Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subtitle: Comedian, and Late Patentee of the Theatre-Royal. With an Historical View of the Stage During His Own Time; Volume: 1; Original Published by: Printed for R. and J. Dodsley in 1756 in 344 pages; Description: Decorative embellishments on dedication page and at head of each chapter.; Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts; Performing Arts / Theater / History & Criticism; ... Read more

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The Enjoyment of Theatre's balanced coverage of performance and history provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to theatre.

This book covers the full span of theatre's 2,500-year history as well as performance/production topics such as playwriting, acting, directing, and the theatre industry. This seventh edition features major revisions and welcomes two highly respected collaborators from the University of South Carolina to the proven author team of Cameron and Gillespie. Together, they make theatre come alive for all readers by showing them how theatre is, and will continue to be, relevant to their everyday lives.

Customer Reviews (4)

Thank you
This Product arrived in good condition and in good timing. I have no problems ordering again from this distributor. Thanks again.

A Solid Introduction to Theatre
Let's face it. Most introductory textbooks are pretty much alike: a little history, a little theory, an overview of what theatre professionals do, etc. Cameron and Gillespie give the student a leg up by writing their chapters in a user-friendly format, with chapter objectives, bulleted (main) points, and key terms at the end of the chapter, as well as web sites for further information. They also provide headings and subheadings as chapters progress, helping us digest the material in conceptual chunks rather than one long narrative. As one reviewer pointed out, there are no cuts from plays inserted, but that gives the instructor the freedom to choose his/her own plays to examine in class. Overall, I think it's an excellent introductory text. I especially like the attention to script analysis using Aristotle's Poetics.

Caution: May cause severe eye-rolling and excessive boredom
This book is meant to be informative.It is.Unfortunately, only about 15% of the book contains useful information.It actually takes the time to explain what a standing ovation is: "To show exceptional approval, audiences may stand and applaud (give a standing ovation)."It goes on to explain that if an audience finds something funny they will laugh.Imagine that.

A Solid "Introduction to Theatre" text
The story of the textbook is to give students an appreciation of theatre, to delineate theatre from other Art forms such as sculpture, dance, and painting as well as film and sporting events.The text gives a concise and accurate, although thoroughly Western, overview of theatre history with brief emphasis on African and Asian theatre.One is taken Chapter by Chapter through a discovery process from the very broad appreciation of theatre as a performing art to the very specific nuances of various Asian performance techniques.Along the way there are three units broken up into various chapters.Unit one focuses on audience relationship to the stage, the social context of theatre, textual and visual analysis a.k.a audience appreciation.Unit Two analyzes the state of theatre today and occupations in theatre.Unit Three focuses entirely on theatre history with chapters on ancient theatre, the middle ages, neoclassicism, romanticism, avant garde, eclectic and current theatre, and concludes with world theatre (mainly African, Islamic, and Asian).The book's weaknesses are its decidedly Western and Caucasian focus, very little of the text is devoted to non-white theatre and (although much improved on other texts) there are very few multi-cultural photos and illustrations included.Also, there are no plays included in the text.It is difficult to encourage script analysis if no script is included, and one page of a script with blocking scribbled all over it does not suffice.There is not much focus on design besides explaining the role of designers in the theatrical process and showing different illustrations of various historical theatre buildings or areas.Lastly, not knowing how to eloquently state this, there is something disturbing about siphoning Chekhov, Ibsen, the Federal Theatre Project, Kathakali, avant garde, Ira Aldridge etc. to two paragraphs or less.By trying to include so many various historical topics in one relatively small text, the authors have sold many of them short. Overall, If used in combination with lectures or texts on design, live performance, and a collection of world drama or scripts this is a solid and very useful text. ... Read more

