University, USA "In this compact and highly readable volume, Theresa Saxon introduces readers to a wide breadth of over four hundred years of American theatre and performance history. Given that mandate, Saxon's choice to draw upon a wide range of sources not generally available in theatre history texts and to highlight the early performance histories of Native Americans and African Americans is particularly noteworthy and commendable."
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Introduction: Critical Heritage; 1. Defining American 'Drama'; 2. European Forms; 3. Performance and Strife in Eighteenth-Century Theatre; 4. Politics and Plays in the Nineteenth Century; 5. 'Modern' American Theatre and the Twentieth Century; Notes; Works Cited/Consulted; Index.
