Description
Book SynopsisThe history of theatre has often been written as a history of great writers, actors, or directors. This book takes a different approach: The contributors examine the history of performance from the perspective of theatre spaces and stage technologies. Art, literature, religion, law, urbanism, architecture, technology - this interdisciplinary book discusses how these fields relate to theatre and performance. Geographically, it covers a significant portion of the globe; chronologically, it ranges from ancient times to the present. This book provides a timely attempt to combine cultural and global history.
Table of ContentsPerformance Spaces in Ancient Chinese Cities: Street Theatres of the 9th Century Capital Chang'an; The Semi-Circular Theatre in Seleucid and Arsacid Babylon; The Perspectival Stage in Sebastiano Serlio's Second Book of Architecture (1545) and its German Reception in the Context of Wohlstand; Central Perspective in Catholic Churches and on Stage in Europe between the 15th and 17th Centuries; Notable Spectacles in the Late 19th-Century Kabuki Stage; Berlin and its Theatres between 1870 and 1890; The Theatres in Modern Shanghai: From the Perspective of Cultural History; Discussions on Theatre Spaces and Theatre Materials by the Leningrad School; Projection Technology and the Theatre Stage: Light, Space, Body Politics; Cultural Techniques of Play: A Global Perspective; Contributors.