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Robert Wilson, the leading American avant-garde theater director, revolutionized the stage by making visual communication more important than words. His productions cut across the boundaries that traditionally have defined theater, dance, opera and the visual arts to create a total work of art.This book, the first comprehensive study of Wilson, traces the evolution of the director's astonishing career. It explains how Wilson renovated the stage and describes in detail major productions such as: DEAFman Glance, Einstein on the Beach, andCIVIL WarS.Amazon.com Review
Robert Wilson's insane, brilliant 14-hour avant-garde theatreexperiments in the 1970s often were punishments even to the braveaudiences willing to go along with him. But they were packed withtheatre ideas and experiments that have been appropriated and digestedby a generation and a half of more conventional directors. Here, forthe first time on this scale, Wilson's body of work is treated as awhole, and its innovations labeled and catalogued for theages. Extremely useful both for those who are seeking entry toWilson's oeuvre, and for Wilson veterans longing for a betterunderstanding of what exactly it was they saw in Einstein on theBeach, CIVIL WarS, and other projects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Most Creative Theater Artist of our Time
Robert Wilson is a genius.Simple statement.Simple fact.He has been altering the way we view language, staging, lighting, color, set design, dance, and presentation/direction since 1965 and his current projects dealing with the reinterpretation of opera are even more bold and thrilling than his earlier experimental works.He is getting better and more inventive and is a formidable force in the theater both here in the US and around the world.

Arthur Holmberg's very fine book THE THEATRE OF ROBERT WILSON was published in 1996 as part of the DIRECTORS IN PERSPECTIVE series by Cambridge University Press.While the hardback version is not readily available, the paperback version is still out there in the rarebook stores.If you find one, buy it.Holmberg is not only a fine scholar, he also comes to his subject by means of extended interviews with Wilson.In this book he chronicles the life of Robert Wilson and his involvement in the theater up to the date of this publication. He devotes a large volume of the information to an essay on 'Contextualizing Wilson: from semiotics to semantics' and while the title breathes artspeak, the content is immensely readable and valuable in providing insights as to how Wilson arrived at his most creative view of 'theater'.Holmberg then wisely presents an in depth discussion with photographs of Wilson's major work at that time, 'the CIVILwarS' - a multimedia massive project that remains one of the most inventive works of theater in the repertoire.

The now signature use of symbols for sets, Noh influenced movement, timeless black and white stark costume design, and immensely creative lighting effects are discussed but only to the point of the time of the book.Wilson's latest creations for the opera stage include the wholly successful spiritual experience of his 'Parsifal' now on the stage of the Los Angeles Opera and the equally stunning reductive 'Madama Butterfly' which follows next year.But also his designs and productions of Wagner'sRing cycle will be unveiled next year and promise to once again make that great work yet more meaningful to the audience.

Sadly this book is outdated and the quality of the multiple photographs of Wilson's sets, costumes, and performances are little better than snapshot quality.But the information is fascinating and important.Surely there will begin appearing many books about the creative mind and works of Robert Wilson (perhaps Holmberg will re-do this one and update it) and hopefully those books will include color reproductions of the extraordinary stage pictures from his operas.But until those books come along, this book is well worth searching for.Highly Recommended.Grady Harp, December 05

An excellent book not yet released (*not* out of print).
This is an excellent study on the contemporary stage director Robert Wilson. I have read Dr. Holmberg's book in pre-release.Prospective purchasers should take note that, contrary to what amazon.com says, the book is *not* out of print;it simply has not yet been released by the publisher.Last I heard from a local book store, it will become available in June of 1997. Charles G. Thomas, Cambridge, MA thomas@world.std.com ... Read more

Product Description
The Politics of Irish Drama analyzes some twenty-five of the best-known Irish plays from those of Dion Boucicault to Sebastian Barry, including works by Shaw, Yeats, Lady Gregory and Beckett. The book looks at political contexts for these plays and, in arguing for the outward-directed nature of dramatic representation of Ireland, shows Irish drama to be an international as much as national phenomenon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Welcome study of the context for recent Irish plays
Professor Grene of Trinity College, Dublin has written widely on drama; this text gives twenty-odd close readings of plays chosen to symbolize how Ireland, in his terms, undergoes "theatrical revisionism" as it's portrayed on stage. That is, playwrights strive to show an Ireland truer to reality than that previously shown by stereotypical "stage Irish" caricatures or plots. Thus, Grene argues, his selection of plays attempt to realistically capture Irish life for audiences expected to be familiar with both its distorted enactments and the more accurately dramatized Ireland that replaces it, generation after generation, in the corrective plays that supersede the earlier inaccuracies.

This daunting thesis Grene illustrates by a variety of plays, familiar as Synge's Playboy and unfamiliar (at least to me) as Tom Murphy's A Crucial Week. Most exciting for me are his discoveries within the historical distortions placed into Translations by Brian Friel, the autobiographical elisions applied by Sean O'Casey, the Tuam, Co Galway work of Murphy, the making of Behan's The Hostage vs. its Irish-language precedent, and the possibilities for a change from the usual Irish themes in Yeats' Purgatory and Beckett's All That Fall.

Grene avoids pedantry, trendy critical jargon, and keeps the reader in mind as he studies such works honestly. He credits other scholars thoughtfully, brings in the historical and political contexts but never allows them to overshadow the actual plays, and summarizes earlier debates about them well.

One shortcoming: as if sensing that students might be using his book as a crib to avoid reading the plays, he does shy away more than once from examining their endings. While he exerts much effort in establishing the background and conflicts emerging from many play's earlier plots, he tends to duck out before bringing some of his close readings to a dramatic close.

... Read more

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Customer Reviews (9)

Excellent RT resource for Teachers
Do you want an engaging activity to use with elementary students that fosters reading, performing and listening skills?Aaron Shephard's book is a wonderful resource for K-8 teachers to use in the classroom.This book has a variety of texts adapted for Reader's Theater from all parts of the world.It has been a great addition to our reading lessons!

Folktales on Stage A Must Have Teachers Resource!
As a teacher of the gifted I find reader's theatre a creative avenue for teaching literacy and creative dramatics.Aaron Shepard does a great job providing interesting, well organized scripts with a rich selection of myths, folktales, and legends.I greatly appreciate this valuable resource!

Perfect for the classroom!
The grade and school where I teach stresses folktales, legends and myths.I also wanted to try to get this in a "Reader's Theater" format.This book does just that!Bravo!

Great for students with special needs
As a teacher of children with learning disabilities, I rarely find an activity that relates to the standards, a child's IEP, and is one that students rave about.This is entertaining as well as educational.

half.pint@cox.net
I love all of Aaron's books.As a future teacher who believes today's students don't know enough of the world's folktales, I know I will be using this book in my future classroom.I especially like the story of "The Sea King's Daughter."It is a wonderful story and Aaron Shepherd has done a wonderful job of adapting it and the other stories in this collection for readers' theater.I can't wait to see what he will do next. ... Read more

Product Description
An introduction to the theater, covering such topics as writing a play, choosing a cast, acting techniques, directing, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must have!
I borrowed this book from the library and ended up ordering it from Amazon.com.I was starting a theater group and this book was extremelyhelpful and insightful.There is very practical information from cover tocover.The theater group ended up doing an exceptional production of whichI owe Mr. Cassady a word of thanks. ... Read more

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Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
In this fully updated and revised edition of Learning Through Theatre, the contributors chart the development of Theatre in Education (TIE), one of the most significant developments in contemporary theatre. This theatrical innovation has inspired and at times unnerved, actors and teachers alike, yet has also provided an unprecedented bridge between theatre and education. This book identifies TIE's strengths and provides vivid accounts of its practice around the world. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is inspired by the life and stories of Polish writer Bruno Schulz (1892-1942). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Extraordinary
Simon McBurney's London theater company produced this play in the 1990s with material from Bruno Schulz' novel of the same name, for which the Polish Jewish writer was best known. That brilliant 1990s staging, easily one of the 20th century's most remarkable, taught perhaps tens of thousands something about this otherwise obscure artist and author, whose life the Nazis prematurely snuffed out.

Schulz' 1934 novel included several of his masterful drawings and etchings, some of which also appear in other books. He painted in words and pictures.

One vision of meals at his family's home obviously influenced McBurney's script, which includes a wonderful scene at a Schulz dinner featuring the family's many colorful relations and friends. The play reflects Schulz' surreal brilliance, through amazing antics--chairs hanging from a wall, tablecloths floating in air and an uncle walking on the ceiling.

The play opens with a remarkable scene: The disconnected hands and feet of many Holocaust victims wave helplessly through a trap door while Schulz feeds books into a pot-bellied stove, downstage right. This evokes the era's wholesale terror, its destruction of untold millions of Jewish civilians--and its fierce war on ideas. Indeed, during the Nazi occupation of Poland, Schulz was forced to sort and burn those titles they had banned.

Schulz was born on July 12, 1892, the third and youngest child of a Polish merchant in Drohobycz, where he lived a life tragically abbreviated by the Holocaust. He reflected this town (and his close connections to family) in all his written and artistic works. When the Soviets occupied eastern Poland (and Drohobycz) in 1939, Schulz avoided the deportation suffered by hundreds of thousands of other Jewish Poles, although the USSR prohibited him from working.

But Polish Jews experienced far worse hardships with the June 1941 Nazi occupation of eastern Poland. Schulz was then enslaved for a year by Felix Landau, the infamous Viennese Nazi and Jew murderer. He survived on one daily bowl of soup and slice of bread.

Gestapo officer Karl Guenther shot Schulz in the head on Black Thursday, Nov. 19, 1942. A devoted friend buried him at night in a Jewish cemetery, which has since disappeared, along with Schulz' grave.

Most of his artistic and written work also disappeared into the Holocaust's maw.

But thanks to McBurney's extraordinary play, part of Schulz' incalculable brilliance was vividly revived.

--Alyssa A. Lappen ... Read more

Product Description
Theatre is a primal language that used to be spoken by everyone; everyone includedthe "living community".

Weaving together Systems Theory and thegroundbreaking work of Fritjof Capra , Theatre of the Oppressed and the revolutionarywork of Augusto Boal , and his own 25 years of practical experience in community-basedpopular theatre, David Diamond creates a silo-busting book that embraces the complexityof real life.

Some of the questions Theatre for Living asks andattempts to answer: From a perspective of biology and sociology, how is a community aliving thing? How do we design a theatre practice to consciously work with livingcommunities to help them tell their stories? How do we accomplish this withoutdemonizing those characters with whom we disagree? Must we constantly do battle todefeat an endless stream of oppressors, or can we imagine a world in which we stopcreating them? Why is this important? What should we be on the look-out for (bothpositive and negative) when doing this work? What practical games and exercises can weuse to awaken group consciousness?

Who will be interested inTheatre for Living? Artists; community development workers; educators; activists; peopleworking in social services, mediation and conflict resolution; health careprofessionals; anyone with an interest in finding new ways to approach the intersectionof culture and social justice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Magical ride through the world of community-based theatre
Finally David Diamond has found the time and inspiration to write a book about his groundbreaking theatre work with communities in Canada and around the world. Combining thoughts about systems theory and theatre, Diamond manages to shine a refreshingly new light on what is perhaps the most transformative form of theatre. In addition, several case studies as well ascountless theatre games and exercises make this book a highly practical guide for all those interested in the art that is 'Theatre for Living'. ... Read more

Product Description
Congressional Theatre is the first book to identify and examine the significant body of plays, films, and teleplays that responded to the actions of the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the "show business hearings" it held between 1947 and 1960.Among the writers discussed are Arthur Miller, Bertolt Brecht, Lillian Hellman, Maxwell Anderson, Elia Kazan, Barrie Stavis, Herman Wouk, Eric Bentley, Saul Levitt, Budd Schulberg, Carl Foreman, Abraham Polonsky, and Walter Bernstein. ... Read more

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Lloyd Tilghman: Confederate General in the Western Theatre Bryan Bush's latest is the first detailed biography devoted entirely to capturing the story of one of the South's forgotten but distinguished sons. The book relays the life of Lloyd Tilghman; West Point graduate, soldier, engineer, family man. Coming to build a railroad, the talented engineer settled in Paducah, Kentucky in 1852, with his wife Augusta and their eight children. With the advent of the Civil War, the Mexican war veteran followed his convictions south, becoming a Colonel of the 3rd Kentucky Infantry. Many of the members of the Kentucky State Guard followed him. Promoted to Brigadier General, Tilghman assumed responsibility for the strategically important rivers in Western Kentucky and Tennessee. Guarding the Gateway into the South by holding Ft. Henry on the Tennessee River, Tilghman fought overwhelming odds against Commodore Andrew Foote and General U.S. Grant. Succumbing to naval firepower, Tilghman surrendered Ft. Henry. Taken prisoner, he was later exchanged, becoming an infantry brigade commander. During the Battle of Champion s Hill on May 16, 1864, while directing artillery fire, Tilghman was struck by a shell fragment and killed, ending a promising military and civilian career. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Sidney L. Leak, III, CH (COL-retired) US Army
Mr. Bush's biography of Tilghman is more a review of the war in the Western Theatre than it is a biography.The lack of personal letters for source material and the author's reliance on the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion may account for the latter.However, the text contains misplaced modifiers, errors in subject-verb agreement, and at least one plural adjective modifying a singular noun ("twelve foot.")

A Well-Done Tribute to General Tilghman
As a collector of Biographies and memoirs of Civil War Generals, I have the James Raab dual biography of Generals Shoup and Tilghman.Bryan Bush's new biography of Lloyd Tilghman far surpasses this work.Mr. Bush has seemingly approached this project as a labor of love, and his enthusiasm for his subject comes across well in a book that is well researched and enhanced with lots of interesting photos.General Tilghman was one of so many Confederate Generals who lost their lives in battle.His bravery is unquestioned, but the author DOES call into question Tilghman's decisions at Fort Henry and Champion's Hill to step down from his command responsibilities to fight in the front lines.The first instance led to his capture and the command evolving to incompetents such as Generals Floyd and Pillow at Ft. Donelson, and the second instance led to his death.
Well done, Mr. Bush.
... Read more

Product Description
Combining basic composition and critical inquiry into the discipline of theatre, HOW TO WRITE ABOUT THEATRE AND DRAMA meets the fundamental needs of beginning theatre students to learn the unique and varied forms of theatre and drama in their role in our cultural heritage.Beginning with a discussion of the theatrical review, the text covers the forms of essays used in writing about theatre, research, matters of style, structure, and vocabulary. ... Read more

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This companion guide to the student's action workbook makes teaching this class easy and fun. It includes the answers to all questions. It provides lesson plans, a weekly calendar, a survival guide for a substitute, poster ideas, evaluation forms, hand-outs, planning materials for fundraising events, and awards. More teaching-assists than you will ever need. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

It was just OKAY
I found the layout to be a bit confusing.The information contained was just OKAY...a bit elementary.

Student Handbook only...
If you are a teacher thinking about buying this book, beware!Unless you are buying each student in your class their own handbook, this book is not necessary.The Teacher's edition has the entire student handbook already included.I purchased this book and it was entirely unnecessary since I had purchased the Teachers edition thinking I needed both for my class.It has helpful activities, but nothing entirely spectacular, and nothing I couldn't have found on the internet for free.

Not extremely user-friendly at first...
As a new teacher, I hope this book will provide the help I've been seeking. But I'm finding it confusingly arranged and excessively chatty.The first section discusses point systems, substitute plans and other minutiae in great detail, while the actual syllabus finally appears unheralded on page 106.Nothing is referenced by page numbers, so I'm constantly flipping back and forth, looking for the material the author references.Maybe I'll get used to it as the year goes on.But at this point it's pretty maddening.

Great for beginning teachers
There are few text books on the market for theatre arts, especailly at the middle-school level. This is a great book for the beginning teacher and/or the middle-school teacher of theatre. It provides an acceptable educational structure while still acknowleging the creative side of the subject.

Theatre Arts Guide for Middle School Teachers
This is by far the most outstanding teaching guide I've found yet.The lesson plans are well organized which allows me more time for hands-on teaching. The guide includes great work sheets and lots of creative ideas.Everything from scene work and characterization to theatre history is covered in a sequential order.I've found this a great teaching tool. ... Read more

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Derek Russell Davis argues that mental health professionals working in a hospital or clinic setting can learn much from playwrights about the psychological process in mental illness. Looking at such diverse characters as Orestes, Hamlet, King Lear, Ophelia, Peer Gynt, Oswald Alving and Blanche Dubois, Davis shows how madness in plays is put into the crucial experiences of an individual's history and current relationships, and demonstrates that these stories can be an exciting source of insight into mental illness. ... Read more